DAN DEDIU (b.1967): Sonata No. 4, Op. 60, From Lévantiques, Op. 64: Bêtes nostalgiques, Le vent du Transylvanie and Rock 'n' roll des Bogomiles, Les barricades mystérieuses - reloaded, Idyllen und Guerrillen for Piano Four Hands, Op. 76, The Grasshopper for Left Hand, Op. 112.

Description: The booklet notes paint an evocative picture of the young composer escaping from the privations of life in Romania under the Ceausescu regime into an imaginary world conjured by piano music, populated by characters invoked by classical literature, both musical and written. Whether this is true or an appealing fiction, it does serve to characterise the pieces on this CD. Constant references to classical and romantic models and forms, even to the point of allusion to specific pieces, infuse a playful æsthetic in which deliberate Satie-like absurdities, sudden departures into jazz, and rhythms underlined by finger-snaps or tapping on the piano case destabilise any suggestion of simple neo-romantic pastiche. Amusing as this undoubtedly is, these are not just lightweight amusements; Dediu exploits the full resources of the piano's conventional vocabulary, aside from the sparingly used decorative 'extended' playing, in the manner of a true composer-pianist. This is especially evident in the large-scale sonata, whch blends sonata form and variation, fugue and various other forms in a stylistically inclusive manner not dissimilar to Stevenson's Passacaglia or Rzewski's People United. Dan Dediu (piano), Valentina Sandu-Dediu (four hands).