Lou Harrison: Piano Concerto; Suite for Violin, Piano and Small Orchestra

When Lou Harrison decided to write a concerto for Keith Jarrett, his mind went to an alternate tuning for the piano. Leveraging a blend of Eastern and Western influences characteristic of his later output, Harrison created a tactile system. Jarrett’s chameleonic default is ideal for this four-movement juggernaut. The transition between the sweeping Allegro and the drum-heavy “Stampede” alone makes it worth the price of entry. This is augmented by the Suite for Violin, Piano and Small Orchestra, an earlier work that presages the composer’s trips across the ocean. Deeply physical music for a deeply physical player.