Album Rating: 5.0
I think about this album a lot, and this review doesn't even mention that he was performing on a busted ass piano that wasn't supposed to be the concert piano at all.
"At Jarrett's request, Brandes had selected a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial concert grand piano for the performance. However, there was some confusion by the opera house staff and instead they found another Bösendorfer piano backstage—a much smaller baby grand piano—and, assuming it was the one requested, placed it on the stage. The error was discovered too late for the correct Bösendorfer to be delivered to the venue in time for the evening's concert. "
"The instrument was tinny and thin in the upper registers and weak in the bass register, and the pedals did not work properly"
"Ultimately, Jarrett decided to play largely because the recording equipment was already set up.[8] Jarrett used ostinatos and rolling left-hand rhythmic figures during his performance to give the effect of stronger bass notes, and concentrated his playing in the middle portion of the keyboard. Eicher later said: "Probably [Jarrett] played it the way he did because it was not a good piano. Because he could not fall in love with the sound of it, he found another way to get the most out of it."
Just adding an entirely extra layer to how improvised this was and how every aspect of what you're hearing was influenced by the exact moment it was played. GENIUS.
|
