This is a Recording

Some mis-steps delayed my gaining a proper appreciation of Can. I'd heard their name mentioned more than once as influential innovators, but had no idea what was what in their back catalogue. The first thing of theirs I acquired was a cassette copy of Delay 1968 , which I don't think I was quite ready for; nor, in any case, is it their finest work. I'd evidently persuaded myself that their early stuff must be the best, as, six or seven years later I tried again, picking up Monster Movie on CD, and also the Unlimited Edition compilation.  The former, I thought, was more like it, though it still didn't quite hit the spot I'd hoped it might. A further seven or eight years passed before I happened to hear the track 'Future Days', which I loved, prompting me to buy the then-new SACD issue of the album with the same name. This was around the same time I'd belatedly discovered NEU!, Cluster, et al. I ordered a copy of Ege Bamyasi soon after. And there, with...

This hybrid SACD brings together four pieces by the contemporary Swedish composer Anders Hillborg. I first heard his music on the radio, by way of a BBC Radio 3 'Proms' concert broadcast in the summer of 2015 which included a performance of 'Beast Sampler', the opening piece on the disc. Hillborg apparently characterises a symphony orchestra as a 'sound animal', and, in this work - a sort of collage of orchestral colours and textures - he conjures up a hair-raising succession of sonic creatures. The Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, and conductor Sakari Oramo bring them expertly to life. After the opening track's exuberance, the short piece that follows, 'O dessa ögon' is a model of frosty elegance, featuring Hannah Holgersson's soprano soaring ever higher over the RPSO's strings. I find I prefer those two pieces over the others. 'Cold Heat' is another showcase for Hillborg's orchestral prowess, but one that I enjoy a little...