In the late 1960s, William Bolcom developed an interest in ragtime piano that helped spur a renewal of interest in the music. With this discovery he found his mature style, a distinctively American eclecticism. Included on this recording are Recuerdos (Reminiscences), an evocation of late nineteenth-century Latin American dances, and Frescoes, one of Bolcom’s most powerful works in its scope and colours. Concluding this selection is Bolcom’s suite The Garden of Eden, which uses the ragtime idiom to tell the biblical story of the Fall. Through Eden’s Gates, its final movement, “conjures the image of Adam and Eve calmly cakewalking their way out of Paradise”.
Recuerdos
1 I. Choro - Homage to Nazareth 03:28
2 II. Paseo - a la memoire de Louis-Moreau Gottschalk 05:23
3 III. Valse Venezolano - a la memoire de Ramon Delgado Palacios 04:31
Frescoes (arr. for 2 pianos)
4 I. War in Heaven 13:24
5 II. The Caves of Orcus 14:55
Sonata for Two Pianos in One Movement
6 Sonata for Two Pianos in One Movement 15:40
Interlude
7 Interlude 04:03
The Garden of Eden (excerpts)
8 III. The Serpent's Kiss (Ragtime)(1994 version for 2 pianos) 05:37
9 IV. Through Eden's Gates (Cakewalk)(1994 version for 2 pianos) 05:13
