Composer: Christoph Croisé
Performer: Christoph Croisé, Annette Jakovcic, Damien Bachmann, Oxana Shevchenko
Orchestra: Kammerorchester der Niederlenzer Musiktage
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Avie
Catalogue: AV2598
Release: 2023
Size: 1.45 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Cello Concerto No. 1, Op. 6
01. I. Allegro
02. II. Adagio – Cadenza
03. III. ‘Berlin Bass’ Allegro
04. IV. ‘THIS IS IT’ Presto – Allegro
Voyage Exotique Op. 2
05. I. Blu Rhino Track
06. II. A Train to Ugudu Yelu or Lonely Whales Trip
07. III. Tarantula Spiritualis
08. IV. Black Mamba Island
Clarinet Trio, Op. 4
09. I. Gathering of the Intergalactic
10. II. Flight through the Milky Way
11. III. Mercurium (Bossa)
Cello Sonata No. 1, Op. 9
12. I. The Escape
13. II. Lullaby for Arthur
14. III. Moderato-Allegro
15. IV. Basso Ostinato (Dance of the Dead Soldiers)
Christoph Crois? channels his prowess as a cellist – “he’s got it all – technical chops, impeccable musicianship and imaginative daring” (Gramophone) – into compositional ingenuity on the first album devoted entirely to his own works.
Christoph draws inspiration from a variety of musical role models, including contemporary and centuries past, paying homage to the time-honoured evolution of classical music that has melded current conventions with popular styles. Traditional forms, such as sonata and concerto, are imbued with jazz, blues, bossa nova and improv to create, as Christoph puts it, “a musical and cultural melting pot.”
Christoph’s compositional urge was spurred by the pandemic and lockdown. The four works on Voyage Exotique were written between 2020 and 2022. He also cites current world events as a motivating influence. His first cello concerto, imbued with high- wire virtuosity that makes full use of the cello’s – and Christoph’s – capabilities, opens a programme that also includes an imaginary intergalactic journey in the form of a clarinet trio, and a sonata for cello and piano that is by turns pensive, agitated and longing, yet ultimately hopeful. The title track, a “Grand duo” for two cellos is, in the truest sense of the word, an “exotic journey” through foreign sound cultures and myriad cello effects.