Recording Review #67: Altered Ambience

Jóhannsson: Piano Works – From Englabörn. Alice Sara Ott, pianist. Deutsche Grammophon 486 674-4.

In an older edition of his Record Shelf Guide to Classical CDs and Audiocassettes (which, alas, I don't have at hand), Jim Svejda made this remark or something close to it: "For those who think that minimalism is the dim-witted musical rip-off that it probably is..." I seem to recall that this was in the course of praising John Adams as an exception to his dislike of the subgenre. Well, I wonder what he'd think of "ambient" music, which often makes minimalism (and especially post-minimalism) seem positively robust by comparison. I don't know what to make of it categorically myself. Is it art music? Is it classical music? (I'm pretty sure it should count as music.) But I do know what I like. 

Do I like the late Jóhann Jóhannsson's "ambient" (or ambient-adjacent) music? Yeah, sometimes. He was very adept at creating moods and, while I have not watched any dramatic productions that use his work, he usually accomplished what he set out to do musically, whether or not one takes it seriously. I'm a solid fan of his Orphée album, for instance. It shows that Jóhannsson knew how much he could repeat his slight ideas before losing the listener's (or at least my) goodwill. At other times I find his shtick a bit irritating, though. And I'm afraid the original Englabörn is an example. It isn't the melodic or harmonic ideas I find objectionable, it's the timbres of the instruments he uses there: grating and slightly pretentious. 

But here we don't have that problem, because the versions of three Englabörn pieces that Alice Sara Ott performs are for piano alone. Usually I am not terribly interested in arrangements, but this is one rare case where I think the arrangement improves upon the original. In experiencing these on the piano, we are not distracted by unfortunate timbral dressings. We can hear the bare pitch elements in better relief. And they hold up extremely well in the hands of Alice Sara Ott, whose silky sound is well suited to her task. 

It also helps that there are only three selections in this release, which together don't quite last 10 minutes. So we're not talking about a substantial investment of time. Actually, I could have named this review "'Ulta'ed Ambience." Because not only do we hear arranged versions of the original tracks, but I was also able to do a whole re-listen of this release while waiting for my wife to finish buying make-up at Ulta. Convenient, huh?

But seriously: optimally presented on the piano, this is attractive music. Maybe it's not the deepest or most complex stuff out there. Maybe Jóhannsson didn't quite have the melodic invention of Philip Glass. But it's satisfying if enjoyed for what it is. And Ott makes the venture so much easier. 

Verdict: Recommended