“Catch Me If You Can” – Works for Violin & Piano by MATTHEW PIERCE [TrackList below] Matthew Pierce, violin/Christine Doré, piano – SeedMusic (www.matthewpierce.com) **½:
A creative attempt at a crossover style, imbued in minimalism. Pierce has created many classical scores for American ballet companies, and has performed as a violinist with such pop artists as Sheryl Crow and Suzanne Vega and played on the Philip Glass film score for Kundun.
If nothing else, the titles of the 17 tracks demonstrate that this is not your usual recital of classical miniatures for violin and piano. At least things are tonal and the sound is nice in small portions, but it doesn’t seem to go anywhere. Some of the pieces carry the minimalism too far for my personal taste. No. 7, Whirlygig, has piano accompaniment that sounds lifted straight from Orff’s Carmina Burana.
TrackList:
Catch Me If You Can, for violin & piano
African Smile, for violin & piano
Present, for violin & piano
Devil Went Down, for violin & piano
Office Parks and Strip Malls, for violin & piano
Big Love Duet, for violin & piano
Whirlygig, for violin & piano
Pas de Deux, for violin & piano
Salvador Dali, for violin & piano
Diagnosis, for violin & piano
Family Portrait, for violin & piano
Anyone Can, for violin & piano
Chrysalis Waltz, for violin & piano
Butterfly, for violin & piano
Lonely Cactus, for violin & piano
Giggling, for violin & piano
Pecos Bill, for violin & piano
– John Sunier
