 |
 |
 |
john adams: eros piano (1989) Eros Piano is a piece written in almost immediate response to the hearing of another piece, Riverrun by Toru Takemitsu. Indeed, Eros Piano begins exactly where Riverrun ends, with the falling motive of perfect fifths. I have no hesitation about citing my source because this kind of "longing for possession" has an old an honored tradition among composers. J.S. Bach's appropriation of Vivaldi was far more than a routine matter of arranging or reorchestration by a dutiful admirer. Likewise Takemitsu's own urge to possess certain works by Berg, Ravel and Debussy has resulted in more than a few works of startling beauty and freshness. At no point do the indelible imprints of their models take away from the value of the imitations. Debussy's Jeyx is the fetish that generated Riverrun. Eros Piano is thus a fetish piece inspired by an earlier fetish piece. It was equally motivated by the exceptional pianism of Paul Crossley, specifically his manner of making the instrument resonate. His is a control of both tone and touch that seems perfectly suited for the kind of shimmering atmosphere this piece aspires to. Hence the title Eros Piano is about glistening sound surfaces and slowly evolving panels of light and darkness. There are other phantoms at work here too. Ravel's Gaspard, a snatch or two of the "ecstatic" Messiaen, the dark, hazy chromaticisms of Billy Strayhorn (whose bittersweet harmonic language we associate with his work for the Duke Ellington orchestra) and finally the late Bill Evans, a jazz pianist whose sense of touch and command of sonority was not unlike that of Paul Crossley. John Adams Eros Piano received its U.S. Premiere at the Cabrillo Festival in 1991, conducted by the composer.
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
