(SW1028)
Who does not immediately think of the “Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy” from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker ballet when hearing “Celesta”, perhaps the showpiece for this steel bar piano with the “heavenly” sound, which otherwise usually works rather “hidden” in the orchestra?!
However, Christian Ridil confronts us here with a completely different “earworm” of the classical repertoire, namely the universally known “Für Elise” by Beethoven, certainly one of the most popular and to this day most beloved piano pieces ever, which is presented here in all its characteristics, For example, the constantly recurring insistent chromatic mordent at the beginning, but also with regard to all its other contradictory motifs and themes, is taken apart and satirized in the most excellent way and according to all the rules of art, in the quaintly humorous, yet extremely astute and intelligent manner typical of Ridil.
In any case, the result is a cabinet piece that is both virtuosic and ironic, and one for a rare solo instrument: a “real Ridil”.
Martin Schmeck
Note: The sound files are intended for experienced musicians and orchestra leaders to get a first impression of the style of a composition. Synthetic sound generators, which do not aim to satisfy audiophile demands of a music consumer, were used as a basis.