Helmut Lachenmann (1935-)
Schreiben, pour orchestre
Double (Grido II), pour orchestre à cordes

Experimentalstudio des SWR
Orchestre Symphonique de la radio de Baden-Baden et Fribourg
Sylvain Cambreling, direction
Lucerne Festival Academy Ensemble
Matthias Hermann, direction

It is all too easy to dismiss the work of Lachenmann as "musica negativa", in the deprecatory manner that the term was used by Hans Werner Henze in his attack on this composer. What is at play is the fact that Lachenmann's music forces the listener to confront and question their ingrained expectations from and responses to music, in an attempt to extend and further illuminate one's powers of perception. This is far from mere nihilism. Schreiben for orchestra, and Double (Grido II), the string orchestra version of his 3rd string quartet are perfect examples of Lachenmann’s approach to musical material and his idea of music.