Satie / Hannigan,Barbara / De Leeuw,Reinbert - Socrate - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

In a fascinating musical interplay, the young, highly acclaimed pianist Anna Khomichko presents works from the 18th century on her debut CD in cooperation with SWR (Southwest Broadcasting). Mozart meets Bach's sons Carl Philipp Emanuel and Johann Christian, as well as the supposed rival and contemporary piano star Muzio Clementi. In the supple and clear piano playing of this critically acclaimed artist, the differences and similarities between the works, the personalities of the composers, and the tastes of the time emerge clearly. Khomichko, who is also a successful classical music blogger, thus takes up the cause for a wide-ranging, sensuous repertoire that is absolutely worth discovering.

The debut recording by acoustic upright bassist and vocalist Esperanza Spalding, a native of Portland, OR, is an exercise in joy and freedom. Well rendered for such a very young musician, it's quite notable, considering the certainty of her concept and clarity of her vision. While steeped in contemporary jazz, there are Latin flavors, unabashed free moments, and some implied and direct swing. Further, it is an expression of her well-being, optimism, and future hope for her life in this music. Also in her peer group, pianist Aruan Ortiz and drummer Francisco Mela add a hundredfold to this music and establish themselves as leaders-to-be, and are quite capable partners for Spalding's wonderful sounds. The first piece, a take of the Jimmy Rowles evergreen InchThe Peacocks,Inch let's you know something special is going on. Spalding's bass leads out with the probing piano of Ortiz as wordless vocals and a modal jam all precede the melody, followed by a free section. The imagination quotient of this interpretation is off the charts. InchMompouanaInch is a most impressive circular tune surrounding the sweetness and light of Spalding's voice in a 9/8 time signature, choppy piano motifs, upper to midrange drama, and thoughtful, intricate secondary lines. In their ultimate playful state, InchPerazuánInch and InchPerazelaInch show Spalding's ability to scat, with Ortiz on the former and furiously alongside Mela on the latter track. The other covers are a darker-than-the-original rendition of Chick Corea's neo-bopper InchHumpty DumptyInch and the personable, lighthearted InchLoro,Inch written by Egberto Gismonti. InchTwo Bad,Inch with a feeling reminiscent of the standard InchAlone Together,Inch is a brittle, quirky, and unpredictable tune that is the only instrumental of the lot. Spalding sings no lyric content whatsoever; her style is all natural, sensual, and precious. Whether

The aestetic of this work is dedicated to clarity; simplicity accompanies, directs it. That is all. I wanted nothing more. This is the way Satie concluded a short text on his InchSocrateInch, with which he presented the work he had finished in 1918 to the public. The text to this Inchsymphonic dramaInch was compiled from three dialogues of Plato by Satie (Symposium, Phaedrus and Phaedo) which in some way represented Socrates' person and character biographically. The reproduction of the four male roles by one female voice suited Satie's aestetic purposes, because it helped to clearly limit the distance between text and listener, between past and present. The booklet of the CD is supplied with the complete texts of the three parts in French, German and English. John Cage, who has been propagating Satie's music his life long and who has repeatedly referred to Satie in his own work, created his InchCheap ImitationInch in 1969. He subjected the entire score of InchSocrateInch to a type of metamorphosis with the aid of chance processes which had become characteristic for his compositions since the early 50s. The result was an almost completely one-voice composition, which in a certain way underlined Satie's striving for transparency, unadornment and clarity. Hilke Helling alto / Deborah Richards piano / Herbert Henck piano.