These works on this disc of orchestral music by Webern take us from 1908 through to 1940, during which period the composer progressively compressed his musical argument into the briefest time-frames. The longest single movement here is the Passacaglia at around ten minutes. Elsewhere come the often fleeting yet still deftly coloured movements of the Six Pieces Op.6 and then the Five Pieces Op.10, none of which lasts longer than 1’44”. These works also encompass Webern’s journey from the limits of tonality to the vastnesses of 12-tone outer-space. Some passionately identify with the purity of Webern’s ideas, others claim they’re more about maths than music and the human soul. Just how human it all seems depends of course on the quality of performances–the acute ear for sound and musicality of a Boulez or a Karajan dispel doubts. Here Yuasa and the Ulster Orchestra score highly, and there are many fine solo contributions. The dramatic episodes in the Passacaglia are delivered with the utmost force within a well-controlled and shaped reading, while the Five Movements and the Six Pieces are especially atmospheric. Recorded sound is good, if a fraction on the lively side. An economical way of sampling the Second Viennese School. –Andrew Green
