Mstislav Rostropovich, Royal Flanders Philharmonic, Jansug Kakhidze - Kancheli: Magnum Ignotum (2000)

Georgian composer Giya Kancheli is often pigeonholed as a "holy minimalist," blood brother to such practitioners as Arvo Pärt and John Taverner. While sharing the spiritual searchings of those two through the medium of music, Kancheli's art retains a distinctive profile, as evidenced by the two works on this stimulating disc. Simi explores the multicolored cello of Rostropovich, whose halting, otherworldly lines intersect with orchestral comments that range from sympathetic sound cushions to abrupt interruptions. Magnum Ignotum ("The Great Unknown") is rooted in Georgian folk elements without sounding folk-based. It's for winds, double bass, and recorded tapes of a preacher, folk singers from the 1930s, and a chant. The tapes are seamlessly woven into the ensemble, whose imaginative scoring and rapt intensity evoke limitless horizons. Outstanding performances, stimulating music, and first-class sound. -- Dan Davis