Not For Piano

SSC1185 2008-02-12

Track List

Hello - 4:42
Barcelona Trist - 4:26
Strings Of Life - 7:15
Andover - 6:12
AP - 2:40
The Melody - 4:35
Jeita - 7:05
The Bells - 5:54
Hymn - 2:52
Two Minds One Sound - 5:05

Musicians

Francesco Tristano - piano

A virtuoso classical pianist, Francesco Tristano, has recorded an unexpected CD, surprising, audacious, intoxicating and complete: Not For Piano.
In 2005, Francesco Tristano started covering Strings of Life by Derrick May, a cornerstone of Techno music, as the closing number of his concerts. It was a gentle, ephemeral and hypnotic version. This piece was included as the closing track on Agoria’s Cute & Cult album. Far from going unnoticed, the piece was overwhelming endorsed by the pioneers of electro music, including Derrick May himself, Carl Craig and Mad Mike.
For Francesco Tristano, Not For Piano is an opportunity for openended playfulness. He mixes styles (classical, contemporary, jazz, techno) with an exceptional degree of maturity. In addition to Strings of Life (previously released as a CD single, featuring remixes by Kiki and Apparat), Not For Piano contains two new cover versions of electronic music: The Bells, Jeff Mills’ rave anthem, which is here given a fluid, masterful treatment, and a delicate and dreamy interpretation of Overand, by the electronica geniuses Autechre (one of Francesco’s cult bands).

Reviews

Watch the Video

Cross-genre musical adaptations can certainly raise a skeptic's eyebrow. But, as illustrated by the London Sinfonietta's 2006 performance of Warp's back catalog, electronic music is indeed a fruitful realm for reinterpretation. Francesco Tristano Schlim�, who has performed live with Craig's Innerzone Orchestra project and reworked genre pioneers Jeff Mills and Autechre, performs a piano rendition of Carl Craig's "Technology" (from the 1995 classic, Landcruising). The piece is performed between the likes of Bach and avant-garde composer Luciano Berio, and, one hopes, will inspire an educated classical audience to investigate the innovative compositions of modern electronic music.

Colin Nagy - Flavor Pill - February 2008


Best of 2008 on NPR : Vijay Iyer and Kenny Barron both were chosen for the " Geniuses collide in 2008's Best Jazz" while Moss was included in the "The 10th Annual CD, Er, MP3 Gift Guide" and Francesco Tristano figures in the selection for "WNYC's Genre Mix: Top 10 Albums Of 2008".

Shaunna Morrison Machosky, NPR - December 2008 read the full article
Ned Wharton, NPR - December 2008 read the full article
John Schaefer, NPR - January 2009 read the full article


Releases