If anyone in these disenchanting days is writing music more brazenly beautiful than Cassandra Miller's, I do not know the name. Perfect Offering, its title taken from Leonard Cohen, is based on a recording of bells in rural France, finding instrumental analogues for the bells' rich acoustical properties. The Explore Ensemble, seen above at Wigmore Hall, features the work on a recent Huddersfield Contemporary Records release that also contains pieces by Lisa Illean, Lawrence Dunn, and Rebecca Saunders. Meanwhile, the Black Truffle label has a new Miller album pairing Traveller Song and Thanksong, with performances by the composer, members of London's Plus-Minus Ensemble, and the Quatuor Bozzini. I wrote about Miller's dumbfounding viola concerto I cannot love without trembling earlier this year.
