Giacinto Scelsi

Giacinto Scelsi was both reclusive and inexact in the way that he dated and named his compositions. This rendition of Tre Pezzi  (a broad title Scelsi used numerous times for different pieces) focuses on narrow ranges in the B-flat clarinet, demonstrating the thin margin of tonal range between the phrases that come sometimes fast, sometimes slow. Kho Lho, on the other hand, pairs a clarinet and flute duet so closely that the instruments' tones merge into a thick strand of sound. Maknongan is a rumbling study for contrabass clarinet, and Preghiera per un ombra  is a death-defying unleashing of soloist David Smeyers's virtuosity, with extreme tempo shifts and seamless spreads of sound. Closing the disc is the sprawling Kya, which sprays clarinet tones against Ensemble Avance's septet of strings and horns. The piece ranges from the intense twining of Ko Lho to overlapping sheets of microtones and a rollicking dissonance. The audio is at once wide open and brilliant. --Andrew Bartlett