Review

Knudåge Riisager: Orchestral Works

Whether it's the exoticism of Darduse, or the gruff good humor of Slaraffenland, Knudage Riisager was a wonderful composer for the ballet. His brilliantly scored music glitters atmospherically, and his lilting rhythms never turn mechanical. The Concertino for Trumpet and Strings is also a charmer, making us hope to hear more of his abstract, non-theatrical works.

This disc originally was released back in the late 1990s, and has been remastered onto SACD and attractively repackaged. The performances are all first-rate. Sonically they sounded fine then, and they still do now. I don't hear a significant difference between this and the earlier issue, at least not so much that anyone who purchased the initial release need double-up, but that isn't really the point. What matters is that this reissue gives new life to a delightful disc that anyone who loves, say, Ravel and early 20th century French ballet will find absolutely irresistible.