COMPOSERS: Fitkin
LABELS: Argo
WORKS: Aract; Fervent; Hard Fairy; Blue; Fract
PERFORMER: Graham Fitkin (piano), Eleanor Alberga (piano), John Lenehan (piano), John Harle (saxophone)
CATALOGUE NO: 444 112-2 DDD
At the centre comes Hard Fairy itself, for soprano saxophone and two pianos; its inclusion of minor modalities and slower, more ambiguous music gives a fragmentary, darker feel unusual with Fitkin. Much of the piano music is even more surprisingly reflective; Satie is but one influence. Some pieces are merely derivative. Just occasionally, however, as with the icy symmetries of Blue, he stumbles on something fresh and stimulating. Keith Potter
Fitkin: Aract; Fervent; Hard Fairy; Blue; Fract
At the centre comes Hard Fairy itself, for soprano saxophone and two pianos; its inclusion of minor modalities and slower, more ambiguous music gives a fragmentary, darker feel unusual with Fitkin. Much of the piano music is even more surprisingly reflective; Satie is but one influence. Some pieces are merely derivative. Just occasionally, however, as with the icy symmetries of Blue, he stumbles on something fresh and stimulating. Keith Potter
Published: January 20, 2012 at 3:13 pm