This Is America: Adams, Bernstein, Glass, Monk in Bloomington, MN

This recording of duo piano music has several overlapping aims. One is the national portrait suggested by the album's title; despite the presence of
Meredith Monk
's evocative Ellis Island at the beginning, this works in only the most general way. A second aim deals, as expressed in the interview-style booklet notes, with the relationships among the minimalist Big Three,
Philip Glass
,
John Adams
, and (in a bonus track)
Steve Reich
. For the presumably mostly European audience of this release, it might be news that these composers differ substantially in style, but as minimalism has taken hold in Europe, this is less novel. With the inclusion of
Leonard Bernstein
's
Symphonic Dances from West Side Story
(in an effective two-piano transcription), however, pianists
Wilhem Latchoumia
and
Vanessa Wagner
are in less well-explored territory. The presence of
Bernstein
on a program of minimalism is something new, even if the booklet hardly mentions
. It is interesting that the minimalists, from the first stirrings down to the present day, have avoided making connections to jazz and jazz-based pop, even though the two traditions have the elaboration of short patterns in common. The reason is doubtless that the minimalists inherited a certain high-mindedness from the complex systems against which they were reacting, but hear how well
seems to fit with the
Glass
Four Movements for Two Pianos
that follows! The feel of the album as a whole is propulsive, with small details emerging from the basic material in various ways, and it seems to make a new kind of sense. None of the music here is played terribly often, and this is a novel release that will seem fresh to lovers of both
and the minimalists. ~ James Manheim