Zubin Kanga: Cyborg Pianist

Approfondimenti

It is not often that the experimental-minded NMC label lands on classical best-seller charts, but this one by pianist Zubin Kanga did so in the autumn of 2023. The reason is simple: as avant-garde recordings go, this one is hugely entertaining. This "cyborg pianist" takes the piano into new realms, not by preparing or altering a piano but by mixing it with electronic means of physically generating new sounds to accompany his piano playing. The piano itself is fully conventional. Part of the success of Kanga's enterprise here is that he uses various devices to generate the new sounds, some of which come from the pop realm; there are gloves, a touch-sensitive keyboard, AI realizations, and more, as well as machinery specified by the composers of the works, such as the turntablism of the celebrated young composer Shiva Feshareki. The result is a tremendous variety of ideas, and one has the feeling of being present as new musical genres are evolving. Sample Oliver Leith's Vicentino, love you, where Kanga realizes the Italian Renaissance theorist's ideas of microtonality. Another draw is Kanga's orientation toward humor, as in the opening SHOW(ti)ME of Laura Bowler; the piece incorporates a voice intoning typical social media self-promotion ("don't forget to subscribe"). Several pieces set music against spoken text. Just one work, the final Hypnagogia (after Bach), is composed by Kanga himself. (Hypnagogia is the sudden jerking sensation that one may experience while falling asleep.) However, he puts together a variety of contemporary works in a new way and uses technology to realize them afresh. An absolutely original release and one that anyone can enjoy.

© James Manheim /TiVo