By mm119339
06-Mar-2013

Mogens Christensen/Pipes and Reeds/Dacapo  

Mogens Christensen is a Danish composer whose music is a combination of European Avant-Garde, meditative atmospheres, highly original harmonic language, and a touch of menace.

Cut one is 'Logitanion' for organ and electronics, consisting of 7 movements of big, fat, clustery textures, clashing with slow, meditative dream worlds. It sounds like the recording was made on a cathedral organ–while the electronics seemed pumped into the same cathedral--so there is mucho reverb on everything. But it doesn’t seem to matter, as the music is very spacious with lots of nice breathing in the musical contours. What is lost in detail and intentional reverb layering, is gained, in general spooky spirituality. Amidst the Ligeti/Lutoslawski textures in the electronics, is a vague, sinister, horror sound track quality. (In fact, this cut got me thinking of the sixties' horror classic 'Lost Continents'). This darkness is heightened by the occasional reading from the Gnostic Book of Thomas. In the center of the piece is a spectacular organ cadenza: the expressive harmonic language turns from sweet to sour and back in an instant.

The second cut, 'Couronne for solo accordion' is a slow meditative, dovetailing of gorgeous harmonies. From ecstatic to sorrow with just the addition of a couple of notes: it’s very melancholic Chopin that way. There are a few very sudden very contrasting fast contrapuntal bits, which quickly return to spaciousness.

The final track 'Night Flying Winter Cranes' for Shakuhachi and Electronics exploits all the expressive, extended-techniques possible with the Shakuhachi. The electronics mirror the live part, manipulating Shakuhachi sounds with wild transpositions, keyslaps, distant reverbs and crazy panning. The composer George Crumb springs to mind, with all the spacious sensuality and spookiness.
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