Richard Barrett: Transmission (2006)

This 2006 NMC album of Richard Barrett's intricate music -- designed for players who are well-versed in the extended techniques of their instruments and this "maximalist" composer's extraordinary demands -- may appeal to intrepid listeners intellectually, yet it may also annoy them for its abrasive and disjointed qualities. For example, there is little to love in the harsh vocalizations, contorted bass clarinet lines, and thudding bass drum strokes of Interference (1996-2000), even though one may appreciate the complexity ... Read More

This 2006 NMC album of Richard Barrett's intricate music -- designed for players who are well-versed in the extended techniques of their instruments and this "maximalist" composer's extraordinary demands -- may appeal to intrepid listeners intellectually, yet it may also annoy them for its abrasive and disjointed qualities. For example, there is little to love in the harsh vocalizations, contorted bass clarinet lines, and thudding bass drum strokes of Interference (1996-2000), even though one may appreciate the complexity and physicality of this work for a soloist acting like a one-man band. Carl Rosman's virtuosic reading is impressive in its relentless energy, if off-putting in its rough sonorities. Peter Neville's performance of the percussion piece Abglanzbeladen/auseinandergeschrieben (1992-1996) -- translated as laden with reflections/written asunder -- is easier to take, since the opening section for vibraphone is mellow and almost magical in effect, and the succeeding passages for such... Read Less