***1/2 Stephen Drury

FREDERIC RZEWSKI, THE PEOPLE UNITED WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!

(New Albion)

This is a showpiece in an almost Liszt-like vein -- Rzewski takes a popular protest melody from Argentina and spins it into nearly an hour's worth of variations that hold your attention, maintain a connection to the original melody, and never violate the spirit of the original song. A tour de force for the composer, who betrays his background as a pianist in his thorough use of the instrument, and also for the performer, pianist Stephen Drury, who plays with an intense calm that is perfectly matched to these intellectual variations on an emotional theme. The CD opens with a brilliant gambit as well: a recording of the song performed in its original setting of Argentina 1975. If what follows weren't as genuine and meaningful as the original, this idea would have destroyed the release. Instead we witness both as expressions of truth -- what a victory for formal experiment!

-- Damon Krukowski