Ann Southam: Glass Houses Revisited
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- Centrediscs CMC
- April 26, 2011
SOUTHAM Glass Houses Revisited • Christina Petrowska Quilico (pn) • CENTREDISCS CMCCD 16511 (58:10)
Glass Houses Nos. 1–7, 9, 13
This disc consists of nine selections from a larger group written by the late Canadian composer Ann Southam, who died in 2010 shortly after working on this music. The choices were made by the composer and the pianist, her longtime friend and fellow Canadian Petrowska Quilico, who also helped to edit the music, originally penned in 1981 and published as Glass Houses. The new edition is thus Glass Houses Revisited. The title is a pun and an homage to the music of Philip Glass, but although her pieces broadly mimic his characteristic rhythmic overlappings, Southam adds a number of touches to make the music her own. Her music tends to be more tuneful than that of Glass, and more apt to look backward at historical sources, especially Baroque dance forms. The composer’s own brief notes, which were left uncompleted at the time of her death, also credit Canadian East Coast fiddle music as a source of inspiration. Glass is thus more of a pure Minimalist, but Southam’s music is more accessible, sunnier, and dare I say it, more likable. The fascinating cascading figures are there, but with a bit more seasoning for taste. This material holds up well to repeated hearings.
Petrowska Quilico has championed Southam’s music for many years. Her playing here is a marvel; as is often the case with so-called Minimalist music, the writing is much more difficult to play than it seems to the casual listener. The coordination of the quicksilver rhythmic shifts requires intense concentration and much of the music is fast and relatively quiet at once, a great technical challenge that recalls the etudes of Chopin and Liszt. Quilico calls her fingers “whirling dervishes” when playing the Glass Houses. She brings it off brilliantly, adding no little warmth as well.
FANFARE: Peter Burwasser
Product Description:
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Release Date: April 26, 2011
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UPC: 773811165113
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Catalog Number: CMCCD 16511
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Label: Centrediscs CMC
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Number of Discs: 1
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Composer: Ann, Southam
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Performer: Christina Petrowska Quilico