Elisabeth Chojnacka – Energy (2000)

A peculiar album from the Empress of Modern Harpsichord, as she is nicknamed. Elisabeth Chojnacka presents us a mixture of world music and the fireworks of hard-boiled avant-garde sounds, the latter we have come to know her for - witness her legendary album Clavecin 2.000 .
Celebrated by music fans and composers (Xenakis, Ligeti) alike, she seems to have few, if any equals in the world of contemporary harpsichord.
My favourite track? Hard to say; perhaps the last one, Phrygian Tucket, which somehow makes me think of Albeniz' Asturia; and of that piece, most certainly its absolutely dazzling finale, as of ca. 77m30s.

Tracks:

01. Umbhiyozo Waze Afrika (Africa Celebrates) for harpsichord & african percussion - Grant McLachlan [0:04:01.45]
02. Umbhiyozo Waze Afrika (Africa Celebrates) - Grant McLachlan [0:04:00.37]
03. Umbhiyozo Waze Afrika (Africa Celebrates) - Grant McLachlan [0:02:54.13]
04. Umbhiyozo Waze Afrika (Africa Celebrates) - Grant McLachlan [0:03:18.62]
05. Càbala del caballo, for harpsichord & flamenco guitar - Mauricio Sotelo [0:08:54.10]
06. Tango fusion (new version) for harpsichord & bandonéon - Yves Prin [0:16:58.10]
07. Espressivo, for harpsichord & tape - Graciane Finzi [0:07:58.07]
08. Music of dreams, for harpsichord, chang & tape - Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky [0:08:56.61]
09. Shingalana, for harpsichord & tape - Grant McLachlan [0:03:42.17]
10. Mirage, for shô & harpsichord - Toshi Ichiyanagi [0:06:31.50]
11. Phrygian Tucket, for harpsichord & tape - Stephen Montague [0:12:15.48]

Performers:

Elisabeth Chojnacka – harpsichord
Stephan Schmidt – flamenco guitar
Max Bonnay – bandoneon
Dmitri Yanov-Yanovsky – chang
Ko Ishikawa – sho
Xavier Mertian – percussions