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Article: CLASSICAL / London Sinfonietta / Stenz Robert Maycock reels before the reality of 'Life without Christmas', Georgian style
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- December 16, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1995 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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For victims of consumer fatigue at the year's retailing climax,
the prospect of Life without Christmas may excite an Advent-like
sense of anticipation. Those who know Giya Kancheli's music,
however, will realise that the title holds not a snowflake of
irony. During two hours at the Queen Elizabeth Hall last Sunday,
the total duration of fast action amounted to about 15 seconds -
cruel, painful seconds, every one.
Life is a cycle of four pieces, each named as a prayer for a
different time of day, from morning to night. A boy's voice intones
texts from time to time but, apart from the more extensively sung
third piece, all four works are mostly laid out for strings with
various wind and ...