Among the events celebrating Sir Harrison Birtwistle’s 80th birthday last year were two composer-attended concerts in Hannover that concentrated on his songs, the highlights of which feature on this live release. Birtwistle’s ‘songs’, a relatively neglected part of his output, blur the boundaries between vocal and instrumental techniques; on occasion, indeed, they involve instruments only. This CD contains the first recordings of the Canteus Iambeus and the Lullaby for solo voices, the only recording currently available of the Songs by Myself, plus an interview with the composer.
The performance is admirable an all the recordings, taken from an 80th-birthday celebration of Birtwistle’s music ion Germany, are satisfyingly polished and atmospheric. –Gramophone, Sept’15Critics’ Choice –Gramophone,Dec’15
