Toru Takemitsu: From me flows what you call Time; Twill by Twilight; Requiem

1	From me flows what you ca
2	Twill by Twilight, for or
3	Requiem, for string orche
Toru Takemitsu: From me flows what you call Time; Twill by Twilight; Requiem
1.	From me flows what you call time, for 5 percussionists & orchestra 36:06
	Composed by Toru Takemitsu
	Performed by Bob Becker, William Cahn, Robin Engelman, John Wyre, Nexus Alhazred and Russ Hartenberger
2.	Twill by Twilight, for orchestra 14:47
	Composed by Toru Takemitsu
	Performed by Pacific Symphony Orchestra
3.	Requiem, for string orchestra 10:57
	Composed by Toru Takemitsu
	Performed by Pacific Symphony Orchestra

Barnes & Noble

"From the beginning, I was never able to write an Allegro," Toru Takemitsu said, referring to his first orchestral work, the Requiem for string orchestra (1957). Luckily, the Japanese composer decided to play to his strengths, turning out a career's worth of alluring, meditative pieces. Of all his works, "From me flows what you call Time" (1990) is the most sonically seductive. Composed for the percussion ensemble Nexus -- who perform it on this recording -- the delicate, sweetly fragrant sounds evoke a magical and exotic atmosphere of cinematic lushness. (It should come as no surprise that Takemitsu found time to score more than 90 films in his distinguished career.) In the words of the composer, "Twill by Twilight" (1988) expresses "the moment just after sunset when twilight turns toward darkness." Again, Takemitsu's sense of orchestral color is ravishing to the ears. If the Requiem evokes more of a moonless night, its somber lyricism is suitably grave and poignant. These performances are suave and sensitive, recorded in sound that does full justice to Takemitsu's sumptuous soundscapes. Andrew Farach-Colton