Rory Cowal, piano
Rory Cowal is a distinctive pianist, one who draws liberally on classical chops, ample experience with improvisation, and a predilection for the new and uncharted. This makes him especially attractive to composers who wish to blur the boundaries between traditional styles and genres. A musical adventurer at heart, Cowal seems drawn to challenging and unusual projects.
The eight pieces on this CD reflect this willingness to experiment, to not just play the same old (now canonic) warhorses of the American experimental tradition, but to expand our awareness of what that tradition might include over a large period of time, from Johanna Magdalena Beyer (1888-1944) to Kris Davis (b 1980), with their adventurous colleagues Muhal Richard Abrams (1930-2017), Daniel Goode (b 1936), David Mahler (b 1944), Thomas Peterson (1931-2006), and James Tenney (1934-2006) somewhere in between.
The pieces recorded here span from 1931, a time characterized by "ultramodernism" and the theoretical exploration of dissonant counterpoint, to 2018, and the vast influences bombarding young composers in the twenty-first century's oversaturation of digital resources.
None of the pieces included here has been previously recorded. Working therefore with no point of reference but the score, Cowal had the special challenge of envisioning them, and bringing them to life based solely on his own understanding of their possibilities.
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"Exciting... Mr. Cowal really is serious about surveying lesser known corners of the repertoire" —The New York Times
Clusters: American Piano Explorations
| MP3/320 | $16.00 | |
| FLAC | $16.00 | |
| WAV | $16.00 | |
| CD | $25.00 |
Track Listing
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Clusters: Cluster Motive
Johanna Beyer
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Clusters: Clusters I
Johanna Beyer
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Clusters: Clusters II
Johanna Beyer
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Clusters: Clusters III
Johanna Beyer
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Clusters: Clusters IV
Johanna Beyer
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Clusters: Cluster Motive [reprise]
Johanna Beyer
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Etudes Op. 1, No. 1
Muhal Richard Abrams
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Reflection
Thomas Peterson
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Eight Pieces for the Vernal Equinox: I. Raphiolepis
Kris Davis
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Eight Pieces for the Vernal Equinox: II. Pieris
Kris Davis
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Eight Pieces for the Vernal Equinox: III. Photinia
Kris Davis
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Eight Pieces for the Vernal Equinox: IV. Vitex
Kris Davis
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Eight Pieces for the Vernal Equinox: V. Abelia
Kris Davis
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Eight Pieces for the Vernal Equinox : VI. Calluna
Kris Davis
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Eight Pieces for the Vernal Equinox: VII. Nerium
Kris Davis
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Eight Pieces for the Vernal Equinox: VIII. Choisya
Kris Davis
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Variations in A (on a theme by my father)
James Tenney
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Piano Sonata No. 1
Daniel Goode
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Martin Bartlett at the Claremont Hotel: I. Entrance
David Mahler
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Martin Bartlett at the Claremont Hotel: II. Ghost Soliloquy
David Mahler
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Martin Bartlett at the Claremont Hotel: III. Be Still
David Mahler
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Martin Bartlett at the Claremont Hotel: IV. Anthem, Flourish
David Mahler
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Martin Bartlett at the Claremont Hotel: V. Beloved
David Mahler
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Martin Bartlett at the Claremont Hotel: VI. Exit (to the bells of Vancouver)
David Mahler
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a song that will linger
David Mahler
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