Bruk, Fridrich - Orchestral Music, Vol. 3 - Kupcs, Maris

The third part of Fridrich Bruk's (born in Ukraine in 1937, but living in Finland since 1974) recent symphonic output brings two astonishingly vibrant works from the octogenarian composer. Both have social undertones: Symphony No. 22 originates from ecological concerns about the pollution of the world's oceans, and No. 23 draws its material from the folk melodies of the Ingrians, an ethnic group disappearing on the border between Finland and Russia. The orchestral composition of both works is passionate and wildly inventive, a kaleidoscope of colors and counterpoint that lies somewhere between Villa-Lobos and Pettersson in its richness.