To the serious classical purist, interpreting a composer's work is a major no-no. Such purists insist that when a musician embraces the works of a legendary composer like
Beethoven
,
Chopin
Mozart
, or
Bach
, he/she must perform the music exactly as it was written, period, end of story. But thankfully,
Uri Caine
is no purist. The pianist isn't a classical purist any more than he is a jazz purist, and that open-minded outlook makes
Love Fugue
the intriguing, chance-taking jazz/classical hybrid that it is. Recorded in 1999, this CD finds
Caine
turning his attention to the music of the 19th Century classical composer
Robert Schumann
(b. 1810, Zwickau, Germany, d. 1856, Endenich, Germany).
, which unites
's ensemble with the Italian quartet
la Gaia Scienza
, is an unorthodox mixture of classical and jazz.
takes more than his share of liberties with
Schumann
's compositions, bringing both jazz and Latin elements to them and allowing for improvisation some of the time. Vocalist
Mark Ledford
, known for his work with guitarist
Pat Metheny
, is featured on some of the material, and poet
Julie Patton
recites English-language poems that fit in perfectly with
's interpretation of
's pieces. Obviously, what one hears on
isn't how one would have heard
's work performed in 19th century Germany.
's primary language was German, not English, and jazz had yet to be invented. Classical purists are bound to denounce this CD as musical blasphemy, but for those with more eclectic tastes,
is a joy to listen to. ~ Alex Henderson