New 2-Piano CD inspired by dance

New 2-Piano CD inspired by dance

A newly-issued CD (February 2005) celebrates the spirit of dance in music for two pianos, performed by John McCabe and Tamami Honma. The programme ranges from a genuine ballet score (Agon, but in Stravinsky's own rarely-performed 2-piano version) to a brand-new work written especially for the programme by the young Greek composer, Basil Athanasiadis, named after the ancient Greek muse of dancing and entitled Terpsichore Bemused. Other works include Copland's spirited Danzón Cubano, and Britten's gentle, melancholic Mazurka Elegiaca, dedicated to the memory of Paderewski. The programme is completed by a suite of three pieces entitled Balinese Ceremonial Music, from Colin McPhee's monumental research into gamelan music in Bali, and by John McCabe's own Basse Danse, in its original 2-piano version.

The CD, a Dutton Digital production, is available on CDSA 6881. Tamami Honma has been closely associated with the music of John McCabe. Several piano studies have been written especially for her, and her recording of his Second Piano Concerto, plus various chamber orchestral works, is available on CDLX 7133.