Dodecagon: Arturo Stalteri Plays Philip Glass

The contents of this album are of a possibly unique type. Pianist Arturo Stalteri released Circles, an early recording devoted to the piano music of Philip Glass, in 1998. That album has never been reissued, and when the compilers of the present release approached Stalteri about doing so, he initially agreed, then decided to approach the material anew. The result was Dodecagon (named for the fact that the album has 12 tracks), released in 2023. Although several tracks have no sound added to that of the piano, the album might be termed a remix of Stalteris original performances; the Opening and Closing from Glassworks are electronically manipulated, and the five tracks from North Star are arranged for as many as eight pianos, multi-tracked, with shifting aural perspectives among the pianos for a fascinating effect. The fact that the album appears on Glass own Orange Mountain Music label suggests that such treatments have the composers imprimatur, and given Glass general influence on electronic music, it seems likely that more such performances of his music will appear in the future. Stalteris earlier readings of Glass had a dramatic quality unlike the affectless surfaces other pianists cultivate, and it would seem that he has once again taken a pioneering step with the composers music; Glass fans should definitely hear this. ~ James Manheim