.co.uk Joanna MacGregor's wide-ranging musical tastes and influences are brought together on Play, a collection of largely 20th-century piano miniatures released on MacGregor's own label, SoundCircus. The disc opens with "42nd St Stomp", Alasdair Nicolson's playful take on the main theme from the musical 42nd Street, which dissolves into Astor Piazzolla's melting "Libertango". This is the first of a series of musical juxtapositions which on paper may seem bizarre but on disc sound perfectly natural. The Piazolla gives way to William Byrd ("Hughe Ashton's Ground") which in turn passes the baton to György Ligeti ("Autumn in Warsaw"). And on it goes. The madness of Ivana Ognjanovic's "Ship in Embrace of the Endless Dark Ocean" fades perfectly into the sublime tranquility of the Allemande from Bach's Partita No.4. The fruits of MacGregor's recent collaborations with artists including Talvin Singh and the late South African composer and band leader Moses Taiwa Molelekwa are highlights of the disc, as is Somei Satoh's extraordinary "Incarnation II". Rounded off with MacGregor's own "Dance It", Play is a fascinating album for both contemporary music fans as well as those a little afraid of it. --Rebecca Agnew
A**E
Five Stars
Diverse musical forms given equal respect by a great musician
R**D
Joanna MacGregor: Play
Superb mix of Renaissance and modern music - Joanna excels both in Byrd and in Nancarrow plus others less familiar.
T**E
Reluctantly critical
It's great that Joanna is recording contemporary composers and the concept/layout/text/design of the cd is very cool. Getting the South Bank show documentary about it was obviously a master stroke. We had dozens of people coming in (I work in a well known high street music shop) to buy it the next day, though lots of them were only interested to know if she had more Bach recordings. Her performance of the older music has a sensitivity that maybe some of the newer pieces lack, but she is also a very powerful performer. Yes, Joanna is definitely a first rate pianist (though her composition lacks depth I'm afraid) and it's such a valid thing she is doing here. However I was annoyed by the production quality here and there (surely we cannot tolerate fuzz on new recordings) oh and some of the sampled 'beats' that she plays along to are just terrible, sorry. I just don't understand why someone with an obvious understanding of rhythm would use 80s style beats. The Piazzolla piece with the recording of his voice within it is puzzling. It sounds as if they just have it playing in the room where Joanna is performing. Why didn't they mix it with the recording more confidently? It doesn't sound like a purposeful part of the performance at all here, just a superficial gimmick to distract from the repetitive nature of the track. You may want it vague and fuzzy but at least it should really intergrate with the piece. Too much style/attitude and not enough perfectionist craft I think. Mostly the musical content is of a high standard I just have big problems with the production overall. I haven't decided yet whether to keep it or return it...
L**S
fantastic choice of repertoire but spoiled!
Very good performing by Joanna, and such a lovely, no inspired selection of pieces! I really love this CD - BUT, the production quality really lets this down!!!! Don't listen to this CD with headphones - this is not overly critical as it really interferes with the enjoyment of this otherwise excellent CD. just a plea to record labels to get the recording right to do justice to the performer, and also the music!
P**E
Bravo !
Magnifique interprétation d'une grande artiste, aussi à l'aise dans la musique de la Renaissance que dans la musique contemporaine. Bravo ! Merci !
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