Conrad Tao, piano
Rzewski: Which Side Are You On?
Copland: Piano Sonata
Wolfe: Compassion
Rzewski: Winnsboro Cotton Mill Blues
2019 was a strange year. We saw lies presented as truth - and we accepted it. We saw groups of people being labelled as "the bad ones" - and we believed it. We saw people acting for themselves in the name of the people - and we gave them our support.
In that weird mess of lies and deceit one album stood up as a beacon of light and resistance - American Rage by Conrad Tao.
His plan was to release a more traditional album in 2019, and instead he gave us this. This is sounding proof that classical music can be relevant also today.
Conrad Tao is not reducing music to esthetical values - he lets it be about here and now. Nobody can deny his sincerity after listening to this album.
His technical abilities are not put centre stage here, but they are letting him communicate the music for something bigger.
The initial piece by Rzewski is powerful, and it's in itself is enough to make this album relevant.
The sonata by Copland is somewhat of a center piece. It's not easy listening, it's challenging me as a listener. It asks all those relevant questions.
The piece by Julia Wolfe is for me a pillar in contemporary music. Conrad Tao is giving it all the drama and emotion it deserves. For me it's very personal in its way of portraying a journey through total despair.
Conrad Tao is the ideal performer of these pieces. He has the emotional and technical abilities that are required.
So - if you are to listen to one album from 2019 - this is the one.
