You can't get more inclusive than that


Some very interesting reactions to my post on the Conlon Nancarrow (above) anniversary, including emails about Nancarrow interpretations, and a nice link from Sequenza21 where there was some useful discussion on György Ligeti's assessment of Nancarrow.

So a heads-up for pianist Joanna MacGregor. Her 2001 CD Play includes Nancarrow's Player Piano Study No. 11 in a multi-track recording by her (the score is for eight hands!), as well as Etudes, Book 1 No. 6 ("Automne à Varsovie") by Nancarrow champion György Ligeti, and music by William Byrd, Howard Skempton, John Dowland, John Cage, Charles Ives, J.S. Bach and others. You can't get more inclusive than that.

And yes, I'm all in favour of early music on the piano, as well as the harpsichord, and greatly enjoy Alexandre Tharaud's Rameau and Angela Hewitt's Bach. Then, of course, there is Byrd on the piano in what Glenn Gould described as 'the best damn record we've ever made'.

Image credit Minnesota Public Radio, which also has a nice audio download on Conlon Nancarrow. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Comments

Hucbald said…
I particularly enjoy Davitt Moroney's Die Kunst der Fuge. He uses Baroque replica harpsichords and well-tempered tunings, and he wrote what I think is the best ever completion of the unfinished fugue.
5:34 am
Garth Trinkl said…
Last Sunday, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to Angela Hewitt's Hyperion recording of Olivier Messiaen's early Preludes; and selections from his rhythmically experimental Etudes and from Vingt Regards ...

This long weekend I hope to listen to my Collin's recording of Joanna MacGregor masterfully performing Harrison Birtwistle's Antiphonies for Piano and Orchestra. ...

Ursula Oppens is another great piano champion of the works of Conlon Nancarrow, as well as of many other contemporary composers.
8:28 pm
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