Elliott Carter: Figments and Fragments Johannes Martens Ensemble

• 1Sonata for Violoncello and Piano - Moderato04:58
• 2Sonata for Violoncello and Piano - Vivace, Molto Leggiero04:32
• 3Sonata for Violoncello and Piano - Adagio05:38
• 4Sonata for Violoncello and Piano - Allegro05:32
• 5Figment for Cello Alone05:43
• 6Figment No. 2 - Remembering Mr. Ives03:57
• 7Enchanted Preludes06:32
• 8Scrivo in Vento05:36
• 9Gra04:19
• 10Con Leggerezza Pensosa05:04
• 11Fragment No. 103:44
• 12Fragment No. 204:07
• 13Elegy04:31
• Total Runtime01:04:13

Info for Elliott Carter: Figments and Fragments

Heard individually, the chamber works of Elliott Carter give the listener tantalising snapshots of the composer's style and technique; as a group, they represent a microcosm of his musical personality. Any selection of several pieces by the same composer will inevitably reveal similarities, traits, and preoccupations.

But here is also great variety and resourcefulness: in one piece, an affectionate and playful tribute to a fellow musician; in another, a sustained grappling with the very substance of musical time; and in yet another, a dialogue or conversation between multifaceted protagonists that bring an unmistakably social aspect into musical discourse. And all the while, the music flows through a plethora of moods and characters, at one moment playful, the next impassioned, now agitated, now wistful. It is this dynamism that most distinguishes Carter's music from that of his peers; its restlessness and its ability to turn on a hair from the most skittish characterisations to the most poignantly human outpourings, but always flowing and always carrying the listener along on the tide of its composer's invention and ingenuity.

Johannes Martens is a member of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra and has also been guest principal cellist of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and the Norwegian Opera Orchestra. Tom Ottar Andreassen is principal flautist of the The Norwegian Radio Orchestra and The Norwegian Chamber Orchestra. Joachim Kjelsaas Kwetzinsky is a much sought-after concert pianist and chamber musician. Andjei Maevski is principal clarinettist of The Norwegian Opera Orchestra. Anders Kjellberg Nilsson is widely recognised as one of Norway's most promising young violinists. Anders Rensvik is a member of the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra. Yi Yang is a concertmaster of the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.

Booklet for Elliott Carter: Figments and Fragments