Michael Habermann - Sorabji: Piano Music (2015)

Tracklist

CD1
01. 2 Piano Pieces, KSS 17: No. 1, in the Hothouse
02. 2 Piano Pieces, KSS 17: No. 2, Toccata
03. Fantaisie Espagnole, KSS 19
04. Valse-Fantaisie, KSS 40 Hommage à Johann Strauss (Live)
05. 3 Pastiches for Piano, KSS 31: No. 1, Hindu Merchant's Song (After Rimsky-Korsakov's Sadko)
06. 3 Pastiches for Piano, KSS 31: No. 2, Habanera (After Bizet's Carmen)
07. 3 Pastiches for Piano, KSS 31: No. 3, Waltz (After Chopin's Waltz in D-Flat Major, Op. 64 No. 1)
08. A la manière de Sorabji Au clair de la lune (Live)
CD2
01. Le jardin parfumé, KSS 35
02. Djâmî, KSS 47
03. Gulistān, KSS 63 (Live)
CD3
01. Opus Clavicembalisticum, KSS 50: I. Introito - II. Preludio-Corale
02. Prelude, Interlude & Fugue, KSS 25: Prelude (Live)
03. Prelude, Interlude & Fugue, KSS 25: Interlude (Live)
04. Prelude, Interlude & Fugue, KSS 25: Fugue (Live)
05. Fragment for Harold Rutland, KSS 43
06. Fantasiettina sul nome illustre dell’egregio poeta Christopher Grieve ossia Hugh M’Diarmid, KSS 83
07. Quære reliqua hujus materiei inter secretiora, KSS 62
08. St. Bertrand de Comminges, KSS 64 (Live)

The mature piano music of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji is often noted for its great contrapuntal complexity and extraordinary difficulty, and such important works as the Opus Clavicembalisticum and the 100 Transcendental Studies have achieved a special kind of fame for their extreme length. Yet as imposing as this three-CD set from Naxos may appear at first glance, it contains a variety of short compositions that are divided into three groups, Early Works, Nocturnes, and Assertive Works. At its best, Sorabji's music is evocative and atmospheric, due to the strong influence of Debussy, Scriabin, and Szymanowski, and though he mixed tonal and atonal elements in his highly personal language, his pieces are quite accessible through their lush sonorities and virtuosic flair. Michael Habermann was among the first to play this music, following Sorabji's three-decade ban on public performances, and these recordings from 1979 to 1995 demonstrate the skill and dedication that were required to win over the composer. Certainly, Habermann's long familiarity with these works counts toward a rare kind of authority, and his musicality and expressive playing go far in making Sorabji more approachable for listeners.

DOWNLOAD ALBUM [flac]