Leading Dutch composer Robin de Raaff releases his fourth project on Challenge Classics, Atlantis. It is dedicated to the memory of Pierre Boulez, the last of the modernists. This release is live-recorded and conducted by Markus Stenz, one of the greatest contemporary musical specialists.
Robin de Raaff completed Atlantis in the summer of 2016. The work is a complex and impressive oratorio that renovates the contemporary perspective of this musical genre. De Raaff uses the voice as a lyrical element to let it soar above the orchestral timbres. Atlantis is based to a large extent on “Atlantis”, the final poem in Hart Crane’s collection Bridges. De Raaff links a pessimistic future perspective to this hyper-symbolic and very complex poem.
Boulez, the last surviving giant of post-War modernism, passed away while De Raaff was working on Atlantis. "Boulez was the great proponent of modernism. The island that modernism actually was simply disappeared when he died. This is why I felt a homage would be appropriate". This oratorio is not just an argument for the use of contemporary vocal skills as an element of the entire history of music, but also and primarily a warning about stewardship of water and the future of our planet. © Challenge Classics