An increasing number of pianists are recording the large body of piano music borne out of collaborations between G. I. Gurdjieff and his disciple Thomas De Hartmann. While these works are not technically difficult for pianists, they suddenly take on new dimensions through Alain Kremski’s virtuosic, multi-dimensional control of dynamics, articulations, and phrase shapes. Indeed, his pianistic sophistication surpasses notable Gurdjieff specialists such as Cecil Lytle (Celestial Harmonies) and Wergo’s Charles Ketcham and Laurence Rosenthal. Listen to Kremski’s velvet-coated left hand staccatos in the Sayyid Song and Dance and Piece No. 2 from Journey to Inaccessible Places, or how in the same work Bayaty’s right hand melody and left hand repeated-note drone seem to emerge from different pianos. You might even find Kremski a bit overrefined in Piece No. 5 and Sayyid Dance in contrast to Lytle’s faster, more aggressive, earthier interpretations.
Kremski’s annotations discuss the spiritual context of the works he plays, but he gives almost no information about the music itself. At least his polished, deeply felt performances eloquently speak for themselves and are bathed in warm, intimate sonics that capture Kremski’s ample sonority from the bottom up. If you’re attracted to this rather specialized repertoire, by all means acquire this disc.
