Nathan Currier, piano; The Peabody Trio; (Seth Knopp, piano; Violaine Melançon, violin; Natasha Brofsky, cello)
Nathan Currier does not fit into any of the pre-fabricated categories that have been set aside to describe composers. Despite the intense expressive qualities of his best music, he is not quite a "neo-Romantic" for there is none of the angst-ridden grandiosity that typifies so much work in that genre. To call him a "neo-Classicist" would be more accurate but still reductive, for he is quite willing to take the emotional leaps that are proscribed within the tidy worlds of most composers in this genre. And while Curriers music is often wildly virtuosic (he is a first-class pianist) it never seems overcrowded with notes, as so much work by the so-called "maximalists" does.
Ultimately, Currier is an independent, with no seeming allegiance to any creed but the most valuable one of all-that of creating succinct, personal, well-crafted music to the best of his ability. He is mercifully free of dogma: when he wants to write dissonant music, he does, but he is equally at home within the perimeters of traditional harmony. Such an attitude may seem cavalier to listeners with a philosophical stake in the modernist movement, yet it strikes me as an entirely plausible response to the overwhelming diversity of the music that surrounds us. Listen in. -Tim Page
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Nathan Currier: From the Grotto
| MP3/320 | $9.99 | |
| FLAC | $9.99 | |
| WAV | $9.99 | |
| CD-R | $9.99 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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From The Grotto: I. Theory of The Enlightenment (from afar)
Nathan Currier
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From The Grotto: II. Fast-forward (to post-presto)
Nathan Currier
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From The Grotto: III. On The loss of family and related species (via K.310)
Nathan Currier
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From The Grotto: IV. Minuet/dirge (or self-division)
Nathan Currier
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From The Grotto: V. Dirty humor (or living with pollution)
Nathan Currier
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Musical Banquet: I. First fughetta
Nathan Currier
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Musical Banquet: II. Improvisation
Nathan Currier
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Musical Banquet: III. Duo for violin and cello
Nathan Currier
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Musical Banquet: IV. Second fughetta
Nathan Currier
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Musical Banquet: V. Music box; cradle song for violin and piano
Nathan Currier
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Musical Banquet: VI. A rock song
Nathan Currier
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Musical Banquet: VII. Third fughetta
Nathan Currier
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Musical Banquet: VIII. Ragtime
Nathan Currier
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Musical Banquet: IX. Aria for cello and piano
Nathan Currier
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Musical Banquet: X. Fourth fughetta
Nathan Currier
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