An Excellent Interpreter
1 October 2009 • Phil Brownlee, Pressing On: Radio New Zealand Concert
The piano is recorded very close, almost to the point of claustrophobia, but this means that the details of the sounds, the rattles and noises, are all clearly present. I particularly enjoy the tension between the interference of the objects on the piano strings and the traces of piano resonance which remain beneath the surface. There’s a delightful accidental quality to the sound materials in Charlotte Rose's ‘First DeConstruction,’ and a sense of unexpectedness; it sounds like the sort of thing Cage himself would have enjoyed. It's especially illuminating to hear the music of Satie and Cage side by side, and for the links between the two composers to be brought into focus. The disc provides a lively programme, and Dianova is an excellent interpreter of both composers.
