Oppens Plays Carter

1	90+, for piano
2	Retrouvailles, for piano
3	Night Fantasies, for pian
4	Diversions (2), for piano
5	Diversions (2), for piano
6	Matribute, for piano
7	Piano Sonata: 1. Maestoso
8	Piano Sonata: 2. Andante
9	Intermittances, for piano
10	Caténaires, for piano
Oppens Plays Carter
1.	90+, for piano 4:59
	Composed by Elliott Carter
	Performed by Ursula Oppens
2.	Retrouvailles, for piano 1:44
	Composed by Elliott Carter
	Performed by Ursula Oppens
3.	Night Fantasies, for piano 19:55
	Composed by Elliott Carter
	Performed by Ursula Oppens
4.	Diversions (2), for piano 7:30
	Composed by Elliott Carter
	Performed by Ursula Oppens
5.	Matribute, for piano 2:10
	Composed by Elliott Carter
	Performed by Ursula Oppens
6.	Piano Sonata 23:35
	Composed by Elliott Carter
	Performed by Ursula Oppens
7.	Intermittances, for piano 7:07
	Composed by Elliott Carter
	Performed by Ursula Oppens
8.	Caténaires, for piano 3:48
	Composed by Elliott Carter
	Performed by Ursula Oppens

All Music Guide

Celebrating Elliott Carter in his 100th year, Ursula Oppens has recorded the complete solo piano music for Cedille and provided authoritative performances of these difficult but brilliant keyboard works, which are as rewarding as they are challenging. Oppens has played and recorded Carter's music since the 1970s and has helped establish several of his major works in the repertoire, such as the "Piano Sonata" (1945-1946), and "Night Fantasies" (1980), which represent Carter's early and middle phases, respectively. These modern classics are the longest and most substantial offerings on this 2008 disc, and because of their significance in the composer's development, listeners new to Carter should digest them first, and then take their pick of the remaining works. Carter was not prolific as a composer of solo piano music until his late period, beginning with "90+" (1994), and continuing through "Two Diversions" (1999), "Retrouvailles" (2000), "Two Thoughts About the Piano" (2005-2006), and "Matribute" (2007). As far as any of Carter's essays may be described as "light," these short pieces seem sparer and leaner than their predecessors, and Carter's textures are decidedly less dense. Still, his atonal vocabulary remains as spiky and stridently dissonant as ever, and even dedicated fans of his music can expect a bracing experience. With Oppens as interpreter, though, the music never seems arbitrary or lacking in feeling, and there is much poetic expression to be found in her playing, despite the volatility and opacity of many passages. Cedille presents these performances with remarkably clear recording, and Oppens' precise execution is as focused as if heard from a front row seat. Blair Sanderson

New York Times

The energy and chiseled pointillism of the later works...come through on this closely focused recording with a sharpness and clarity lost in a concert hall. If you want to get to know this music (and you should), listen to this disc with headphones. Allan Kozinn