Momo Kodama – Point And Line: Debussy & Hosokawa Etudes (2017) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Born in Osaka, educated at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, Momo Kodama is well-placed to approach music from both Eastern and Western vantage points, as she does in this album which interweaves etudes of Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and Toshio Hosokawa (born 1955).

Both composers have similarly been border-crossers. Debussy, pointing to music of the future, looked to the Orient for inspiration. Hosokawa has combined aspects of Japanese and European tradition in his contemporary compositions. Momo Kodama: “In the music of Toshio Hosokawa I find elements close to Debussy: the freedom of form and tone colour, the sense of poetic design, with a wide range of lyricism and dynamics, between meditation and virtuoso development, between light and shade, between large gestures and minimalist refinement.”

„Point and Line“ is the pianist’s second ECM album and follows the widely-praised ‘La vallée des cloches’, with music of Ravel, Takemitsu and Messiaen, of which American Record Guide noted: “Kodama’s impeccable technique and facility for crystalline sounds makes for a mesmerizing program.”

Tracklist:
01. 12 Etudes, L.136 11. Pour les Arpèges composés
02. Etudes for Piano II. Point And Line
03. 12 Etudes, L.136 3. Pour les Quartes
04. Etudes for Piano III. Calligraphy, Haiku, 1 Line
05. 12 Etudes, L.136 4. Pour les Sixtes
06. Etudes for Piano I. 2 Lines
07. 12 Etudes, L.136 10. Pour les Sonorités opposées
08. 12 Etudes, L.136 2. Pour les Tierces
09. 12 Etudes, L.136 6. Pour les huit doigts
10. Etudes for Piano VI. Lied, Melody
11. 12 Etudes, L.136 1. Pour les cinq doigts (d’après Monsieur Czerny)
12. 12 Etudes, L.136 12. Pour les Accords
13. 12 Etudes, L.136 8. Pour les Agréments
14. Etudes for Piano IV. Ayatori, Magic By 2 Hands, 3 Lines
15. 12 Etudes, L.136 7. Pour les Degrés chromatiques
16. Etudes for Piano V. Anger
17. 12 Etudes, L.136 9. Pour les Notes répétées
18. 12 Etudes, L.136 5. Pour les Octaves