Barry Guy presents three orchestral works with piano soloist Marilyn Crispell and one with singer Maggie Nicols. In the liner notes, Barry Guy writes that the three compositions could be considered part of a single “Concerto grosso.” The first title, “Owed to J.S.,” is a punning homage to John Stevens, founder of the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, in which several members of the LJCO played. It is a powerful work with staccato-like reed passages and rumbling rhythms, interspersed with numerous freely improvised sections, in which the musicians, as is Guy's habit, are grouped into mini-ensembles within the orchestra. Of the three works on this CD, it is closest in character and spirit to the other LJCO albums like Harmos (Intakt CD 013), Double Trouble (Intakt CD 019), Theoria (Intakt CD 024), Portraits (Intakt CD 035). “Sleeping Furiously” with Crispell is a quieter piano concerto characterized by darker colors. Crispell's playing is brilliant and powerful. The final piece is marked by the voice of Maggie Nicols, who interprets poems by Crispell. In this piece, Maggie Nicols' free, magnificent voice meets the orchestral sound of the LJCO.

Cover art: Eugen Bisig
Photos: Silvia Luckner
Liner notes: Barry Guy

All compositions by Barry Guy. Recorded December 18, 1995 at Rote Fabrik Zürich. Engineer: Peter Pfister. Executive production: Rosmarie A. Meier and Patrik Landolt. Produced and published by Intakt Records