Quotation Of Dream, Etc: Knussen / London Sinfonietta, Crossley, P.serkin

Toru Takemitsu's late works were composed not by traditional methods of linear motivic and harmonic development, but rather by painting from a palette of tonal colors. His orchestral timbres bear the influence of impressionist Claude Debussy in this respect; his harmonies reveal a debt to Debussy as well. This disc's title work, 'Quotation of Dream' goes a step further in acknowledging Debussy's presence in Takemitsu's musical landscape. The twelve episodes of 'Quotation of Dream' are intended as fragments of dreams--half-remembered, fuzzy around the edges. As Japanese gardens sometimes incorporate their surroundings into their designs, 'Quotation of Dream' incorporates fragments of Debussy's 'La mer' and Takemitsu's works related to the sea as peripheral elements outside the work yet part of its design.
The performances here directed by Oliver Knussen are first-rate Takemitsu, carefully and lovingly prepared. Each work calls for a different subset of the London Sinfonietta, with and without soloists, highlighting the ensemble's sections in turns. Although three of the seven pieces--'Day Signal,' 'Night Signal' and 'Archipelago S.'--call for the performers to be arrayed around the hall, the recordings do not emphasize their spatial qualities. Despite this minor quibble, this is a must-have Takemitsu collection.
REVIEWS:
The Wire (p.71) - "[A] stream of consciousness about musical seascapes hooked around quotations from, among other things, Deubussy's LA MER."