Naïve repackages its late-1980s Gurdjieff/De Hartmann cycle as a series of single-disc releases, providing a viable and of course cheaper alternative to Wergo’s multi-disc volumes. While the Wergo volumes are compiled by genre, a more programmatic or liturgical agenda governs each Naïve disc. The latter seems to make more musical sense as far as variety of mood and texture from piece to piece. The present Volume 3, for example, juxtaposes modal, chorale-like hymns with more descriptive selections such as the title piece, where sparse recitatives intertwine with billowy cluster chords that might figure in a Chick Corea or Keith Jarrett improvisation.
Alain Kremski’s fine-tuned pianism and sensitive musicianship make these pieces sound vibrant, meaningful, and alive. His legato phrasing and subtle dynamic gradations ensure textural freshness at every turn, together with more forceful projection of melodies than the two pianists sharing keyboard responsibilities in the Wergo series. Compare, for instance, Kremski’s animated, vocally-oriented phrase shaping in the Easter Hymn to the relatively static, one-chord-in-front-of-another treatment of the same piece in Wergo Volume 3. Kremski also imparts a stronger degree of inner rhythm throughout the Easter Night Procession, although there’s something to be said for Cecil Lytle’s slower, stark, declamatory rendition on Celestial Harmonies. However, Naïve’s warmer, more closely miked sonics take top honors. On a musicological level, Wergo’s detailed documentation may be more useful to Gurdjieff/De Hartmann mavens, but for inspired and insightful music making (and best engineering), Kremski’s your first choice.
