by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Building on the success of his first album of Brian Eno reinterpretations, pianist Bruce Brubaker goes deeper into the ambient master’s output.

In his explorations, Brubaker continues to use a Steinway concert grand piano with electromagnetic bows that help him create sustained drone textures.

Here he takes two sections from the 1978 ambient classic Music For Airports album alongside three others, using advanced IRCAM spatialization tools to create an “immersive acoustic experience, turning the piano into a supernatural synthesizer.”

What’s the music like?

The Music For Airports excerpts, not surprisingly, are incredibly calming – and beautifully played. The second version of 1/2 uses the electromagnetic bows to create a sound almost like the clarinet in timbre. Brubaker judges the critical elements like attack and sustain just right, a faithful recreation of the original Eno work but one that gives him plenty of room and space around in the acoustic.

The slow tracks work beautifully, especially Failing Light from Eno’s Ambient 2: The Plateaux Of Mirror, the collaboration with Harold Budd, which is lovingly shaded here. The big surprise, however, is The Big Ship, where he recreates everything by hand, including the shift of rhythmic emphasis that Eno originally performed with an organ drum machine. Here it is commanding and delivered with impressive poise.

Does it all work?

Very much so. Brubaker’s eye for detail and virtuosity work hand in hand.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically. Eno Piano 2.0 is an obvious complement to the first instalment but shows Eno’s music in a new and enchanting light. Ambient music has lasted a lot longer than we dared imagine, and reinterpretations like this will only prolong its appeal further.

For fans of… Brian Eno, Harold Budd, Philip Glass, Michael Nyman

You can read an extensive interview with Bruce on Arcana, where he talks about interpreting Eno’s work for piano.

Listen and Buy

Published post no.2,349 – Friday 1 November 2024