Celebrating
Elliott Carter in his 100th year,
Ursula Oppens has recorded the complete solo piano music for Cedille and provided authoritative performances of these difficult but brilliant keyboard works, which are as rewarding as they are challenging.
Oppens has played and recorded
Carter's music since the 1970s and has helped establish several of his major works in the repertoire, such as the Piano Sonata (1945-1946), and Night Fantasies (1980), which represent
Carter's early and middle phases, respectively. These modern classics are the longest and most substantial offerings on this 2008 disc, and because of their significance in the composer's development, listeners new to
Carter should digest them first, and then take their pick of the remaining works.
Carter was not prolific as a composer of solo piano music until his late period, beginning with 90+ (1994), and continuing through Two Diversions (1999), Retrouvailles (2000), Two Thoughts About the Piano (2005-2006), and Matribute (2007). As far as any of
Carter's essays may be described as "light," these short pieces seem sparer and leaner than their predecessors, and
Carter's textures are decidedly less dense. Still, his atonal vocabulary remains as spiky and stridently dissonant as ever, and even dedicated fans of his music can expect a bracing experience. With
Oppens as interpreter, though, the music never seems arbitrary or lacking in feeling, and there is much poetic expression to be found in her playing, despite the volatility and opacity of many passages. Cedille presents these performances with remarkably clear recording, and
Oppens' precise execution is as focused as if heard from a front row seat.