Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra – Matthias Pintscher, conductor – Alban Gerhardt, cello

Of all the non-European traditions, that of South-East Asia and of Arabia in particular exerted great influence on Ravel and Debussy. Thanks to Spanish folklore and the many Spanish nationalist composers, this culture was an obvious choice. The unmistakable appeal of this often hypnotic music is expressed in Debussy’s ode to the Iberian peninsula Ibéria and Ravel’s stately Alborada del gracioso. This influence is more indirect when it comes to Pierre Boulez. Nevertheless, in Rituel, his compelling in memoriam to Bruno Maderna, impressions from Western religious, African and Asian musical traditions do play a role. In that respect, Boulez serves as an important model to the German composer and conductor Matthias Pintscher, who feels distinctly connected to the French tradition. In his five-movement cello concerto Reflections on Narcissus, that connection is instantly made clear through his extraordinary attention to timbre and subtle sound nuances.