Search - Giya Kancheli, Dennis Russell Davies, ORF Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra :: Giya Kancheli: Trauerfarbenes Land; À la Duduki

Robust and refreshing.

Dirk Hugo | Cape Town, South Africa | 04/10/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Very few composers approach the notion of contrast with the grace and compassion of Giya Kancheli. Music fans with a greater affinity for the contemporary scene, who are usually put off by the jarring bombast of most classical surges (particularly the older stuff that almost everyone feels obliged to rave on about) could well find this album refreshing. It takes a few listens to get used to the exceptionally wide dynamics, where the faintest whisper of the strings transforms into an unrestrained orchestral blast without warning - Kancheli's music is often best familiarised before fully appreciated, but that applies to most good things in life."

Compulsory listening

hairysteve, composer and music love | Northampton, United Kingdom | 02/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Okay, I don't actually own this CD, but I've given this 5 stars because I've played "A la Duduki" with my local youth orchestra, and it's just one of those pieces that makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand on end. I played "A la Duduki" and have been hooked on Kancheli's unique sound ever since. Though his long chords may be too outstretched for some listeners (two in "A la Duduki" are 14 seconds long!), Kancheli's harmonically and melodically sparse music WILL bring enjoyment to those willing to listen.Some reviewers on other recordings of Kancheli have criticised his use of sudden outbursts of sound, frequent in "A la Duduki" -they have said that he uses this technique to often to make it effective over time. Perhaps this is the case, but I will be incredibly surprised if the shorter outbursts don't make you jump and smile. For me, this is the whole point, Kancheli wants us to enjoy his music, and if he raises a smile, has he not succeeded?This is amazing, ethereal, haunting, beautiful music, and everybody should hear it."