This release offers an introduction to the music of British contemporary composer
Richard Baker
, featuring various performers with whom he has been associated.
Baker
was a student of
Louis Andriessen
, to whose music the title
The Tyranny of Fun
seems appropriate; "fun" is a word that could rarely be applied to
Andriessen
. Yet, not only that work but also
Learning to Fly
(sample the "Boisterous" movement) and some of the other pieces might indeed qualify as fun;
's angular rhythms can take on a humorous or lyrical guise that allows a Welsh inflection in
Hwyl fawr ffrindiau
. Is
a kinder, gentler
? The jury is out on that, but sample
To Keep a True Lent
, sung by the
Choir of King's College, Cambridge
, where
's rhythmic idiom transfers effectively to the comfortable collegiate choral sound. Several pieces feature the
Birmingham Contemporary Music Group
, for whom
's music is a specialty, and all the performers bring commitment and enthusiasm to the project. All the pieces except for the mysterious
Angelus
(2004) were newly recorded in 2022 and 2023. Recommended for those who enjoy the contemporary avant-garde, this album made classical best-seller lists in the spring of 2024. ~ James Manheim