David Lang, The Little Match Girl Passion (inter alia), Theater of Voices, Ars Nova Copenhagen, P. Hillier
(re-released on June 9, 2009)
Harmonia Mundi HMU 807496
In one sense, the musical ideas behind the piece, which happened to win the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Music, are hardly new, a set of procedures that have lined the coffers of the purveyors of Holy Minimalism for years. A simple melodic line is repeated in chant-like meditation, other notes are held like drones, lines are overlapped to form clusters, structures are juxtaposed with themselves to create harmonic and rhythmic dissonance, triads shimmer forth from more barren or clashing sounds. To prove the point, conductor Paul Hillier included in this disc a few other examples of David Lang's sacred choral pieces, which although lovely enough, do not make anywhere near the same impression as Match Girl. The difference does not lie with the performances, stunningly beautiful and thoughtful renditions by Hillier's chamber choir Ars Nova Copenhagen. These pieces seem to keep thoughts of the eternal at arm's length, with their deconstructive approach to the sacred texts they set. Match Girl, by contrast, weaves a mesmerizing spell for the 35 minutes of this performance, because like the Andersen story it embraces both the small and large issues of human existence. The performance of four singers from Hillier's select group Theater of Voices, known for excellent work like their memorable recording of Stockhausen's Stimmung two years ago, is faultless and compelling.