Sorabji: Piano Music

BIS £12.99 ***

By Kenneth Walton

KAIKHOSRU Shapurji Sorabji's name is about as hard to pronounce as his music is to fathom. The piano was the exclusive medium of the 20th-century English born Parsi composer, who developed a virtuoso style of composition borne out of Liszt or Busoni in its outrageous technical demands but chaotic in its complex polyphony and wild harmonic twists. The transcriptions of the Bach and Ravel in this disc are genuinely fascinating. The worth of his own works - such as the manic Pasticcio capriccioso, on Chopin's Minute Waltz - remains questionable. But BIS should be congratulated in giving us the opportunity to make up our own minds.

Kenneth Walton

To order any of these CD's at the special prices listed above, call The Scotsman music line on 01634-832789. Prices quoted include P&P

The Scotsman

May 16, 2003