CD - Mutable
Stemming from the homonymous biennial festival in the Czech Republic, Ostravská Banda - with its twenty musicians – thrives under the direction of Peter Kotik, a veteran of unconventional orchestration and artistic director of the S.E.M. Ensemble in New York City. Standing out among the large group is Joseph Kubera - a name already referenced in a contemporary context - a talented pianist with a resume rich with collaborations with masters such as Alvin Lucier, Robert Ashley, Morton Feldman and La Monte Young. Indeed, the piano dominates some of the "pieces" and is vibrant in the passages arranged by composers such as Luca Francesconi, Petr Bakla, Paulina Zalubska and Somei Satho. The articulated mastery of John Cage, Peter Kotik and Bernhard Lang appears on the second of the two CDs, in works equally inspired and alluring, jointly managed with obvious skill and illuminated by a sensitivity that is at ease dealing with such highly refined sound materials.
Aurelio Cianciotta