Fabulous for music fans: two discs of masterful playing of contemporary works for solo piano, plus a DVD of the 2012 film Michael Houstoun, New Zealand Pianist. The double album CD, first released in 2007, won the 2008 best classical album award in New Zealand. This set (remastered) with a bonus DVD was first released four years later.
The sound remains a marvellous display of our revered pianist in top form, brilliantly playing New Zealand piano music he loves. The recording is so fresh and detailed that a listener can imagine the Steinway sharing the room.
The other point that makes this package so revered is the DVD of the film directed by Keith Hill containing footage of the recording of the programme. It is a revealing portrait of one of New Zealand’s greatest musicians. In it he also talks freely about the works he plays, his own devotion to New Zealand music, his development, and problems of a pianist hearing a different sound at the keyboard from that transmitted into the body of a hall. (Placement of an extra microphone seems to have solved that on this occasion.)
The music itself is well chosen, beginning with the long and intricately interesting Chaconne (1946) by Douglas Lilburn, and Five Pieces for Solo Piano by Kenneth Young.
The second CD features Gao Ping’s Dance Fury (a homage to Piazzola), Victoria Kelly’s fine Landscape Prelude, John Psathas’ fiery Jettatura and 12 short but excellent, jazz-influenced pieces by Mike Nock. For each work Houstoun seems intuitively to capture a spirit envisaged by the composer in a beautifully creative way.
Verdict: Musical and recording masterpiece.
- Geoff Adams
