Fumiko Chiba

A CD containing Bruckner’s music for piano may come as something of a surprise, since you either need to know a lot about Bruckner, or conversely very little, to expect such a thing. Yet here it is, and very interesting it is too. Fumiko Shiraga plays very well, and her performances can be described as dedicated and thoroughly prepared. In addition the BIS recorded sound is as good as we have come to expect from this reliable company: full toned and atmospheric, with due attention to detail.

Today, with authenticity a crucial concern in musical performance, the idea of arranging piano concertos by Mozart for chamber forces seems almost bizarre. But in the 1830s, when the publisher Schott commissioned Johann Nepomuk Hummel to produce these versions of seven of Mozart’s most popular concertos for piano, flute, violin and cello, it was a common practice aimed at facilitating performances of orchestral works in domestic settings. And few could have brought such insights to the procedure as Hummel, one of the earliest protagonists on the stage of the virtuoso era, but also regarded by his contemporaries as the last legitimate representative of the ‘classical’ style.

Groovy, psychedelic, droney and hypnotic, Atsuko Chiba's latest offering takes listeners down a path of epic sprawling soundscapes. Water, It Feels Like It’s Growing is as stylistically diverse as it is thematically-anchored, as oddly catchy as it is thoroughly challenging. Asymmetric, yet seamless time signatures, otherworldly synthetic frequencies, patented harmonies, raga-inspired melodies, cryptic lyrics and orchestral arrangements co-exist within this surreal musical tale recounting one’s relation to their environment.

It is wonderful that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is experiencing a surge of support in 2006, the 250th anniversary of his birth. For many listeners, it is a matter of embracing what is already out there in terms of Mozart's music, certainly not all of the 800-plus compositions that have come down from his prodigious pen, but generally of the 25 or so works that constitute his "hits." Nevertheless, these pieces are so prevalent that one cannot be blamed for wondering what is "new" that Mozart has to offer. One could dig into his canons, opera aria inserts, and other obscurities in search of undiscovered jewels, and truly, there are some remarkable and fulfilling items to be found there.