The Dutch composer Douwe Eisenga writes post-minimal music that is accessible without becoming superficial. Better evidence of this than the CD Rose Road-City Lines, is scarcely conceivable. Time and again he creates a modern, irresistible groove with classical instruments. This emerges strongly in the impressive Piano Concerto, the mesmerizing City Lines and the sparkling string quartet Rose Road. Colorful and sublime. Press Quotes: NRC 'showy proportions' The minimalistic Piano Concerto, with pianist Gerard Bouwhuis as nonchalant pioneer, takes on showy proportions now and then through the use of heroic brass players. The string quartet Rose Road, with somber counterpoint and sharp counterrhythms, is splendidly played by the Francis B. Quartet. City Lines babbles on in extreme respectability. VOLKSKRANT ?'playful inventivity'?The DNA of Eisenga's work bears a likeness to the pepped-up locomotion of Aaron Copland and the benign minimalia of the Flemish composer Wim Mertens. Philip Glass is also family, but Eisenga's Pianoconcert, with it's tumbling notes and wheedling clarinets, has a playful inventivity usually lacking in Glass' fill-in-the-blanks exercises. (Four out of five stars) TROUW ?'colorful and sublime' The Xenakis Ensemble performed Eisenga's Piano Concerto in Japan, but in his own country his name has not been universally recognized. That will change with the CD 'Rose Roads - City Lines.' Eisenga has found his own sound within the restricted latitude of minimalism. Perhaps 'City Lines' is most reminiscent of the sensual composer Simeon ten Holt. The performance of Eisenga's tenderly sweet melodiousness by the Francis B. Quartet and pianist Gerard Bouwhuis is colorful and sublime. PZC ?'irresistible groove, mesmerizing' Douwe Eisenga's work is accessible without becoming superficial. Better evidence of this than his new CD, Rose Road-City Lines, is scarcely conceivable. Time and again he creates a modern, irresistible groove with classical instruments. This emerges most strongly in the impressive Piano Concerto. In the first and third movements, Eisenga intertwines many defuse rhythmic layers, with a leading role for pianist Gerard Bouwhuis. The original melody of City Lines is extremely simple and remains recognizable as an almost mesmerizing point of departure for nearly thirteen minutes, gradually covered in a cocoon of piano lines which go their separate ways without ever losing sight of each other. What repeatedly attracts attention is the clarity of Eisenga's work. However virtuosic, complex and multi-layered the music sometimes is, even an unpracticed listener never feels lost. DE STENTOR ?'intriguing mix' Eisenga is a typical cross-over figure: elements of minimal music, pop and jazz compete for the front rank in his style, in which the development of rhythmic pulses is especially notable. Another characteristic is a great degree of virtuosity, for example in the Piano Concerto. The most appealing to me-at least as far as musical/spiritual content-is Rose Road, Eisenga's first string quartet, in an intense rendition by the Francis B. Quartet. The slow and somewhat somberly tinted fugue which begins the piece clearly breathes the mood of Copland's ballet Appalachian Spring, forming a colorful contrast to the sparkling continuation of this opus. City lines for four pianos is an intriguing mix of Simeon ten Holt's Canto ostinato and the 'maximal' minimal style of John Adams. ZEEUWS TIJDSCHRIFT ?'beautiful' One of the strongest elements I encountered on this CD is the ability of Eisenga to subtly vary rhythmic impulses. This quality is evident in the piano concerto as well as in City Lines and the string quartet, often combined with harmonic shifts which keep the listener curious as to the sequel. That comes-in my opinion-also because Eisenga in his work has a sense of moderation as regards length and his subtleties don't reach into infinity like Morton Feldman's. The string quartet's serene introduction and the pensive undertones in City Lines I found quite beautiful. BN / DE STEM ?'most impressive' Eisenga is one of the composers who treat us to sounds that are not only not disagreeable, but quite pleasing to the ear, and which are nevertheless new and come across as such. Most impressive is his piano concerto with it's subtly shifting colors. DAGBLAD VAN HET NOORDEN ?'excellent' Despite the simplicity of resources there is enough to experience in Eisenga's music and the performance is excellent (Four out of five stars).

Tracklist:

June 29, 1931
Nubes Concerto: Nubes Concerto: I. -
Wolkenatlas: Wolkenatlas: I. -
Cumulonimbus: Cumulonimbus: I. -
Wolkenatlas: Wolkenatlas: I. -
Cloud Atlas: Cloud Atlas: I. -
Wolkenarchipel
Cloud Atlas: Cloud Atlas: II. -
Wolkenatlas: Wolkenatlas: II. -
Cumulonimbus: Cumulonimbus: II. -
Wolkenatlas: Wolkenatlas: II. -
Nubes Concerto: Nubes Concerto: II. -
October 21, 1931

UPC: 8717774570074
Label: Zefir
Release Date: 9.1.08
Format: CD

Cloud Atlas Ensemble - Rose Road: City Lines / Various (CD)