Three powerfully suggestive and image-rich titles come together in the programme of this CD: An durchsichtigen Fäden, Concubia nocte and Danse interstellaire. These works, unified by the presence of a string quartet, circle in the field of tensions between existential fatigue and existential courage, between light and shade, between grief and comfort. As such they are prime examples of the spirited experimentation and powerful expression of the composer David Philip Hefti, who spans the full spectra between sound and noise, sensation and stillness, tension and release, with compositional virtuosity.

A great shade lies over all three works. Dark, melancholic, sad and even desperate tones come consistently forward. Nevertheless the compositions strive toward life and light. David Philip Hefti’s music defies melancholy with optimism and joy for living, and he shows in his virtuosic manner how every shade may be indicative of light.

Deborah Maier