Album review: Sylvano Bussotti, Four Pianos (Stradivarius)

Pioneering Italian modernist Sylvano Bussotti is known for the unconventional pictorial tendencies of his scores – "Le Pietre di Venezia", included here, was literally written on a photo of the Rialto Bridge, incorporating the steps as staves, while the "12 Folie d'Apres Francois Couperin le Grand" involve Bussotti's own additions superimposed on Couperin's music. The score for Quattro Pianoforti, by contrast, is relatively restrained in simply appearing more like choreography than music, an indication of the importance of physical gesture in performances of his work. The most involving piece is "La Vergine Ispirata", for harpsichord, prepared piano and electronics.

Download: Quattro Pianoforti; La Vergine Ispirata; 12 Folie d'Apres Francois Couperin le Grand