Review

Per Nørgård: Piano Works

This is a very enjoyable disc. Per Nørgård's music inspiration ranges wide, from pop music idioms and tangos (in Animals in Concert), to simple tunes and modern sound effects. There's humor and charm, especially in Nine Friends, and Nørgård compensates for a certain lack of sheer lyricism in his style with a particularly evocative use of pedal effects, exploiting the piano's natural resonance very evocatively. Erik Kaltoft plays all of this music with an appealing timbre, a light touch, and nimble sense of rhythm. In the more abstract pieces (the Nine Studies, the Fragments, and the Sketches), he shapes each piece with an unerring sense of purpose. Though these are mostly simple (or at least short) pieces, they do require a measure of virtuosity, and Kaltoft supplies that too. Very good sonics add to the pleasure.

Artistic Quality: 9

Sound Quality: 9