Excellent recording of excellent music
Patrick Alexander | Las Cruces, New Mexico | 03/14/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"When reviewers describe Nancarrow as "innovative", keep in mind that this is often a euphemism for "just plain weird". His music is unquestionably an acquired taste, but one well worth acquiring. Since music reviews usually include comparisons to other artists, but there aren't any other artists particularly similar to Conlon Nancarrow, this is as good as I can come up with: Nancarrow is to the standard classical piano repertoire what Meshuggah (especially the most recent albums) is to your run-of-the-mill metal band. Many of the standard stylistic devices of the respective genres are used (although with quite a bit of jazz inserted in some of Nancarrow's Studies) but in polyrhythmic, atonal, often jarring ways. The comparison breaks down when it comes to speed, however. Meshuggah's music can be quite fast, but always within the human-playable range since the music is, for the most part at least, actually played by humans in real time. Nancarrow, using player piano, has none of these constraints and often takes advantage of this by making his pieces absurdly fast."
Conlon Nancarrow, Mexican Genius
Pichon14 | Mexico | 07/25/2010
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Conclon Nancarrow born american, however because his political ideas he prefer to left USA and then became Mexican citicen. The vast mayority of his great mechanic piano studios were compomposed in his home here in Mexico City. He recluded himself in his home and he was unaware to reach fame after his work. Later some great century XX composers as Ligeti, Cage and others recognize the importance of Nancarrow's work, then reach some level of recognition. Here in Mexico few music people think he was a foreign composer who lived in this country and composed strange music. Among real music lovers, specalists and composers from all the world Nacarrow's works reaches the higest leves of composition skills. Ligeti said about Nancarrow for a German TV documentary: "For me, and this a subjetvive judement of me, is the best composer in this very moment (early 1990's). He had made a total original work, very different to all others, reaching the higest levels of composition at the level of J.S. Bach or the later Beethoven".
I can say Nancarrow is both Mexican and American cultural patrimony and must be seen in this way, because nobody can deny his born place and his long lived Mexican nacionality that he choose for himself. And for my ears is one of the most surprising, interesting, enjoyable and ludic musics I ever heard."
Track Listings (9) - Disc #1