Alexander Soares - Threnodies - Piano Works by Bridge, Brittern, Berg & Ravel - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Pianist Alexander Soares's previous albums for Rubicon include the epic piano sonata by Frank Bridge, the Berg Sonata, and the rarely performed Variations by Britten. His debut album, Notations & Sketches, programed Boulez, Messiaen and Dutilleux. Gramophone magazine said of this album InchAlthough most of these pieces have been collated on various anthologies of French piano music, few of them can match this new in it's balanced conception or consistency of execution... resulting in what could hardly be a more auspicious debut.Inch For his latest recording, he embarks on a traversal of the four Tippet Piano Sonatas programing them alongside two composers who influenced Tippett, and one who he, in turn, influenced.

2017 album now available at a cheaper price. Under license from Lakeshore Records. A Fire Records . Back in 2006, Richard Linklater's film adaptation of Philip K Dick's sci-fi novel A Scanner Darkly was greeted with suspicion. No one had done justice to the InchmasterInch (Bladerunner, Minority Report, Total Recall, The Adjustment Bureau had or have all met with mixed reviews). And, movies attempting to conjure up the effects of drugs were met with derision from the stoned cognoscenti. How could a story of dependence on Substance D (InchDeathInch for short) be created with multi-million dollar stars in the frame anyway? Linklater had a plan; He'd use rotoscoping (an effect that falls somewhere between Kiki Picasso's sketches brought to life and Disney on 'ludes). The celebrities would be shrouded in mystery, in fact Keanu Reeves' skin suit would make him almost invisible at times, a mumbling wreck swaying centre stage. A waste of talent? A waste of money? To complete the experience, a leftfield musical score was needed to ensure that everything wasn't as it seemed. Graham Reynolds works in extremes, he's collaborated with DJ Spooky, the Austin Symphony Orchestra and with live film collage creator Luke Savisky. More importantly his Golden Arm Trio are never three and never the same people twice. For the movie he created short sound bytes - a surf-like instrumental, a country-tinged breather, the sound of stuttering insects crawling through your hair. The resultant soundscape is itchy and scratchy, full of mood swings and musical metaphors, an ever changing and unpredictable set of highs littered with reflective undertones and occasional soft, almost super numb realities.

This unusual album begins with archival recordings, in excellent sound, of the Russian-born composer-pianist Tcherepnin (1899-1977) playing some of his most memorable piano music. The 2nd part of the CD, performed by the Russian pianist Shilyaev, presents a selection of attractive, rarely heard works from various periods in Tcherepnin's career.