The Ligeti Project, Vol. 5 (2004)

The fifth volume of "The Ligeti Project" apparently concludes the series of the complete works of György Ligeti, started by Sony and continued by Teldec. The program consists of miscellaneous pieces performed by an ad hoc group of musicians, and the album's grab bag quality may limit its appeal. Aventures and Nouvelles aventures call for extremely bizarre vocal sounds, and Sarah Leonard, Linda Hirst, and Omar Ebrahim bring off these exploratory works with theatrical mayhem and insane glee. Artikulation is vintage electronic ... Read More

The fifth volume of "The Ligeti Project" apparently concludes the series of the complete works of György Ligeti, started by Sony and continued by Teldec. The program consists of miscellaneous pieces performed by an ad hoc group of musicians, and the album's grab bag quality may limit its appeal. Aventures and Nouvelles aventures call for extremely bizarre vocal sounds, and Sarah Leonard, Linda Hirst, and Omar Ebrahim bring off these exploratory works with theatrical mayhem and insane glee. Artikulation is vintage electronic music from 1958, but difficult to judge from its brevity and similarity to other tape experiments of the time. Max Bonnay performs his arrangement of eight of the Musica ricercata for accordion, which are attractive but lack the incisiveness of the piano originals. The lyrical Sonata for cello, played warmly by David Geringas, is the most enjoyable work for lay listeners, and appreciation requires no theoretical explanations. Peter Masseurs plays The Big Turtle-Fanfare from the... Read Less