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British Music Society

Mountains is an exciting musical rebirth. It salvages seven truly pioneering and atmospheric piano solos first recorded on tape in the mid-eighties. It highlights the considerable prowess of British pianist and composer, the late, multi-talented, John McCabe (1939-2015), and has now been completely remastered.

The welcome recording of this crystal-clear 33-year-old keyboard collection of seven 20th century works, crisply illustrates the varied depth of talent enjoyed by Liverpudlian-born McCabe, who was celebrated as an accomplished pianist as well as a notable composer.

This solo piano release is a remarkable collection of several finely thought pieces of pure artwork that were once feared to be lost forever.

McCabe’s formidable keyboard articulation bristles in intoxicating performances, boasting some dexterous touches in finely-timed finger and pedal work.

The mainstay of an exciting collection is George Rochberg’s five-movement Carnival Music which opens with an arresting Fanfare and March. The evocative piece ends with an infective Toccata-Rag.

Wendy Hiscock’s complex Toccata is an arresting three-minute cameo. It is a short but potent piece, with an inexorable and bold momentum which relentlessly drives toward a stunning and abrupt Stravinskian-like conclusion. Toccata is a vibrant and erudite composition by a highly-skilled musician.

The title track, Mountains, demonstrates the flair of Tasmanian composer Peter Sculthorpe. It peaks with a grandiose theme and gets the majestic interpretation it deserves.

McCabe’s considerable virtuosic piano skills certainly meet the challenge presented by this impressive collection, which plunders some dramatic compositions.

Engaging mood-swings of this ‘lost and found’ Australian recording are complemented by short, vivid pieces including Twilight Rain (Graeme Koehne), Pezzo Dramatico (Don Banks), Piano Song (David Maslanka) and the somewhat enigmatic Heaven to Clear when Day did Close (Barney Childs).

Music aficionados everywhere will be eternally grateful for the sterling work of McCabe’s widow, Monica, who rescued this distinctive collection from oblivion and thankfully preserves a veritable milestone in solo piano music we can now all enjoy.