Search - Parallel Lives, Jon Sakata :: Beethoven Hammerklavier Conducted by Parallel Lives

Vastly entertaining

Michael E. Karman | Portland, OR USA | 11/03/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I hate to spoil any surprises, but this CD is so vastly entertaining, that I have to say something that will make people want to have their own copy.



I would think that anyone interested in laptop music or live electronics or even in Beethoven would find something worthwhile on this short disc. Only 38 minutes and 23 seconds--but what fabulous minutes and seconds they are, to be sure. Long chunks of Beethoven. Subtle tweaks of same. Loud chunks of computer noise. Subtle tweaks of same. Inspired blending of all. Very funny colloquy between the composers about the piece, inside the piece itself. All very good music indeed. (I'd say the two and a half minute Scherzo: assai vivace is worth the price of admission all on its own.)

"

An imaginative, witty look at the Hammerklavier

Etha Williams | 10/13/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I must echo Michael Karman's enthusiastic recommendation of this fantastic album.



The liner notes remark that "Beethoven Hammerklavier is an attempt to reveal the myriad ways in which Beethoven's Hammerklavier could be experienced. Operating somewhere between the role of performer, composer, engineer, and analysis, Parallel Lives force Hammerklavier into new configurations. Relying solely on performances by pianist Jon Sakata, Beethoven samples, and ambient recordings made at a conservatory of music, a view of the 'musical work' is documented in all of its stages; from discussion, to the practice room, recording studio and concert hall, to its final confrontation with the labyrinthine strcutres of the software applications that threaten its identity."



It does all that and more, and is incredibly entertaining in the process. The second movement "scherzo" really lives up to the original Italian meaning of that word: "joke." It had me in fits of laughter for the whole wonderful 2 minutes and 30 seconds. The Adagio Sostenuto was fascinating and often very humorous as well. The first and fourth movements are fantastic as well. All the movements are done with an awareness and deep sense of the structure and spirit of Beethoven's music, expanding and commenting on various aspects of it throughout. It's a wonderful, fun, and thought provoking album well worth having."