At 77 years young, Danish composer Poul Ruders continues to delight and surprise with a seemingly endless flow of masterworks. He can be gloriously, explosively extrovert one minute, withdrawn, haunted, and intently inward-looking the next. Super-abundant high spirits alternate with pained, almost expressionistic lyricism; simplicity and directness with astringent irony, all of which can be heard in this program of three new concertos for three very old instruments.

Transfigurations: A Double Portrait for Recorders and String Orchestra (2022) features Michala Petri on a musical journey in which she takes us on a "relay run" through the various members of the recorder family, from tenor to soprano to alto to sopranino and back again.

A Movable Concerto: Five Short Pieces for Positive Organ and Strings (2023), written at the suggestion of Peter Navarro-Alonso, organist and choirmaster at the great Baroque church Vor Frelsers Kirke (Our Saviour's Church) in Copenhagen, is a stylistic romp that moves effortlessly from Baroque-inspired minimalist figuration and Dutch barrel-organ antics to strikingly contemporary sound worlds. At the heart of the work lies the stunning Largo legatissimo, where time seems to stand still and the music hangs almost motionless in the air.

The first two concertos are performed by Kremerata Baltica, one of the world's foremost string orchestras, whose extraordinary virtuosity, precision, and musical imagination make them ideal interpreters of Ruders' richly inventive writing.

The program concludes with the Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra (2019), written for Mahan Esfahani and premiered by him and Aarhus Symphony Orchestra with the late Leif Segerstam, a work already recognized as one of this century's most significant contributions to the harpsichord repertoire.
All of the musicians featured on these recordings rank among the most distinguished artists in their respective fields. Michala Petri is internationally recognized as one of the most extraordinary musicians of her generation and has played a decisive role in transforming the recorder from a historical and educational instrument into a respected voice on the world's concert stages. Danish-Spanish organist and composer Peter Navarro-Alonso is celebrated as one of the most versatile and innovative musicians on the Scandinavian music scene, renowned both for his exceptional artistry as an organist and his visionary work as a composer. Mahan Esfahani is widely regarded as one of the most innovative and intellectually adventurous musicians of our time, and his extraordinary artistry has redefined the role of the harpsichord in modern concert life.

An essential recording for admirers of Poul Ruders' music and for anyone fascinated by contemporary concertos that expand the expressive possibilities of unusual instruments.