Nancarrow, whose output consisted mostly of elaborately complex piano compositions realized by hand-punching holes in virgin player-piano rolls, died on August 10, 1997, in Mexico City, at the age of 84. He lived long enough to see his reputation rise from absolute obscurity (as late as age 58) to international new-music stardom by the time he appeared at our first Other Minds Festival in November 1993.
While the complete studies for player piano by Nancarrow are available on five CDs from Wergo Schallplatten, and other companies have released his music for live instrumental ensembles and solo piano, this is the first look at the peripheral, but highly provocative, player piano output that was not released during the composer’s lifetime. These works add new understanding to the extraordinary oeuvre of this composer—who was the first selected by the MacArthur Foundation in 1983 to initiate their famous “genius” awards. - Other Minds Records
posted by Brad Larcen 9/22/2000[edit]
