12 ENSEMBLE — Resurrection (2018) 24-96Hz | FLAC (tracks), lossless

Britain's 12 Ensemble has offered attractively constructed programs of chamber music in performance, and on this, their sophomore album, the program is once again the thing, although the fine, edgy playing is not to be ignored. The Resurrection indicated by the title is that of musical compositions themselves, brought to life again in their influence on subsequent composers. The album offers a little chain of influence and memory, with a pair of intermezzi framed by a pair of related works. First comes Witold Lutoslawski's Musique Funèbre (1958), an homage to Bartók, and heavily influenced by the latter's Music for strings, percussion, and celesta but introducing aspects of Lutoslawski's mature style of various fronts. It is played by a somewhat smaller ensemble than usual, but this does no violence to the work. At the end is the Réponse Lutoslawski of Bryce Dessner, an homage not just to Lutoslawski but to the Musique Funèbre specifically. Dessner, one of the few musicians to succeed equally in pop and classical fields (he is the guitarist of the rock band the National), studied Lutoslawski's idiom and absorbed much of it but pushes the music a bit backward in a Romantic direction. Sample the Dessner work if you haven't heard his music before; he has a directly appealing style that is growing more and more popular. These works frame a Monteverdi adaptation by John Woolrich and a song by Kate Whitley, effectively connecting works that are essentially dramatic in utterance. The whole thing hangs together in a way that carries the listener along. Recommended. James Manheim    Tracklist & Credits :