Sary: Works for Percussion

Album review

While László Sáry may be categorized as a minimalist, his music for percussion and other instruments occasionally ventures into unexpected realms. Active pattern pieces dominate this disc, and the works for marimbas -- Pebble Playing in a Pot (1976, in separate versions for two and four marimbas), Sunflower (1989), and Omphale's Spinningwheel (1985) -- offer the clearest presentation of Sáry's expanding and contracting rhythms and canonic counterpoint. Yet these pieces are not as interesting or exciting as the works that stray from the mostly minimalist program. Versetti for organ and percussion (1967) is more wildly avant-garde in its gestural language and disturbing in its dark cluster formations, accentuated by ominous bells and clattering wood blocks. The most fascinating and exotic works are the gamelan-like Pentagram for prepared piano and percussion (1981), and the Japanese-flavored Miniatures for contralto, vibraphone and percussion(1989), which introduce intriguing timbres and delicate textures to the album's otherwise restricted palette. The Amadinda Percussion Group and the New Music Studio turn in tight ensemble performances, and contralto Katalin Károlyi, pianist László Vidovszky, and organist Zsigmond Szathmáry are compelling soloists. Hungaroton provides fine sound, though it is a little flat in the analog recording of Pentagram.
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