Archies Christmas Party

LIVING TOYS is the name of composer Thomas Ad s' (b.1971) most significant work to date and provides the title for this EMI Debut Series release. Also a brilliant pianist, Ad s' style--characterized by a flair for orchestration and diverse themes--has drawn comparisons to Britten. His work presents a melange of styles: here tonal, there bending pitches (usually downward) in micro-tonal sequences. Rat-a-tat rhythms and solo instrument outbursts (e.g., the Spanish trumpet on "Living Toys") recall the Stravinsky of "L'Histoire du Soldat."
In much of his music, Ad s places a premium on textural atmosphere at the expense of thematic or melodic interest, which may present a challenge to new listeners. But simply from the intriguing titles he affixes to these works, it is ever apparent that he is earnest and seeking to engage his audience. And, as in the "Albion" movement from the quartet "Arcadiana" that evokes an English idyll, Ad s can be genuinely moving.
REVIEWS:
BBC Music (6/98, p.53) - Performance: 5 (out of 5), Sound: 5 (out of 5) - "...Arresting from the first bar, ['Living Toys'] reveals a freshness of vision and a determinedly new perspective on the music of the past that characterise Ad s' work. The London Sinfonietta gives a thoroughly engaged performance that one cannot imagine being bettered..."