The German label CPO has released a fourteen-part series with recordings by the German composer-conductor Hans Zender (* 1936). All recordings were made with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Saarbrücken, of which Zender has been the permanent conductor since 1971. The recordings are selected from the many concert recordings that Zender made with this ensemble. Sometimes works are 'composed' of
… recordings from different concerts, as is the case, for example, with the performance of Beethoven's "Symphony No. 1, Op.21" (aax4925) presented here. In his performances of the traditional repertoire, Zender turns out to be someone who works energetically: clarity of structure and transparency of sound seem to be paramount to him. The Saarbrücker Orchestra is of course not a top ensemble, but it plays solid and music-like and this series does not contain any real negative outliers. The most interesting are the parts devoted to modern repertoire. This includes part 10 (bcx0425) with "Antiphonen for Viola and 25 Instrumentalists" and the "Concerto pour violoncelle et orchester en forme de 'pas de trois'" by Bernd Alois Zimmerman, a composer for whom Zender has regularly worked. One of the highlights of the series is part 11 (bdx1121), a double CD with works by Morton Feldman, namely "Flute and Orchestra", "Cello and Orchestra", "Oboe and Orchestra" and "Piano and Orchestra". Of course, Zenders' own compositions were not allowed to remain completely unexposed: Parts 13 (afx1721) and 14 (dbx4662) contain an anthology of his Boulez-oriented music. (JvG) _more
