Michael Finnissy: Six Sexy Minuets Three Trios
Michael Finnissy is one of the acknowledged geniuses in the field of new music, with a style which can be exceptionally adventurous (and difficult) but almost always retains a tonal core which reveals his myriad influences and inspirations often from folk music and classic literature. Of the current recordings in our catalog, those featuring works for string quartet, with or without other instruments, have been the most regularly popular.
Here we welcome back the Kreutzer Quartet, one of London’s premiere ensembles, together with leading clarinetist (and Principal of the Royal Northern College of Music), Linda Merrick. This is the 13th in the Métier Finnissy series, celebrating the work of one of today’s leaders in the new-music world. The album contains the Clarinetten-Liederkreis (‘Clarinet Song Cycle) which features Merrick; the other works are all for string quartet. Included is Finnissy’s ‘continuation’ (not ‘completion’!) of Bach’s unfinished final part of The Art of Fugue. A spellbinding and astonishingly perfect piece of four part counterpoint which extends and stretches Bach’s structures.
Track Listing
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Michael Finnissy (b.1946):
- Civilisation - I (2:13)
- Civilisation - II (5:01)
- Civilisation - III. (4:11)
- Civilisation - IV. (2:49)
- Civilisation - V. Largo tranquillo (3:26)
- Civilisation - VI. Vivace assai (2:18)
- Contrapunctus XIX (6:26)
- Clarinetten-Liederkreis - I. Poco allegretto (4:06)
- Clarinetten-Liederkreis - II. Largo appassionato (4:35)
- Clarinetten-Liederkreis - III. Folklorico: quasia parlando (2:44)
- Clarinetten-Liederkreis - IV. Vigoroso (1:44)
- Clarinetten-Liederkreis - V. A capriccio (1:37)
- Mad Men in the Sand (2:05)
- Six Sexy Minuets Three Trios - I. Piuttosto sostenuto (1:48)
- Six Sexy Minuets Three Trios - II. Grazioso e con dignita (1:32)
- Six Sexy Minuets Three Trios - III. (2:03)
- Six Sexy Minuets Three Trios - IV. Allegretto capriccioso (1:30)
- Six Sexy Minuets Three Trios - V. Quasi allegretto, un poco minaccioso
- Six Sexy Minuets Three Trios - VI. (3:58)
- Six Sexy Minuets Three Trios - VII. Affettato (1:25)
- Six Sexy Minuets Three Trios - VIII. Adagio - Allegretto (3:16)
- Six Sexy Minuets Three Trios - IX. Andante malinconico (8:20)
Reviews
“This excellent disc should be self-recommending. The many layers of detail to be found in [Finnissy’s] music have made it, for me, some of the most rewarding music to explore in repeated listenings.
” —Carson Cooman
“This is a most fascinating, and beautifully recorded, disc. Textures can shine and lines resound with utmost clarity. Finnissy’s writing … is miraculous. Clarinet-Liederkreis is a remarkable, fascinating piece. [The program] culminates on an Andante malinconico of late-Beethovenian intensity, stunningly sustained by the Kreutzer Quartet. A highly intense, but always rewarding, experience,
” —Colin Clarke
“I found [Civilisation] a particularly beautiful and absorbing piece of music. The playing by the Kreutzer Quartet is splendid throughout. Linda Merrick brings her undeniable magic to the Liederkreis. I find that this CD presents music that covers a wide-range of emotion and musicality. Whatever one’s response to these works, the listener will feel that they are most definitely in the presence of a ‘Singular Voice’.
” —John France
“Do you enjoy difficult crosswords or treatises on quantum mechanics? Then this CD of music by Michael Finnissy could be for you. Are you a serious music student especially with a close interest in the history and technicalities of the string quartet? Then this is an absolute essential! Enjoy the challenges of Finnissy’s vast knowledge of the string quartet repertoire which he exploits in composing the works on this CD.
” —Alan Cooper
“This latest release has me smiling ear-to-ear because the music is especially good. I am happy to say that (to me) this album stands out as a triumph in the chamber arts of Modernity today. Finnissy is a true voice of our times. In the end you walk away from this program with a distinct feeling that Michael Finnissy is one of our living greats. Strongly recommended to all who wish to embrace the Modernism of now.
” —Grego Edwards
