Gabor Csalog - Plays Beethoven, Szollosy, Csapo (CD)

Pianist Gabor Csalog is well known for his unique programmes, which couple old and new music in a distinctive wayThe beginning of Csapo's Straight Labyrinth is actually rather similar to the repetitive music of the 70s or 80s. But what is built up from these apparently simple cell-motifs is very far from that era, or any era in music history. Not only does our perception of space become an unusual experience in this music, but meditating on the strange transformations of the larger waves built up from smaller cells, for the listener time itself becomes timelessness.This work, and also the quite different Szollossy piece, rhymes interestingly with the Beethoven works and their intimations of agelessness. Similarly to the last Beethoven sonatas, Paessaggio con morti is also brimming with archaic elements, particularly the chorale, which recurs several times before finally broadening out, and lingers on in our ears and memory. In many respects the sound and treatment of the piano recalls