SYLVANO BUSSOTTI (b.1931): El Carbonero for 5 Mixed Voices, From 7 Fogli: Couple for Flute and Piano, Coeur for Percussionist, Per Tre for Piano, Lachrimae for Voice, From the Ballet Phaidra/Heliogabalus: Bruto ignudo for Bass Clarinet, Nudo disteso for Viola, From 5 Frammenti all'Italia for Vocal Sextet: Ancora odono i colli and La curva dell'amore and Rar'ancora, Gran Duo for Cello and Piano, Autotono for 7 Voices, 2 Flutes, Bass Clarinet, 6 Violins, 32 Violas, 3 Cellos, Double Bass, 2 Pianos, E l'uccellino for Flute, Clarinet, 2 Violas, Piano and Voice.

Description: This interesting and varied collection is taken fro a series of concerts organised around the composer's 2008 visit to Japan (he shows up as singer in the final item, his transcription of a Puccini aria). Bussotti's eclecticism and range of innovation are well displayed, from his reinterpretations of Renaissance madrigal style (Ancora, Rar'ancora, and La curva) or Beethoven's harmony (Gran Duo), to graphical scores or scores with graphical 'enhancements' (Lachrymae, Autotono), various levels of aleatoric indeterminacy in performance, and very 'alternative' extended playing techniques, as in Per Tre, which treats the piano as anything other than a keyboard instrument most of the time. The 'orchestral' version of Autotono is especially interesting; a collaboration between the composer and his artist uncle, the score is a pictographic work with freely variable instrumentation and considerable fluidity of content and expression. MDI Ensemble; Yoichi Sugiyama.