Review Text
From a fiery, unexpectedly uplifting elegy, to a somber and despairing childhood flashback; From the bleakness of the Mexican desert, to the lilt of kelp strands along the San Juan Island shoreline; From homages to R. Schumann and L.V. Beethoven, to affirmations of the fragile power of healing herbs; From lyrical angularity, to frenzied comedy. This is ARCANA; a complete collection of solo piano works - spanning two decades - by Alex Shapiro. Prompted by the publication of a 2015 doctoral dissertation on her work, The Keyboard Works of Alex Shapiro, she realized she "wanted to create a unified collection of definitive performances of these very personal offerings." The choice of Adam Marks to play them was a natural fit, as he relates: "To record someone's complete catalog for piano is to live with their history-their ups and downs-and to listen to the world through their ears... ... at the root of all of Alex's works is her stunning relationship to the elements. She's surrounded by water at home, and connected to the earth yet constantly soaring above the clouds in her travels."
