Martha Clover (soprano), Deutsches Symphonie Orchester Berlin/Brad Lubman mode 238 ***

It might seem almost logical that a composer so celebrated for his quiet music would shun the orchestra. But the instrumental richness of an orchestra gives a range of possibilities, even in quietness, that smaller groupings cant quite rival. The orchestra is actually well-represented in Feldman's output, even if the works themselves are all too rarely performed. Mode's selection ranges from Intersection I of 1951 (on disc for the first time in an orchestral realization) through Structures(1960-62), On Time and the Instrumental Factor(1969), Voice and Instruments(1972) to Orchestraof 1979 (all recorded premières). The earliest piece, almost aggressive by Feldman's standards, gives way to progressively becalmed writing and sonic blurs, from which ever more intriguing shapes suggest themselves. For me, in essence, the later the better. url.ie/8b2u