Thank You Mr Boulez

The performance piece Sinfonia by Luciano Berio is not titled after any classical meaning of the term but rather as the simultaneous sound of various parts ( eight voices and instruments ) and the interplay of a variety of situations and meanings. It is performed here by the New Swingle Singers directed by founder Ward Swingle and Orchestre National de France conducted by Pierre Boulez. The Swingles have been associated with the piece thorughout its' performing life, playing it again at this years BBC Proms in London. The text is made up of various snippets from Claude Levi-Strauss, Samuel Beckett and a tribute to Martin Luther King and there are musical nods towards the slow movement from Mahler's second symphony. The spoken words weave in and out of wordless singing from the voices and the clarity deliberately varies from crystal clear to blurred and indistinct. The orchestral colourings are similarly allusive but are far from intimidating. The other work featured on the disk is the single movement Eindrucke, a stark concentrated piece but with interesting depths and while not being exactly easy listening, it isn't as abstract and forbidding as the reputation of much modern music might imply.