JOHN WHITE (b.1936): Piano Sonatas Nos. 2, 4, 7, 9, 11, 12-14, 18-20, 23-25, 28, 30, 31 and 34.

Description: White's "sonatas" are more like brief, aphoristic, quasi-improvisatory commentaries on the history of piano music, encompassing obvious references to Busoni, Grainger, Alkan, Schumann, Scriabin, Satie, Messiaen, Scarlatti and many more besides. The language is tonal, the works approachable and uncomplicated, recording the composer's musical enthusiasms like entries in a diary. This disc, as opposed to the NMC release in Nov. 1997 (11-061) contains quite early sonatas, from 1957 to 1967. Sonatas 2, 4, 7, 11 and 18 even have multiple movements (two to four) while No. 22, inspired by the mosaic procedures of Satie's Rosicrucian period, runs to 22 minutes. The notes comment on each sonata, alluding to the vast range of inspirations and influences which can't possibly be synthsized in the space available here. 2 CDs. Jonathan Powell (piano).