Anthony Gatto – Small Subversions

released November 3rd, 2023 on CD and digital

Composer Anthony’s Gatto‘s latest recording, Small Subversions, presents three recent works for solo piano performed by the illustrious new music stalwart Karl Larson.   

The works of Small Subversions all share an introspective or meditative ambience. Some passages have an extemporaneous feel, some have rigorous patterns, but all are closely notated. Karl’s wide-ranging repertoire of performance practices brings out many nuances in the narratives of these works. His dexterity allows complex passages to sound effortless, with textures hovering and floating around the pulse.

The album’s varying compositional strategies all yield to lyricism. They all begin with spare material that’s continuously expanding, like entering a body of water step-by-step. These forms are meant to lull and sway as meditation spaces, accompanying listeners’  thoughts rather than leading.