The Living Mountain
Austrian composer Thomas Larcher’s new album features premiere recordings of three strongly contrasting works.
The Living Mountain, composed 2019-20, draws inspiration from Scottish poet and nature writer Nan Shepherd’s book of the same name. Having grown up in Tyrol and familiar with mountain landscapes, Larcher was taken by Shepherd’s unique approach to the topic in her memoir, and “how completely different it is from all the other literature touching upon this subject. There’s a particularly palpable connection between her introspection and the nature that surrounds her, the microscopic details that are elaborated in that context. Being able to identify with her writing as much as I did, reading the book turned into my own introspective journey and immediately sparked the musical connotations that I elaborate in my piece”.
Track Listing:
1 The Living Mountain - Introduction
2 At first, mad to recover the tang of height
3 As I reach the highest part of my dark moor
4 In September dawns I hardly breathe
5 Once, on a night of such clear silence
6 Further up, is all snow
7 Allegretto
8 Allegro infuriato
9 Adagio ma non troppo
10 Plinius sagt
11 Die roten Flecken
12 Wenn die Blitze herabfuhren
13 Gleich einem Hund
14 Am 8.Mai 1927
15 Mitten im Schlaf
16 Venezianisches Wachspraeparat
17 Es heisst dass Napoleon
18 Aus dem Vorderschiff des Gehirns
19 Blaues Gras
20 Zuletzt werden bloss soviel ueberbleiben
21 So glitt ich lautlos
22 Unerzaehlt - So wird, wenn der Sehnerv zerreisst