Christine Labroche:

>Harry Halbreich of Martinu fame attended the premieres in 2004, announcing
>the next.  He was impressed and finds the use of the term "recomposition"
>justified in that Brewaeys' work is effectively a spectral analysis of
>the original which reveals hidden aspects of the Preludes.  If you would
>care to read his short review, you will find it here:
>
>http://users.skynet.be/crescendo.mus/pages/au_jour_le_jour.htm

This citation is very welcome.  Halbreich also says that there has been
nothing comparable to this since Ravel's orchestration of Mussorgsky's
Pictures at an Exposition; he expects it to be quickly taken up by
orchestration classes in the conservatories.

I am prepared to revise my first impressions of what Brewaeys did with
some of the Preludes after listening some more.  The results are superb.
No doubt I should not say this, but some of the piano originals seem
almost pallid in comparison.

Brewaeys studied with Xenakis, among others--not an experience I would
have expected to lead to re-working Debussy's Preludes!  Brewaeys has
written at least seven symphonies and has been given several awards and
honors for some of them.  Can anyone say what they are like?

Jim Tobin