Claus Ogermann is probably much more well known for his orchestral conducting and arranging than for his compositional skills. He’s enjoyed particularly satisfying associations with artists as varied as Sinatra, Antonio Carlos Jobim and more recently, Diana Krall – having arranged and conducted her 2001 album ‘The Look Of Love,’ and its ensuing tour. His ensemble was essentially the house orchestra at Verve Records from the late fifties through the mid-sixties, and he arranged and conducted many classic albums for the label. His own compositional style has a very modern bent, and is clearly rooted in the twelve-tone school, though he denies any modernist intent in his compositions.
The four works that comprise this disc differ most significantly from most other modern chamber works in that they maintain a certain melodiousness that’s most certainly absent from so many other compositions with origins in this sometimes difficult school of musical thought. The compositions all possess a delicacy and quietness that lends itself to nighttime or contemplative listening sessions; at the same time, the individual works are similar enough in character, such that listening to them in succession proved difficult for me. Pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet and violinist Yue Deng both play their respective parts superbly, and the recording is top-notch, offering a really convincing presentation of the two instruments in the recorded acoustic. Highly recommended, although in measured doses.
– Tom Gibbs
