According to the world view of Pythagoras and Plato, the music was a reflection of the cosmic spheres song of stars and planets. For centuries music theory was therefore regarded as an exact science with cosmological pretensions. However, the motivation behind this abstract approach to music and the universe was completely irrational. John Borstlap clearly explains in the explanatory notes to this
… CD how much this mathematical juggling was primarily a matter of mysticism. It was not without risk for Joep Franssens that he tried to revive this archaic view of reality through his Harmony of the Spheres; there is always something hopelessly reactionary attached to most attempts in this direction. Joep Franssens deserves the benefit of the doubt, for with his perfect control over the endlessly drawn-out repetition patterns he has achieved an admirable performance (it is not without irony that the creation period of this 'chef d'oeuvre' took seven years). The concentration that Tonu Kaljuste and the Nederlands Kamerkoor manage to produce in the long third is very impressive. (HJ)more
