The peerless artistry of Heinz Holliger – unchallenged as the world’s greatest oboist – and of his immensely gifted colleagues Thomas Zehetmair, Thomas Demenga and Ruth Killius, is applied to the music of two of the greatest composers of modern times. Elliott Carter (born 1908) and Isang Yun (1917-1995) stand as paradigms of artistic independence, composers of defiant originality, parallel figures in the West and the East. On “Lauds and Lamentations”, as Heinz Holliger says, “the existential intensity of Isang Yun’s music-making is juxtaposed with the ‘miracle’ of Elliott Carter’s late works.” Of the eight Carter pieces heard here, five are world premiere recordings, including the Oboe Quartet, a major work by any standards. Yun’s Quartet for Oboe and String Trio also receives its premiere recording.