For some reason a thought of crystals pop up in the Christensen work list – and often in cooperation together with light which, with its facets may give an impression of change.
In Chemin de diamant, however, it was the imagination that even one of the world’s strongest stones, the diamond, was, in fact, sometimes in the beginning of time, liquid – which fact provided good ideas for the piece.
That francofile persons, apart from hearing the diamond’s “walk” from the lava stadium to the firm stone, may also distinguish the “diamond-train” in the piece, and althought is was not the original intention, this may be acceptable …
This work is available on 2 CD’s: Paula 155 and Norsag 113
Frapperende nytænkt instrumentation … hvor den fremstormende Mogens Christensen udmaler stenens vej fra flydende til krystallinsk tilstand. En dunkende tremolopuls afslører de lange strenges dominerende overtoner, der tilsidst står tilbage.
(Politiken)
Mogens Christensen is one of the most important Danish composer today. His Le Chemin de Diamant for cello and bass is the most recent composition on this disc; written in 1996 it is a startling work, making innovative use of the textures and tessitura of both instruments; it is often difficult to tell the instruments apart. A kind of energetic ”molto perpetuo” changing slowly into one of the most effective harmonic passages that I have heard; this is a substantial addition to the cello/bass duo repertoire.
(Bass Player, USA)
En diamant af en komposition.
(Jyllands-Posten)
Et heftigt pulserende værk, hvor Christensen leger med tid og tempo med sin aldrig svigtende sans for det poetiske.
(Jyllands-Posten)
... and cellist Niklaas Veltman joins Malmquist for an exciting rendition of Mogens Christensen’s Le Chemin de Diamant, making the most of a various images it conjures up.
(Double Bassist)
… Speciellt gillar jag farvattnena runt … Mogens Christensen … för alla färgerna och det gode berättandets skull.
(Norrköping Tidningar)