George Crumb Edition: Vol. 19
Metamorphoses, Vol. 1
Marcantonio Barone, piano
BRIDGE 9535

BRIDGE 9535 (Metamorphoses Book 1) has been remastered and reissued along with with Metamorphoses Book 2 on BRIDGE 9551

The great American composer, George Crumb's most recent compositions have been two large piano compositions, "Metamorphoses, Books 1 and 2", completed in 2019. Volume 19 of Bridge's Complete Crumb Edition, a series of recordings supervised by the composer himself, is made up entirely of Metamorphoses Book 1, performed by Crumb specialist, Marcantonio Barone.

The work consists of ten movements, each based on a famous painting by artists including Paul Klee, Vincent van Gogh, Marc Chagall, James Whistler, Jasper Johns, Paul Gauguin, Salvador Dali, and Vasily Kandinsky. At 90, George Crumb continues to produce works of incredible detail and passion. Critic David Hurwitz wrote that "Bridge’s decision to embark on a complete edition of George Crumb’s music remains one of the most significant recording projects currently in progress, as well as one of the most artistically successful."

Reviews:

“This is major new work by one of today’s most significant composers, and you owe it to yourself to hear it.” - MusicWeb International

“Inventive and fun.” - BBC Music Magazine

“Beyond all the reference, historical and otherwise, is the sense of awe, wonder, beauty, and mystery in each elastic instant of what it is really an understatement to call ‘minatures.’ If you don’t recognize the Beethoven or know how each effect is created, simply let the music overtake you. It will, such is the continued power of Crumb’s compositional vision.” - Fanfare (Marc Medwin)

“Probably no composer has a greater sense of poetry in his music than Crumb. At times that may keep us from realizing how beautifully constructed his music actually is, but in this work, the balance between the intimate and the spacious, the fragile and the transcendental, is more finely tuned than ever.” - Fanfare (Robert Carl)

“The pianist is required not only to play upon the keyboard, but to venture inside the piano to pluck and strum and dampen strings, use fists, brushes, yarn sticks and other materials to caress and strike various wire, wood and metal surfaces, vocalize and employ a variety of small, mostly percussion, instruments to expand the solo piano into a real orchestra of timbre.” - theWholeNote

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BRIDGE 9535

BRIDGE'S COMPLETE CRUMB EDITION IS ON SALE THROUGH DECEMBER 31, 2021. 20 CDS AND 1 DVD, OF COMPOSER SUPERVISED RECORDINGS MADE DURING THE PAST 40 YEARS. CRUMB HIMSELF APPEARS ON THE SERIES AS PIANIST, PERCUSSIONIST, AND NARRATOR. ALL COMPLETE CRUMB EDITION SETS INCLUDE THE COMPOSER'S AUTOGRAPH.