Big Things

Album review

The icarus Quartet replicates the forces of Bartók's Sonata for two pianos and percussion, and certainly, that key 20th century work was an influence on the three composers here. However, the music does not sound much like that of the Bartók sonata, where there is a consistent piano-dominated texture. There are three substantial works, and the role of the percussionists in all three is equal to that of the pianists. Brad Lubman has been known for electronic music in the past, and his Tangents has a variety of textures that suggest this background. The title work by Michael Laurello is based on a set of contrasting repeating rhythms that evoke those of film music. Contrast is also the keyword of Paul Lansky's Textures, with each movement devoted to a single named texture. This music is consistently absorbing, with none of the drum solo tedium that often plagues percussion recordings, and the icarus Quartet's work is sterling in difficult music. One might question the icarus Quartet's capitalization and the graphic design featuring a stack of pancakes with syrup, but there is no debate about the engineering from the Sono Luminus studios in Virginia. Percussion ensembles are the black belt event of engineering, and producer Elaine Martone garnered a 2022 Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year in part for this release.
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