Snapshots: Fiftieth birthday tributes for Oliver Knussen

1	Very Sharp Trumpet Sonata
2	Fifty Fifty, for 2 pianos
3	only two notes for olly (
4	Dancing Landscape, for 2
5	Au Quai, for bassoon & vi
6	Olly on the Shore, for pi
7	Light the First Light of
8	I suppose a Fugue is out
9	Flourish, with fireflies,
10	Quasi una Passacaglia, fo
11	Snapshots, for orchestra
12	Olicantus for chamber orc
13	Bubo bubo, for orchestra
Snapshots: Fiftieth birthday tributes for Oliver Knussen
1.	Very Sharp Trumpet Sonata 1:14
	Composed by Louis Andriessen
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by London Sinfonietta and Bruce Nockles
2.	Fifty Fifty, for 2 pianos 4:14
	Composed by Charles Wuorinen
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by Rolf Hind, London Sinfonietta and Nicolas Hodges
3.	only two notes for olly (the other five for later), for 11 instruments 3:36
	Composed by Alexander Goehr
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by London Sinfonietta
4.	Dancing Landscape, for 2 pianos 4:25
	Composed by Detlev Glanert
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by Rolf Hind, London Sinfonietta and Nicolas Hodges
5.	Au Quai, for bassoon & viola 3:01
	Composed by Elliott Carter
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by London Sinfonietta, John Orford and Paul Silverthorne
6.	Olly on the Shore, for piano 1:58
	Composed by Hans Werner Henze
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by Rolf Hind and London Sinfonietta
7.	Light the First Light of Evening, for orchestra 2:22
	Composed by Augusta Read Thomas
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by London Sinfonietta
8.	I suppose a Fugue is out of the Question, for piano 1:53
	Composed by Robert Zuidam
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by Rolf Hind and London Sinfonietta
9.	Flourish, with fireflies, for orchestra 4:56
	Composed by Colin Matthews
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by London Sinfonietta
10.	Quasi una Passacaglia, for piano 3:56
	Composed by Julian Anderson
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by London Sinfonietta and Nicolas Hodges
11.	Snapshots, for orchestra 3:01
	Composed by Mark-Anthony Turnage
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by London Sinfonietta
12.	Olicantus for chamber orchestra 3:23
	Composed by George Benjamin
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by London Sinfonietta
13.	Bubo bubo, for orchestra 4:21
	Composed by Magnus Lindberg
	Conducted by George Benjamin
	Performed by London Sinfonietta

All Music Guide

For Oliver Knussen's 50th birthday, the London Sinfonietta collected 13 musical tributes to the composer/conductor from among the many composers with whom he had worked. The results are these brief pieces, all between one and five minutes long, scored for solo instrument, small ensemble, or full orchestra by some of the world's most famous modernist, near-modernist, or formerly modernist composers. What's perhaps most surprising about this collection is how serious most of them are for a birthday tribute. There are some lighthearted exceptions -- Andriessen's minute-long three-movement "Very Sharp Trumpet Sonata"; Detlev Glanert's perky "Dancing Landscape"; Robert Zuidam's variations on "Happy Birthday, I suppose a fugue is out of the question"; and Mark-Anthony Turnage's jazzy "Snapshots." Elliott Carter's "Aux Quai," (a homonym for the composer's initials) is cleverly titled but the music sounds deadly serious. The final work on the CD, Magnus Lindberg's "Bubo bubo," is snappy and relatively celebratory, but doesn't even have the courtesy to end on a major chord. For the most part, the remaining works, some of which are very attractive, are relentlessly sober-sided. One hates to think what the pieces on an "In Memoriam" collection would sound like. Stephen Eddins