Kamran Ince (b. 1960) – 2nd Symphony “Fall of Constantinople”
Naxos 8.572554. Released 2010.
Author – Jerry
Ince is of Turkish/American upbringing and the music on this CD is heavily influenced by his Turkish heritage with searing brass and explosive percussion, as well as dreamily exotic strings and winds.
“Music of thrilling intensity” “… of intoxication and intimacy, violence and tenderness”, the CD blurb says, “a rich panoply of timbres”.
Yup, they got that right!
The 20 minute “Concerto for Orchestra, Turkish Instruments and Voices” is a tour de force of interesting and exotic sounds that encompass a wide range of emotions.
The 23 minute 2nd Symphony titled “Fall of Constantinople” opens with some deep bass drum thwacks. Whoa! – nice! This is a very atmospheric, varied and involving listen.
Similarly for the 20 minute Piano Concerto (with Ince as soloist) and the shorter piece “Infrared Only”.
This is BIG music, in the best sense, and is a thoroughly engaging listen, both musically and sonically.
Sonically, it’s very good, but not quite the most transparent and immediate I have heard. You’re seated about half way back in the concert hall. Impressive, nonetheless.
This gets a top recommendation for the musically adventurous. And at Naxos’ bargain price maybe everyone should give it a try!
Performance: 9
Musical Interest: 9
Sound Quality: 8
