Andrew Norman's Play, recorded here by the Boston Modern Orchestra Project, is a sprawling, engulfing, furiously unpredictable piece in three symphonic movements. (Above is the first, "Level 1.") Will Robin has gone so far as to declare that Play "might be the best orchestral work that the 21st century has seen thus far" — an announcement that spurred a lively Twitter discussion of other candidates for that accolade, with emphasis on purely orchestral works more than half an hour long. I seconded Tim Rutherford-Johnson's nomination of Adès's Totentanz and Czernowin's MAIM, but, having listened to Play at least a dozen times, I won't dismiss Will's suggestion out of hand. I'll have more to say further down the line, particularly when an opportunity arises to hear the music live. At the BMOP site, you can read fine notes by Daniel Stephen Johnson and the composer's own reflections.
