Small Is Beautiful
Navona, 2020
8/10
The pianist Yoko Hirota assembles 30+ short pieces that were originally recorded in 2009, but live here again in a remastered edition that showcases the vision of many different composers.
Arnold Schönberg’s “6 kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19” opens the listen with Hirota’s reserved and cozy playing that’s tinted with mystery, and “8 Piano Pieces, Op. 110”, by Ernst Krenek, follows with meticulous and bright progressions that emit much skill and mood.
Much further along, Elliott Carter’s “90+” is quite unpredictable and exciting in its playful nature, while “Canon Stride” continues that frisky attention with swift and dynamic keys in the John Weinzweig original.
Approaching the end, Gary Kulesha’s “2 Pieces for Piano” is an intimate moment via the lower register and distinct beauty, and “Tanze vor Angst”, by Robert Lemay, exits with ambience and exploration that’s atypical and memorable.
The selections included range from 31 seconds and six-and-a-half minutes, and Hirota brings a wealth of experience and education to a body of work that anyone with an ear for the piano will admire.
Travels well with: Drift- Society Of Composers, Inc. Volume 34; The Society of Composers, Inc.- Transition & Apotheosis