Heinz Holliger - Zwiegesprache: Holliger & Kurtag

Released to mark Heinz Holliger's 80th birthday (on 21 May), this recording Zwiegespr�che - Dialogues - is the perfect embodiment of his dual artistry as performer and composer.

Zwiegespr�che begins with the intensely moving sound of Heinz Holliger's oboe calling out into the wild, in a piece written for him by his longstanding friend Gy�rgy Kurt�g. Then comes a response composed by him, played on cor anglais by his pupil Marie-Lise Sch�pbach. From here the conversation develops, of two composers who, from their solitary positions, strive to make contact with one another � and with us. The many pieces are, as is typical for both composers, short. Six and a half minutes here is an epic, and many of the messages are over in under a minute. Such dimensions invite us to listen closely, to every turning nuance, and our attention is rewarded, by music-making that is at once emphatic and fine-grained.

Personnel: Heinz Holliger (oboe, cor anglais, piano), Marie-Lise Sch�pbach (cor anglais, oboe), Ernesto Molinari: (bass clarinet, contrabass clarinet), Sarah Wegener (soprano), Philippe Jaccottet (speaker)