Lou Harrison Naoto Otomo Robert G Hughes - Harrison Piano ConcertoSuite For Violin Piano And Small Orchestra (10 tracks) +Album Reviews

Another Harrison Masterwork

Christopher Forbes | Brooklyn,, NY | 07/29/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I am always surprised at the lack of interest shown to the sublime music of Lou Harrison by the average music going public. Surely people who take Arvo Part and Steve Reich to their hearts can find a similar warmth for this marvelous composer. Harrison is a master composer, both intellectually stimulating and emotionally beautiful. And this CD is a marvelous place to start. The Piano concerto is a marvelous piece. Tightly constructed, with brilliant viruoso passages, it walks the tightrope between East and West. You can hear echos of the Beethoven 4th, along with Balinese Gamelan and medieval techniques, overridden by Harrison's haunting melodic gift and a unique sense of instrumental color. The work is written for piano in just intonation, but Harrison uses the tuning system so well that the result isn't stark, like La Monte Young, but rather harmonious and sweet. This is a major repertoire piece and Keith Jarrett plays it beautifully. The other work on the CD comes from another branch of Harrison's work, that for western instruments and Gamelan. The idea of mixing eastern and western instruments can turn gimickly, but not in the hands of Harrison. This is a beautiful piece, neither a "composed" imitation Balinese piece, nor a purely western piece, it achieves a true synthesis of the two. I can't imagine that anyone interested in music wouldn't find this CD immediately enchanting. I give this my highest recommendation."

Orient/Occident

Gerard Dionne | 08/22/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The Kimber Number Two tuning of the Piano Concerto is one those musical devices more felt than heard. Just intonation as utilized by, say, Harry Partch is so non-Western it strikes many ears as extra-terrestrial. In Kimberger, the 4ths and 5ths in the black keys are perfectly consonant. If you're reading this without benefit of hearing the music, it probably seems as if obscurity is an end in itself. Quite the contrary: Lou was all about simplicity. And strange to tell, this lesson came from none other than (ta-da) Schoenberg, who told him his model should be Mozart. Think Wolfy and Gamelan as you hear this music; it will fall together for you.

Keith Jarrett, as usual, is a virtuoso for all seasons. The Stampede (reference Estampie, a vigorous Medieval dance) is crisp and powerful. The largo is achingly beautiful. Lou once said that among the differences between East and West Coast musicians was the lack of fear West Coasters have with a beautiful sound.

The only quibble I have with this recording is the somewhat distant, thin sound of the ensemble. I think it keeps us at arm's length; I would have welcomed the instruments being more closely miked."

An all-time favorite

Louis | San Francisco, US, Canada | 08/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I've listened to this recording many times, and never tire of it. The subtly retuned piano sounds sweeter every time I hear it. Alternately grand and intimate, lyrical and dissonant (mostly lyrical), this is a very special work.

Another reviewer here commented that the ensemble sound is "somewhat distant." I agree. The other available recording of the work, by Joanna MacGregor with the Sydney Symphony, corrects this. Harrison fans will want to have both disks. But here with Keith Jarrett, who commissioned the work, is the place to start.

LJ"

Innovative stuff!

T. Bellows | 03/11/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This makes a real impression. Love the exuberant rhythms - and the lyrical section. A great sound all the way!"

Lou Harrison's Piano Concerto: A 20th Century Masterpiece

Grady Harp | Los Angeles, CA United States | 11/28/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lou Harrison (1917 - 2003) was a true American original. Among his many fellow composers he, more than the rest, was able to incorporate that key discovery of the 20th century - the twelve tone scale - and blend it with the lyricism of Asian and American Indian music, creating a body of work that many will cast in the category of 'mysticism.' It remains puzzling why his music is so rarely performed in concert halls today, especially when those occasional performances excite audiences not only with the brilliance of compositional ideas but also with that strange spell they cast. Such was assuredly the case in a recent Festival performance by the LA Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel conducting, of Harrison's haunting and wholly original Piano Concerto (1982 -1985) as re-created by Marino Formenti. The concerto was written for the jazz pianist, Keith Jarrett, who performs it here on this recording with the New Japan Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Naoto Otomo - a very suitable pairing considering the major influence Asian music had on Harrison's compositions.

The magic of the sound is best described by John Henken's note: 'The solo piano is tuned in an archaic mode (Kirnberger 2) that differs subtly from our usual equal-tempered scale. In order to participate in this tuning, the instruments Harrison used were chosen for their ability to play the intonation with some grace...and because he liked percussion and harps. The results are piquant, fresh but not jarring'. Divided into four movements, the Allegro blends strange tinkling of simple Oriental sounds with ever growing 'Western' complexities. The second movement is appropriately named Stampede for it is here that Harrison asks the soloist to strike the keyboard with full palms and forearms in tone clusters that propel the rhythm to that of whirling dervishes. The Largo third movement is a delicate mystical lullaby, a fragile conversation with various instruments in the orchestra, and the final movement Allegro moderato combines all the tonal luster of the preceding movements leading to a surprising climax. Keith Jarrett's performance is solid and the orchestra embellishes Harrison's ideas well. The recorded sound is not able to capture all the magic of this score and we can only hope that given the thunderous reception at the current LA Festival 'West Coast, Left Coast', Dudamel and Formenti will record their extraordinary performance in the grandeur of the acoustics of Disney Hall. But in the meantime this performance by the pianist for whom it was composed is a worthy addition to the library.

For those not yet under the spell of Harrison's work this recording of his Piano Concerto coupled with the charming Suite of Violin, Piano and Small Orchestra is a fine starting point. Grady Harp, November 09"

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