The John Psathas Percussion Project, Vol 1
View record and artist detailsRecord and Artist Details
Composer or Director: John Psathas
Genre:
Chamber
Label: Navona
Magazine Review Date: 03/2019
Media Format: CD or Download
Media Runtime: 62
Mastering:
DDD
Catalogue Number: NV6204
![NV6204. The John Psathas Percussion Project, Vol 1](https://reviews.azureedge.net/gramophone/media-thumbnails/john_psathas.jpg)
Tracks:
Composition | Artist Credit |
---|---|
Aegean |
John Psathas, Composer
John Psathas, Composer Psathas Percussion Ensemble |
Corybas |
John Psathas, Composer
John Psathas, Composer Psathas Percussion Ensemble |
Drum Dances |
John Psathas, Composer
John Psathas, Composer |
Jettatura |
John Psathas, Composer
John Psathas, Composer Omar Carmenates, Vibraphone Psathas Percussion Ensemble |
Matre's Dance |
John Psathas, Composer
John Psathas, Composer Omar Carmenates, Percussion Psathas Percussion Ensemble |
Muisca |
John Psathas, Composer
John Psathas, Composer Omar Carmenates, Vibraphone Psathas Percussion Ensemble |
Piano Quintet |
John Psathas, Composer
Daniel Koppelman, Piano John Psathas, Composer Psathas Percussion Ensemble |
Author: Guy Rickards
That is a tribute to the quality of the performances by the crack percussion ensemble gathered together by Carmenates, a superb player evident enough in his solo playing: vibraphone in Muisca – which started out as a guitar duo – doubling on marimba in Jettatura (originally a 1999 piano solo) as well as the percussion soloist in Matre’s Dance. However, this really is an ensemble disc, appreciated most fully in the ensemble works, the opening Corybas and concluding Aegean (both created as piano trios in 2011), which weave their mesmeric percussive way more convincingly than their original guises.
Several of the original versions of the works have been recorded already and/or are accessible in YouTube recordings. These new, superbly rendered performances match any of their competitors. This is especially true of the Piano Quintet, where – as in Muisca – the string-based parts set down in 2000 are transmogrified into a wholly new work, whereas in Drum Dances (1993) the original piano accompaniment is relatively straightforwardly transcribed for percussion. Navona’s sound is top notch. We all need a little bit of percussion in our lives, and this fits the bill splendidly.
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