Tallinn Chamber Orchestra, Tõnu Kaljuste - Erkki-Sven Tüür: Crystallisatio (1996)

Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür (b. 1959) started his musical career in a progressive rock group, but the music on this disk is quite far removed from that style. Indeed, it is difficult to categorize Tüür's music. It is clearly contemporary, but yet has elements of many musical eras as structural elements, but yet without at all sounding like a mere concatenation of styles. This is music that is boldly original, striking in sonority, and although it may seem off-putting at first hearing, it is very, very compelling, pulling the listener into a new universe of sound. The first few measures of the first cut, Architectonics VI, announce that this is music not quite like anything else you have heard before. The five selections on this CD vary in musical style and setting, ranging from orchestral to chamber to choral settings, but all are filled with vision, imagination, and wonder. How exciting and wonderful to it is to herald a major new composer!