Elliott Carter: Figments and Fragments Johannes Martens Ensemble

• 1 Sonata for Violoncello and Piano - Moderato 04:58
• 2 Sonata for Violoncello and Piano - Vivace, Molto Leggiero 04:32
• 3 Sonata for Violoncello and Piano - Adagio 05:38
• 4 Sonata for Violoncello and Piano - Allegro 05:32
• 5 Figment for Cello Alone 05:43
• 6 Figment No. 2 - Remembering Mr. Ives 03:57
• 7 Enchanted Preludes 06:32
• 8 Scrivo in Vento 05:36
• 9 Gra 04:19
• 10 Con Leggerezza Pensosa 05:04
• 11 Fragment No. 1 03:44
• 12 Fragment No. 2 04:07
• 13 Elegy 04:31
• Total Runtime 01:04:13

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