ANTHONY BRAXTON : Piano Music (1968 — 2000) (Geneviève Foccroulle) 9CD SET (2008) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Anthony Braxton's solo piano music represents only a fraction of his oeuvre: ten compositions out of over 360 upon writing this review. It could be argued that they played a crucial role in his development as a composer (and indeed, they seem to have acted as catalysts in pivotal moments), that they represent unique approaches to the instrument, or that they have high historical value (simply consider the fact that Braxton saw fit to bestow his first opus number upon a piano composition). Nevertheless, in the end, his piano music constitutes a fringe corpus, and will be of interest only to the completist, the academic, or very courageous pianists. That being said, Piano Music 1968-2000 offers a great look at the man's solo piano works, updating Hildegard Kleeb's 1996 four-CD set (Piano Music 1 & 2 (1968-1988)) in more ways than one. Belgian pianist Geneviève Foccroulle had already recorded "Composition No. 301" at Phonomanie VIII (released by Leo Records on the four-CD set Four Compositions (Ulrichsberg) 2005). Her approach to Braxton's music is expansive, most pieces reaching new durations in her interpretations. On this nine-CD box set, she tackles all the pieces previously recorded by Kleeb (minus "Composition No. 16 for Four Pianos"), reinstates "Composition No. 31" omitted by the Swiss pianist, and adds "Composition No. 171," "Composition No. 301" (in a different recording), and the hour-long "The Trip." One of the set's highlights, the latter piece picks up on an idea Braxton had written down on the scores of Nos. 30, 31, 32, and 33: that they should be performed together, used as building blocks. These four pieces (Braxton's only true piano music cycle) consist of through-written ideas and fragments whose organization is left to the performer. The resulting "Trip" is a slow-paced, elegant waltz through an intimate, expansive universe seldom heard from Braxton. Another highlight is "Composition No. 171," originally for pianist, 1/4 prompters, four actors, and constructed environment, here all performed by Foccroulle. Split over two discs, this two-hour piece is another trip of sorts: Forest Ranger Crumpton is giving a press conference to explain the new paths and routes he has designed for travelers and tourists through the region. The libretto, entirely spoken by Foccroulle (in a French accent not always soothing to English ears), is actually a commentary on the music being played, with sentences like "The vacationing traveler is advised to follow the principle routes trajectories in the northern sector of the county -- that being routes 33a, 33f, 52, 55 and the crossing at path 40n, and 99a" mapping trajectories through Braxton's own canon of numbered opuses. Humorous and entertaining for the enlightened, hopelessly hermetic for others, this piece is nothing short of a tour de force. And a booklet containing the complete libretto and performance notes is included. The box also includes liner notes by Stuart Broomer, alongside interviews with Braxton and Foccroulle. François Couture  
Tracklist :
1-1    Composition N. 1    9:15
1-2    Composition N. 5    8:01
1-3    Composition N. 10    17:12
1-4    Composition N. 139    15:02
2-1    Composition N. 30    48:43
3-1    Composition N. 31    36:06
4-1    Composition N. 32 (Version 1)    37:10
4-2    Composition N. 301    38:02
5-1    Composition N. 32 (Version 2)    38:36
6-1    Composition N. 33    42:04
7-1    Composition N. 171 (Part 1A)    1:11:23
8-1    Composition N. 171 (Part 1B)    19:05
8-2    Press Conference    2:15
8-3    Composition N. 171 (Part 2)    25:30
9-1    The Trip    1:00:16
Credits :
Music By – Anthony Braxton
Piano – Geneviève Foccroulle
Producer [Recording Produced By] – Anthony Braxton