Gathering Thunders

Modern avant-garde composers have transformed noise into a legitimate element of music – not least by an increased use of percussion instruments. For this CD, the young multi-percussionist Leonie Klein has collected a number of solo works that represent various stages in the development of New Music.

Leonie Klein masterfully reveals each work’s unique profile in the field of tension between composers’ intentions and interpretational freedom. This collection displays multiple aspects of modern percussion music and is a representative exploration of an important area of New Music.

Leonie Klein’s interpretation of Karlheinz Stockhausen’s "Zyklus" (1959), written for an orchestra of percussion instruments played by a single performer, is a kaleidoscope of sound colors. In Iannis Xenakis’s "Psappha" from 1975, constantly changing rhythmic patterns depict musically structured periodicity. Helmut Lachenmann’s "Intérieur I" (1966) gives life to exquisitely subtle sound events, while Nicolaus A. Huber in "Póthos" (2010) brings contrasting elements into harmony to reveal “the longing of one note for the next.” In "Thunder" (1993), Peter Eötvös allows the timpani to achieve constantly changing pitches through the use of rapid pedal adjustments, and Johann Julius Fischer’s repetitive "Gathering" (2018) for prepared vibraphone represents the current world of percussion music.