Michael Boriskin contributes solo piano by Lou Harrison (Three Waltzes, Western Dance, Gigue and Musette for Piano, Polka for Piano, and Jarabe) to a disc of the composer’s chamber music.
Lou Harrison is a towering though somewhat underrated figure in American music. A folk-inspired composer at heart, but not in the jazz- or Americana-inspired way of Bernstein and Copland, Harrison tends to employ techniques and instruments associated with Indonesia and the Far East. For those new to Harrison, this beautifully played and recorded CD is an ideal introduction.
The Three Waltzes have a beguiling simplicity that recall the piano music of Virgil Thomson while ‘Western Dance’ is an uncharacteristic work of wide dynamic range and rhythmic complexity.