American modern classical composer Christopher Cerrone composed his piano concerto The Air Suspended only to have its debut performance cancelled, because of the international pandemic (this was in 2021). Undefeated, he went into the recording studio with the pianist Shai Wosner and the Argus Quartet, and realised the version we hear on today’s CD (NEW FOCUS RECORDINGS FCR 356).
As it happens, Cerrone is something of a studio veteran and claims to have been a producer from quite an early age, so was very much at home creating this recording, which (who knows) might be regarded as a definitive version. For sure there’s no concert hall ambiance, but instead there’s crystal clarity in the sounds and a real precision to the carefully-calibrated listening experience. Wosner’s piano doesn’t just shine, the white notes dazzle like headlamps and the black keys might be chunks of polished agate. Argus Quartet’s high frequencies are strong enough to tame the bats. There’s a bass player here too (Pat Swoboda), and the lower-register notes sit in just the right part of the sound spectrum. ‘The Air Suspended’ also has a pro-ecology theme – it’s evident from the largely minor-key setting, and the breathless urgency of the tempo, that Cerrone’s message to the world regarding climate change is “there’s no time to lose!” The program notes also advise us that the music “evokes the raw, elemental power of the weather”, and as noted there is a certain turbulence propelling these piano clusters and chords, but it’s not exactly “raw”. Cerrone’s compositional approach is rather more refined.
The release is a short-ish 22-minute EP, and includes ‘Why Was I Born Between Mirrors?’ as an extra bonus, played here by the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble. Prepared piano and tuned flower-pots (!) are just two of the odd percussion instruments played here by our talented Ensemble, who play this rather mannered piece in a very serious way. It expresses the composer’s thoughts and feelings about the work of poet-novelist Ben Lerner, without once connecting to any real emotional truth. At least climate change got him sufficiently angried-up to compose ‘The Air Suspended’ which admittedly has more dynamic, more forward movement; this one just feels rather ordinary, despite the clever syncopation and odd instrumentation, mostly an exercise in very conventional harmonies and melodic structure. Released 2 December 2022.