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From his 1975 mega-variation set, The People United Will Never Be Defeated, to his eight-hour "novel for piano," The Road, Frederic Rzewski breathed new life, passion, and vitality into the long dormant composer-pianist tradition. Political and social issues provide a subtext from which Rzewski's musical imagination explodes with purposeful virtuosity, stylistic freedom, and high drama. He can conjure slow droplets of notes on a dark, still background ("A Life"), only to cram and compress a multitude of disparate popular themes within a larger, traditional framework (Sonata for Piano), or integrate music and spoken words to a level where they cannot exist without the other ("De Profundis"). Rzewski the composer provides Rzewski the pianist plenty of opportunity to display his ingenious improvisatory mettle: his cadenzas for "Mein Yingele, Which Side Are You On" particularly dazzle. There are, to be sure, other ways to play this music, such as Marc-André Hamelin's suavely proficient People United and Paul Jacobs's authoritative premiere recording of the North American Ballads. But the elemental force and personality defining Rzewski's pianism leave as indelible an imprint as his music. No lover of contemporary piano music should miss this important, superbly annotated release. --Jed Distler
Rzewski Plays Rzewski: Piano Works 1975-1999 Reviews
Rzewski Plays Rzewski: Piano Works 1975-1999 Reviews
| 38 of 39 people found the following review helpful  incredible playing of works with mixed content/concept, By Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: Rzewski Plays Rzewski: Piano Works 1975-1999 (Audio CD) Rzewski said he never developed a style or musical language,but if you work your way through all seven disks here there is actually a musical language which emerges and a static dimension as well to Rzewski's creativity.His music demands a strong subject, an inflammatory one if possible to get his improvisatory creative imagination in gear, as his celebrated solidarity exhibited in the "36 Variations" on the "The People United Will Never Be Defeated" which to my ears still remains the high point of all these disks. His musical language is magnetized around simple contrasts,timbral virtuosity and variations on the music materials he selects, as even the "North American Ballads" suggest,which also maintains a fascination over the years.Equally if not more timbrally fascinating are his "Four Pieces" which are not here.Rzewski I beleive is a composer like Stravinsky, he needs something to manipulate that is already formed in the real world,very postmodern in orientation and his... Read more 6 of 20 people found the following review helpful Excellent, This review is from: Rzewski Plays Rzewski: Piano Works 1975-1999 (Audio CD) Rzewski is one of the greatest composers of our time.Definately a must have! 6 of 62 people found the following review helpful  Rzewski's 7 CD Compilation, By Pithy Commentz (CT) - See all my reviews This review is from: Rzewski Plays Rzewski: Piano Works 1975-1999 (Audio CD) 7 Discs of amazing piano performances from Rzewski, and this time around he's playing his own music. Highlights: First track off 1st CD: "North American Ballads (4) for piano, Nos 1-04", an excellent introduction to this compilation. Worth the money? ...Ahh, I dunno.. I hate giving my money away to loony liberals, but in this case, his music is brilliant so I found my purchase well worth it. |
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