Brian Ferneyhough is widely recognized as one of today’s foremost living composers. Since the mid-1970s, when he first gained widespread international recognition, his music has earned him a reputation as one of the most influential creative personalities and significant musical thinkers on the contemporary scene.

The monolithic La Terre est un Homme, with its 4-foot-tall score and written for an orchestra of eighty-eight, each of whom at times becomes a soloist with their own individual stave, caused a scandal at its 1979 premiere and has scarcely been heard since. The title comes from a painting from 1942 by Roberto Matta, which reminded Ferneyhough of a dream he had experienced:

‘I dreamt of a strange and alien planet traversed by a pitilessly hot sun. It was basically a desert landscape. The remarkable thing was, I seemed to be seeing every single grain of sand separately, not only in its spatial dimensions but also – somehow – in its individual weight. All was in slow, ineluctable motion. Between sharply contoured rocks scuttled tiny, scorpion-like creatures. One senses the extreme complexity but inevitability of this strange combination of leaden, slowly-moving sand and sudden flashes of intensely coloured movement.’

The second giant orchestral work on this album is Plötzlichkeit which includes three female singers, whose vocalise blends with the orchestra like a modern-day Debussy’s Sirènes. The BBC Symphony Orchestra under conductor Martyn Brabbins' direction throw themselves fearlessly into this demanding and densely notated music, to dramatic effect.

Brian Ferneyhough was just 26 when he composed Missa Brevis. Written for 12 voices divided into three four-part choirs, it is superbly performed on this album by EXAUDI. The most recent work is Liber Scintillarum, commissioned by ensemble recherche and premiered at Darmstadt in 2012.

Olivia Robinson soprano
Jennifer Adams-Barbaro soprano
Cherith Millburn-Fryer alto
EXAUDI
James Weeks conductor
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Martyn Brabbins conductor
ensemble recherche includes:
Martin Fahlenbock flute
Jaime González oboe
Shizuyo Oka clarinet
Melise Mellinger violin
Barbara Maurer viola
Åsa Åkerberg violincello

AUDIO

REVIEWS

GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE MAY 2018
GUARDIAN TOP 10 CLASSICAL ALBUMS 2018
GRAMOPHONE CRITICS' CHOICE 2018
PRESTO EDITOR'S CHOICE APRIL 2018
MUSICWEB RECORDING OF THE MONTH JULY 2018
THE SUNDAY TIMES, TOP 100 BEST ALBUMS OF 2018
INTERNATIONAL CLASSICAL MUSIC AWARDS NOMINATION 2019

'Massive and mesmerising ... one of the most remarkable orchestral achievements of the last half-century.' Guardian ★★★★★

‘Joyously terrifying … Play it loud’ Alex Ross, The Rest is Noise

‘An adventurous disc’ Financial Times ★★★★

‘a jewel in NMC’s already glittering crown’ Classical Source ★★★★★

‘a valuable album’ The Times

'Ferneyhough's 75th birthday could not have been more fittingly marked' Gramophone

‘the music is sublime’ The High Arts ★★★★★

‘There is something terrifying about this level of sonic precision … thrilling’ The Wire

‘Tremendously engaging … if you don’t know Ferneyhough’s music, this is a great place to start’ BBC Radio 3 ‘Record Review’

‘A clear record of the year, I think’ Musicweb International

‘a very valuable release of music’ Records International

'The non-conformist utopian finds his place at the table of first rate composers' Diapason

FUNDERS

Produced in association with BBC Radio 3 and BBC Symphony Orchestra.

The production of this album was generously supported by Stanford University.

With thanks to the Barbican Centre and the Corporation of London.

RECORDING CREDITS