Prepared Piano cs401

Following his debut album 'Piano', New York composer and pianist Quentin Tolimieri is back with works for the same instrument, be it in the prepared fashion. That is: the piano itself is tweaked and 'edited' – no edits, effect or overdubs were used in this recording made in the summer of 2016.
To Tolimieri's credit not only stands his solo debut record, but also a contribution to one of the best classical albums of 2014: the compilation West Coast Soundings as released by Wandelweiser; his being a work for cello, clarinet and piano. On Prepared Piano the thoughtful, contemplative nature of the Wandelweiser-gruppe is evident in quite a keen ear for timbre and texture; already present in the opening work full of scraping and rasping string manipulation resembling the sound of tolling bells or chimes.
Percussive and plucked excitement of the strings moves from extremely subtle and barely present to frantic and energetic. Tomilieri does not seem to be concerned with long string notes or drone, filling his improvised works with multitudes of tonal (and melodic?) twists and turns, yet, somewhere between the agitation and twinklings there's a bottom line ease and peace of sustained mood; not unlike a cross between painting by Pollock and Rothko. Piano here is turned inside out and outside in and projects glowing hues and intense washes of timbre; a research in depth of tone and playfulness of tonal matter. SSK (Vital Weekly)