This disc presents premiere recordings of new duo-piano works, composed for the stellar Quattro Mani (Susan Grace & Alice Rybak, duo-pianists). John Novacek's Three Rags for Two Pianos opens the disc with a bang, offering a virtuoso updated-take on the traditional rag genre. Stephen Jaffe's Cut-Time Shout is a rhythmically taut palate cleanser before Paul Lansky's masterful It All Adds Up, the longest and most varied piece on this disc. William Bland's Kindred Spirits, the title work of the disc, is in two movements-- an intense concert waltz, and a wild set of variations based on a tune by the rock band "Limp Bizkit". Lance Hulme's Manic Music is written in a hyper-intense quasi-minimalist style, and Jed Distler's Loose Changes concludes the disc with high-spirited eclecticism.
Reviews:
“Here is another enjoyable release from Quattro Mani. Variety is the hallmark of this program of pieces written between 1995 and 2005, from the elegant rags of John Novacek through the minimalist ‘manic music’ of Lance Hulme to the explosive neo-romanticism of ‘Kindred Spirits’ by William Bland. The exceptionally warm recording, made at Colorado College, adds to the appeal.” - American Record Guide
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John Novacek: Three Rags for Two Pianos (2005)
Stephen Jaffe: Cut-Time Shout (2004)
Paul Lansky: It All Adds Up (?Six Preludes for Two Pianos?) (2005)
William Bland: Kindred Spirits (2005)
Lance Hulme: Manic Music (?for two maniacal pianists?) (1995)
Jed Distler: Loose Changes (2005)
Quattro Mani:
Susan Grace & Alice Rybak, duo-pianists
BRIDGE 9260
Related Quattro Mani discs:
9496, 9486, 9484, 9447, 9366, 9308, 9253, 9231, 9224, 9155, 9143, 9105