The Graceful Ghost: Contemporary Piano Rags 1960 – 2021
Matthew de Lacey Davidson
Rivermont Records BSW-3138
Davidson's recent releases include two CD sets totaling five discs. Both albums merit a “deep dive” and are recommended for listening. The Graceful Ghost album is a broad survey of contemporary piano rags composed between 1960 and 2021, some originally recorded and released by Davidson in 1994, others brand new. Thirty-seven works by eighteen composers are packed onto two discs, making this collection a welcome addition to a contemporary Ragtime connoisseur’s listening library.
Stolen Music, released this month, features two previously released discs of Davidson’s original compositions (sixteen works in all). Stolen Music is quite eclectic; the works contained are influenced by musics originating from all around the globe, coming to life here via the transcription of folk music by Davidson and others.
I Had Five Long Years for string quartet (performed by the Solaris String Quartet) is based on a Louisiana prison song, with individual sections sounding more akin to the string music of Shostakovich and Webern. Magyar Rondo for solo viola (played by Rudolf Haken) is Hungarian. The album’s titular piece is a three-movement suite for solo flute of melodies from Appalachia, Africa, and Afghanistan, played by Lisa Goethe-McGinn.