Schickele: A Year in the Catskills

Whether writing under his own name or that of his alter ego P.D.Q. Bach, Peter Schickele writes music which is a constant delight, full of variety, energy and fun. A Year in the Catskills is a five-movement quintet - a seasonal retrospective suffused with clever baroque tints, elements of pastoral fantasy, and a jazzy fi nale to dissipate any feelings of melancholy. The other works offer a variety of combinations and textures. Gardens illustrates Schickele's appealing use of colour, whilst Dream Dances is a jaunty frolic from the baroque sarabande to the jitterbug. Diversions goes one better, with movements devoted both to billiards and a New York bar; music of huge vitality and great wit.