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Cellist Katinka Kleijn and clarinettist Joshua Rubin each join the flute and guitar duo for one item. The trios are more abstract than the duos. Trittico (ie 'triptych') encloses a rather romantic rhapsody between livelier outer movements, while Extremes contrasts 'introverted' with 'extroverted'. The latter is particularly brilliant, if not particularly adventurous [listen -- track 14, 0:00-1:30].

A guitarist himself, Leisner has an excellent understanding of the limits and possibilities of an instrument which can otherwise be hard to write for (see, for instance, my comparison of Turina and Brouwer) and his music is served by very fine players in the Cavatina Duo and their associates. Leisner worked with them during the recording and has written the notes, so the disc must be as authoritative as one could wish. Acrobats, Trittico and Extremes are world première recordings, so no different interpretation is available, but it's nice that the only option is such a good one. The recorded sound is excellent, too.

However, the cumulative effect of this hour of music is the haunted, unsettled mood evoked so cleverly by the cover and established by the first piece. While it is pleasing to find modern music that is accessible without being insipid, some listeners might prefer more cheerful fare.

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