Guy / Homburger / Guy - Tales of Enchantment - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Donatoni / Stefan Ostersjo - Stefan Ostersjo [COMPACT DISCS] date 01/20/1998

Brussels Vocal Project with composer and drummer John Hollenbeck has created modernized versions of classic tales. The composer used lyrics written by the collective to explore the possibilities of an unusual setting fives voices and drums. Humor flirts with strangeness in these contemporary pieces while never losing focus on the narrative. Hollenbeck is a composer of music uncategorizable beyond the fact of being always identifiably his. A conceptualist able to translate the traditions of jazz and new music into a fresh, eclectic, forward-looking language of his own invention, intellectually rewarding yet ever accessibly vibrant. A drummer and percussionist possessed of a playful versatility and a virtuosic wit. Most of all, a musical thinker - whether putting pen to paper or conjuring spontaneous sound - allergic to repetition, forever seeking to surprise himself and his audiences.

Early in 1920, the brash young American composer George Antheil decided to leave his home country and conquer the concert halls of Europe as a pianist. Born in Trenton, New Jersey, as son of German immigrants, Antheil spoke German at home. At ease with the language and the culture, he arrived in Germany in 1922 well-prepared to dazzle Europe with his daring compositions and bold pianism. Most of his experimental piano music was composed in Berlin. Thanks to new discoveries and scholarly research, many of these works can be heard together for the first time on this recording performed by Guy Livingston. Livingston is one of the world's foremost exponents of Antheil's music.