Andrea Anderson at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels

Chronique

This disc is a homemade production, issued by Los Angeles pianist Andrea Anderson. As such, it offers an interesting counterexample to the oft-stated contention that classical music is dying. Even if every classical label in existence were to close up shop within a period of weeks, there would still be plenty of performers ready and willing not only to record classical music, but to take it on the road : Anderson's itinerary has included stops in Van Wert, OH, and Wausau, WI -- hardly citadels of culture. So, one can ask on hearing a disc like this, what might cottage-industry classical music sound like? This disc teaches us several lessons. First, musicians can establish a personal perspective not only by playing well-known music in an original way -- there's nothing here that hasn't been heard before, except the unusual Deux études de sonorité by François Morel -- but also by programming music in a distinctive sequence. This recital both opens and closes with Debussy's La cathédrale engloutie, as if one was seeing that edifice upon entering and leaving the concert space. The works in between cover a lot of territory, going all the way back to Bach's Italian Concerto, but each one seems to follow logically from the previous work. The segue from Morel to Mozart's Variations on a Theme of Gluck, K. 455, is surprising but makes perfect sense as Anderson handles it here. Second, an instrument with which a player feels comfortable can add a lot: the rather quiet 1929 Steinway piano heard on this disc is a pleasant complement to Anderson's reflective style. Third, graphic design matters. To call the look of this album amateurish would be to denigrate the fine work done every year by amateur designers. Fourth, quality control matters, too. AMG's copy of this disc was defective. Of course, this is not a problem limited to homemade releases. And finally, a bit of introduction to who the performer is and how she came to make the recording would be welcome. Having to go and boot up the computer to get this information breaks the mood. With all this in mind, it's hard to feel too discouraged about classical music -- this pianist takes the familiar inheritance of classical music and shows that it means something distinctive to her.
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