Michaela Fukacova, Lorraine Hunt Lieberson & William Purvis - Peter Lieberson: Rilke Songs; The Six Realms; Horn Concerto (2006)

The three compositions by Peter Lieberson recorded here were written around the turn of the twenty first century and demonstrate the depth and breadth of his musical imagination. Lieberson's music is atonal, leavened by a strong lyrical impulse and attention to the importance of melody. The Rilke Songs, the first of two cycles written for his wife, mezzo-soprano Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, take five of the poet's "Sonnets to Orpheus" as texts. The delicate and expressive settings of the poet's philosophical musings give the dense texts plenty of room to breathe. Lieberson's gift for creating memorably lyrical melodic lines using a complex tonal vocabulary is evident in his sensitive and idiomatic vocal writing. Hunt Lieberson's voice is warm and radiant, and she sings with passionate conviction. Pianist Peter Serkin provides nuanced accompaniment.

The Six Realms, for amplified violoncello and orchestra, written for Yo-Yo Ma and persuasively performed here by Czech cellist Michaela Fukacova, explores the six areas of human consciousness described by Tibetan Buddhism. The movements are evocative rather than descriptive and are driven by a purely musical logic; in spite of the work's program, the music never feels programmatic, perhaps due to the broadly philosophical rather than narrative nature of the program. Lieberson's orchestral writing is dramatically charged, colorful, and kaleidoscopic, and the soloist plays a dominant role in its unfolding.

William Purvis, an ardent advocate of new music, negotiates the virtuosic Horn Concerto with energy and finesse. The concerto, alternately tempestuous, serene, and quirkily enigmatic, is a welcome addition to the repertoire of an instrument in need of an infusion of fresh, attractive works. The Odense Symphony Orchestra accompanies both concertos, with Justin Brown conducting The Six Realms and Donald Palma conducting the Horn Concerto. The songs were recorded live, so there is some audience noise, which is more than compensated for by the urgency of the live performance. The sound in the orchestral recordings is warm and present.