Machinefabriek’s Rutger Zuydervelt is almost dismissive of these sublime piano miniatures when describing them as sketches, casually mentioning churning out more than 40 of them, but corrects himself by discussing the urgency he felt in releasing them. Sol Sketches precede the documentary film on artist Sol LeWitt they soundtrack, expected some time 2012, for which their form may be altered, so these should best be viewed as independent productions.
The piano-electronics field is indeed a crowded one but Zuydervelt stands head and shoulders above the mass primarily through his willingness to do less, in every respect. There are fewer notes to his pieces – one example using only one, a somehow-sublime take on Ligeti’s infuriating Musica Ricercata – and less electronics. The latter is generally restricted to reverb or a kind of enhanced sustain, allowing notes to continue to sound long beyond their usual decay. This gives them a form analogous to Akira Rabelais’ Satie and Bartok deconstructions, or Jonathan Coleclough’s excellent Period, but Zydervelt is purer still. Even those pieces most reliant on processing, droning strings humming beneath slow, sparse triads, retain a minimalist purity absent from all but the most refined compositions, like Arvo Part recorded in an anechoic chamber. Those with some cash to spare ought to shell out for the limited 4 x 10″ vinyl issue + bonus eraser, the artwork matching the beauty of the sounds.
Chris Downton
