Perpetual Motion

Of all the contemporary instruments one might least expect to be employed in reinterpreting classical masterworks, the five-string banjo would probably top the list for many listeners. And yet banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck makes a powerful case for just that approach on this collection of arrangements of works by the likes of Frédéric Chopin, Ludwig van Beethoven, Domenico Scarlatti and, inevitably, Johann Sebastian Bach. The banjo’s clear and pearl-like tone is actually exceptionally well suited to baroque counterpoint in particular, but he’s also joined on some tracks by marimba, violin, and other instruments. Fleck’s exceptional taste tempers his fearsome technique here, contributing to a unified work that is far more than a novelty.