Rudolf Escher (1912-1980) is without doubt one of the most original, intriguing and successful Dutch composers of the 20th century. In his youth he studied piano, cello, and composition with Willem Pijper in Rotterdam. During the war all his works were destroyed in the Rotterdam bombing. After the war he experimented with electronic music and came into close contact with Pierre Boulez and the serial techniques. In the end Escher developed his own highly personal music language. In Escher's music we hear echos of the Dutch polyphonists, Mahler, Debussy and Ravel. After the war, Escher remained true to his own musical language, never buckling under the force of the latest trend. This 3-CD portrait of Rudolf Escher presents orchestral works (his famous en best known Musique pour l’Esprit en Deuil and the Concerto for String Orchestra), chamber music (Trio for clarinet, viola and piano, Le Tombeau de Ravel) and Choral music (Songs of Love and Eternity, on poems by Emily Dickinson). Excellent performances by Dutch forces: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra/Riccardo Chailly, the Netherlands Chamber Choir and some of the finest Dutch instrumentalists. This 3-CD set is part of the reissue of the most celebrated recordings from the NM Classics label.