Nancarrow, Conlon

Player Piano 7: Studies For Player Piano 42-48 Vol. 4

Label: MDG Scene Country: Germany

"Rarity seekers, this is for you! On Vol. 7 of his highly ambitious series featuring works for player piano, Jürgen Hocker presents yet another world premiere with Conlon Nancarrow's Studies for Player Piano No. 45c, heard here for the first time on an original Ampico player piano. This unprecedented performance event is integrated into the meticulous and sonorous new release of the Studies Nos. 42-48c again representing "magnificent recordings [...] all in the most magnificent sound" (Sonoloco).

Discographic Gap

The first recordings of Nancarrow's compositions on original instruments were produced in Mexico in 1977. At the time this American citizen living in self-imposed exile had completed the Studies through No. 41. A later recording with the other studies in 1988 suffered from the poor condition of the instruments, resulting in a discographic gap that only now has been filled.

Jazzy Punch

Elements of jazz music run like a red thread through the three Studies No. 45. First there is a "limping" boogie-woogie bass with greatly modified jazz melodies, with Nancarrow himself terming this bass the "spastic rhythm." Then he punches a slow blues with extremely intricate time relations on the paper roll of the player piano. He concluded by drawing on a technique employed by the American composer"-MDG Scene