Harrison Birtwistle - Earth Dances - Panic (1996)

Tracklist:
1. Panic, for saxophone, drum kit & orchestra (Harle; BBC Symphony Orchestra; Davis)
2. Earth Dances, for orchestra (Cleveland Orchestra; Dohnanyi)

"Earth Dances, ten years old, has already become a contemporary classic, and this second recording is fully deserved."
Gramophone

"Earth Dances is…brilliantly written for the orchestra, here superbly played in Cleveland…"
The Penguin Guide

Earth Dances has come to typify all that people love or hate about Birtwistle. The slow-burning form that unfolds on its own terms; the contrast between percussion-driven onslaughts and hieratic, chant-like passages, with the vast dynamic range this implies: this is music that makes no concessions to casual listening. Is it worth it? Yes, if you think contemporary music should still be about making statements with conviction, and challenging the listener to go the whole way. Dohn´nyi's performance is incisive and, crucially in this piece, gets the balance right, allowing you to hear the complex interplay of sound across the orchestral spectrum–particularly the role of the percussion, almost a continual presence in this work. Try the last 10 minutes and chances are you'll at least be intrigued. Panic came about as close to inducing a riot at the 1995 Last Night of the Proms as is possible given the context: Harle and Clarvis enjoy a thorough workout, otherwise this piece is about as thrilling as the average Hollywood sequel. Play it once to annoy the neighbours; Earth Dances is the work that you'll find yourself coming back to. –Richard Whitehouse