"We are dancing ever nearer to the edge of climate abyss – a justification for Trey Lee using his recording platform to raise awareness of impending catastrophe. All the material featured here is therefore connected to seasons, including the opening transcriptions of Schubert Lieder, where Lee brings an exquisite delivery of the melody with subtle piano accompaniment from Georgy Tchaidze. Using his own arrangements, he succeeds in creating an intoxicating intimacy that is in sharp contrast to the street music of Piazzolla's Four Seasons which deploys an edgy tango style. Lee's sharply idiomatic versions are perhaps the highlight of the album, the catchy and highly charged music sounding simply captivating thanks to sizzling performances and brilliant playing from the English Chamber Orchestra."
"The album focuses on three different eras, the contemporary element provided by Finnish composer Kirmo Lintinen」s Cello Concerto. Dedicated to Lee, it continues the theme of climate change. Lintinen's style is accessible, with an enlarged tonal language, the opening Inizio Dystopia, a reflection of weather chaos. Here the cello solo line fights to rise above the darkly dissonant orchestral timbres, which offer hues of Messiaen and Mahler before the palette clears and the clarity of Baroque harmony restores equilibrium with a pastiche Gavotte. The more stable invention is meant to reflect the predictable seasons of that time. Timbral and technical diversity of the cello is highlighted in the Cadenza, before the work concludes with a slightly faux up-beat Finale. As always, Lee is consummately skilled in his delivery, and brings real intensity to the solo part. But Lintinen's eclectic mix of musical styles is perhaps less convincing."
作者:Jo Talbot
《BBC音乐杂志》2024年8月号