“These performances, by Heinz Holliger and Marie-Lise Schüpbach, are simply astonishing in their fluency,” wrote UK magazine Gramophone of Holliger’s album “Zwiegespräche”, and the description applies with equal pertinence to “con slancio”, with its inspired and inspiring play of energies. The title piece, which opens the programme here, was written by the Swiss composer and nonpareil oboist as a tribute to musical partner Schüpbach: “Since I began playing in duo with Marie-Lise, I’ve been fascinated by the way our two instruments expand each other’s range and palette of tone colours. New sound paths have opened up for me.”

The album includes premiere recordings of six Holliger compositions written between 2018 and 2020, as well as strongly contrasting pieces dedicated to him by fellow composers over the years. The earliest of these are Jürg Wyttenbach’s Sonata (1961) and Jacques Wildberger’s Rondeau (1962), and the most recent are György Kurtág’s aphoristic con slancio, largamente and Toshio Hosokawa’s evocative Musubi (Knots), both written to celebrate Holliger’s 80th birthday in 2019.

Recorded at Zurich’s DRS Studio, “con slancio” continues the documentation of Heinz Holliger’s music at ECM New Series begun 40 years ago with the recording of his Mehrklänge für Oboe solo and other compositions in 1986. Major works along the way have included the Scardanelli-Zyklus, the Violin Concerto “Hommage à Louis Soutter”, and the operas Schneewittchen and Lunea, among many others.

The CD booklet for “con slancio” includes an extensive interview with Heinz Holliger by Michael Kunkel, in German and English.