Amanda Angel, New York Classical Review

"Based on the many musical and operatic retellings of the Orpheus myth and particularly inspired by Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4, Lyra starts with the harp strumming the same G major chord that opens the Fourth Concerto. This chord repeatedly expands into microtones and deflates, in a snare drum roll. As the work progresses, several other instruments and sections simulate Orpheus’s instrument of choice, including the strings, concertmaster Glenn Dicterow in an eerie solo, and a synthesizer emulating a zither.

In two distinct sections, recordings of Orpheus-based works by Monteverdi and Gluck, and others, are knitted into the lush soundscape that often resembled those of Györgi Ligeti. Under the weight of these numerous references, it’s impressive that Lyra managed to convey Cheung’s unique expressive voice."