In what would, sadly, turn out as the final two editions (2021 and 2022) of the Orlando Festival in the province of Limburg in The Netherlands, Rudolf Escher was celebrated with performances of his complete chamber music, including most of his solo works. All performances were live recorded for broadcasting by Dutch national radio. Eight essential compositions, covering a period of 42 years of Escher's output, were selected for these two compact discs.
During his lifetime his works were performed regularly by Dutch orchestras, particularly by the Concertgebouw Orchestra, which played all of his orchestral works, with an average of three different Escher compositions spread across ten programs per year.
Reacting to the repeated remark by music journalists that his music was influenced by Ravel and Debussy, Escher stated that this 'comes close to stupidity, also because the music of Debussy and Ravel represents separate musical worlds'. He felt that his affinity with the toccata-technique of Sweelinck, melismatic Gregorian chant, gamelan music, late-medieval polyphony and with Mahler was as strong as with certain aspects of Debussy or Ravel.
Despite that fact that Rudolf Escher is generally being described by musicologists and music journalists as the most interesting and most important composer of his generation, performances of his music have become rather scarce in The Netherlands in the four decades since his death.
Hopefully the performances at the Orlando Festival as captured on these compact discs will encourage and inspire listeners and performers to explore and enjoy the beautiful music of Rudolf Escher.
- Henk Guittart, artistic director Orlando Festival
Performers on this recording:
James Austin Smith (oboe/oboe d'amor), Alan R. Kay (clarinet), Dorian Cooke (bassoon), Gideon den Herder (violoncello), Gruppo Montebello, Henk Guittart (conductor), Dirk Luijmes (organ/harpsichord), Ingrid Geerlings (flute), Anna da Silva Chen (violin), Kimi Makino (viola), Anna Litvinenko (violoncello), Ron Schaaper (horn), Ellen Corver (piano).
Artists
James Austin Smith (oboe/oboe d'amor), Alan R. Kay (clarinet), Dorian Cooke (bassoon), Gideon den Herder (violoncello), Gruppo Montebello, Henk Guittart (conductor), Dirk Luijmes (organ/harpsichord), Ingrid Geerlings (flute), Anna da Silva Chen (violin), Kimi Makino (viola), Anna Litvinenko (violoncello), Ron Schaaper (horn), Ellen Corver (piano)
