This is a disc full of Aaron Jay Kernis’ “arrangements” rather than new compositions: a version of his English horn Concerto with a revamped solo cello part (read: double-stops!), his string quartet Musica Celestis arranged for string orchestra, and an orchestral transcription of Air, a piece for cello and piano. While Kernis fans seeking new pieces will be disappointed, in all cases these new versions do work well. Colored Field and Air are both remarkably cello-istic, and, like Barber’s Adagio for Strings (a clear–too clear–precursor) Musica Celestis is suited to its new larger scale. The sound is clearly focused and detailed and avoids souping up the already-soupy music. Truls Mǿrk provides a rich, singing tone from his cello, and his interpretations reveal a serious understanding of the music: when the solo parts in Colored Field function more like an obbligato, he is willing to let Eiji Oue and the Minnesota Orchestra be heard; he doesn’t try to compete. You have to wonder, though, what the point is of a release from a living composer that contains no new works. My guess: a good financial move. Write one piece, re-do it, re-record it, and voilà!–more income with minimal additional effort.
