The Bottom Line
If you are looking for something new, something less traditional, then this album is perfect for you. Easley Blackwood,Charles Pikler and Gary Stucka play their respective instruments marvelously, despite the few "under-performed" tracks.
Pros
- Easley Blackwood is a modern day compser, pianist, and theorist.
- Charles Pikler is the principal violinist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
- Gary Stucka has been a cellist for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra since 1986.
- Mix of tonal and atonal music.
Cons
- A few of the performances sound tired and lackluster.
Description
- Released: April 2005, Cedille Records
- 1 Disk, 14 tracks
- Total Play Time: 71:48
Guide Review - Easley Blackwood Chamber Music for Piano and Strings
I wasn't impressed with the album after my first hearing. My ears were not used to hearing non-traditional music (music outside of Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, etc...). I had to let go of how I thought music should sound. When I set down to do some "active" listening, my initial impressions were quickly disproved. The performers' musicianship is impeccable; their playing is warm and endearing. The music itself, well, even I was enchanted by several movements of the atonal works. The overwhelming sensitivity is apparent throughout the entire album; each artist clearly connects with the music.
Easley Blackwood's compositions span nearly fifty years. Normally, you would see a progression of ideas, styles, and techniques with composers, but with Easley Blackwood, each work is completely separate. He doesn't stick to one path of composition; he allows himself to compose in all types of styles. Easley Blackwood is a masterful piano player, theorist and composer. His piano playing is enough alone to listen to the album; Charles Pikler and Gary Stucka are equally admirable.
