Debussy & Takemitsu for Strings

Expansive arrangements of Debussy and Takemitsu with a spirited, imaginative rendering. In search of the ideal expression of the atmospheres of these works, Jonathan Morton and the Scottish Ensemble journey beyond traditional performance practice toward new and unhinged emotional landscapes. Colin Matthews’ arrangement of Debussy’s piano reverie The Girl With the Flaxen Hair attains gorgeous, almost Mahlerian textures, while Takemitsu’s ominous chromaticism and meticulous, dramatic phrasing—especially in Nostalghia—give a sense of unsettled longing.