While the Violin Concerto from 2016 by Michael Hersch (born 1971) seems like a frightful chaos, the work soon takes a more linear and legible turn, even though its content remains tremendously violent from end to end, even in those less frenetic passages where the melodic line seems to warn of impending danger... The work was commissioned by violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, who is an ardent supporter of music less ordinary, which requires nerve and endurance. As for end stages (all lower case in the title) from 2017, it explores the "end stages" of musical discourse, an apparent allusion by the composer to the illness and deaths of loved ones which have dogged him for years. The eight movements, far from fading away, give the impression of slowly closing in on themselves. The famous Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, to which the work is dedicated, performs it here. As it is wonted to do, the ensemble plays without a conductor, which is a terrific tour de force, given a score of such complexity. But as each musician is forced to listen to the other, the concentration is extreme – and it shows. © SM/Qobuz