George Crumb Makrokosmos Vol. I & II / Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac for amplified piano
George Crumb is one of the foremost composers of the American Avant-Garde. His works require special playing techniques and display an unheard palette of new sounds and sonorities. In Makrokosmos (Crumb's answer to Bartók's Microkosmos), he creates a musical world inspired by the Zodiak. Piano music in its most extreme form; the pianist has to creep into the piano to achieve the special effects and cosmic sounds as imagined by the composer. The piano is "prepared", creating the so-called "Extended Piano', the vehicle for Crumb's sound world. Robert Groslot is a Belgian pianist, composer and conductor, a laureate of the Queen Elisabeth Competition. He has a special affinity with the fascinating works of Crumb.
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