Hans Otte’s Das Buch der Klänge, or The Book of Sounds, is an interesting work. Composed in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, it’s sort-of-Minimalist and sort-of-ambient-ey, but most of all, it’s the total opposite from the hard-edged modernist approach to composition so common from that time.
On that, it’s interesting seeing Otte’s notes for the piece where he says that the collection “rediscovers a world of consonant experience which could only now be written because of a totally changed consciousness of sounds on earth”, written perhaps with a sense of relief that minimalism opened up new options for composers. There are traces of Glass, Reich, maybe a touch of Cage, and that’s quite possibly because Otte was music director of Radio Bremen for 25 years and did much to promote the music of those composers, among others.
Hanick gives a thoughtful reading of these works that, equally, isn’t afraid to roughen up the edges where necessary. The 12 pieces of the book start almost totally consonant (Part 1 and Part 2), but as the pieces progress there starts to be more and more touches of chromaticism as we get to the middle of the collection in Part 6, which is downright eerie as each note unravels, drop by drop. From there, the chromaticism gradually recedes until you get to Part 12, which in Hanick’s hands is a gentle set of pulsing chords that positively glow with warmth.
For minimalism fans, this is a wonderful recording of a less-known work. Recommended.
Composer: Hans Otte
Work: The Book of Sounds
Performer: Conor Hanick p
Label: Il Pirata Records IP0004D
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