«[…] Ouroboros was written by the Austrian composer Thomas Larcher, who had a big hit at the Aldeburgh Festival last year with his psychologically disturbing opera «The Hunting Gun». This work is a cello concerto like no other.

Its title refers to the Ancient Egyptian (and later Greek) symbol depicting a snake biting its own tale. For thousands of years that has been interpreted as a metaphor for the cycle of birth, death and rebirth, but if that was in Larcher’s mind it is a life cycle that mixes eruptions of violence with profound melancholy. The cellist (here the LPO’s superb principal, Kristina Blaumane) is less conventional concerto soloist than leader of a feral pack, careering from the highest harmonics to the lowest growls and often accompanied by a piano that is sometimes played inside-out. In 20 minutes there isn’t a single false step. It’s a masterpiece. […]» 
Richard Morrison, The Times, 5.11.2020

Read the whole review here.