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Arvo Part Portrait

From the electric thrill of that astounding opening and the precisely etched canonic entries that succeed it, it was apparent that this was a performance to be taken very seriously indeed. It is remarkably different from the classic Kremer/Grindenko recording on ECM; this chiselled, articulated playing (surely from familiarity with Baroque period performance practice?) makes the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra under Sondeckis sound smooth, velvety, even luxurious. Not that Angèle Dubeau and Josiane Breault (whose name, scandalously, appears only in the orchestral credits on the back inside cover of the booklet – this is a double concerto!) concede anything to Kremer and Grindenko in terms of lyrical warmth; it’s more a question of the atmosphere of the whole.

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