CD ECM Records Momo Kodama - Ravel / Takemitsu / Messiaen: La Vallee Des Cloches

2013

Momo Kodama - pian

Maurice Ravel - Miroirs
Toru Takemitsu - Rain Tree Sketch
Olivier Messiaen - La Fauvette Des Jardins

Japanese pianist Momo Kodama’s first disc for ECM is a beautifully conceived programme. In all three works the notes represent much more than mere abstract sounds, yet each also marks a remarkable exploration of piano sonority. In both respects, this marks a shared French heritage, albeit from a Japanese perspective in the case of Takemitsu (for that matter, Messiaen loved all things Japanese). By far the greatest pianistic challenge comes in ‘La fauvette des jardins’ (1970), Messiaen’s half-hour portrayal of birds and the countryside around his summer home in Peticher. Kodama has already recorded fine versions of Messiaen’s two epic cycles ‘Vingt regards’ and ‘Catalogue d’oiseaux’, and the experience clearly shows in the early pages, notably with the veiled chords that evoke the quail’s call, while the changing hue of the lake is beautifully conveyed.
Kodama als finds much poetry and space in Takemitsu’s sublime ‘Rain Tree sketch’, with her careful use of the pedal coming to the fore. Although the latest of the works to be composed, it makes an effective bridge here between the evocations of Ravel’s ‘Miroirs’ and Messian’s nature portrait.
Christopher Dingle, BBC Music Magazine

French music of the 20th century can be traced back to Debussy - except for the strain that stems from Ravel. Pianist Momo Kodama's entrancing new disc offers a glimpse of that second lineage, in performances that boast an apt combination of clarity and insinuation. She begins with Ravel's ‘Miroirs’, that fecund repository of Impressionist ideas and techniques, and then traces its influence through two later works, the brief and wonderfully evocative ‘Rain Tree Sketch’ by Toru Takemitsu (a French composer in all but actual biography) and Olivier Messiaen's ‘La fauvette des jardins.’ The Messiaen, a rarely performed late work infused (naturally) with bird calls, is a revelatory demonstration of how the distinctive figurations and voicings of Ravel's piano writing seep through nearly a century's worth of elaboration to surface in a difference harmonic and formal context. But the disc is worth hearing even if only for Kodama's crisp, pointed and sensuous playing of ‘Miroirs,’ a performance both elegant and elusive.
Joshua Kosman, San Francisco Chronicle

Kodama’s impeccable technique and facility for crystalline sounds makes for a mesmerizing program. ‘Miroirs’, the highlight of the program, is awash in rich colors, poised and graceful. Two other rarely performed works round out the program. ‘Rain Tree Sketch’ is a short, but lovely treat, and Messiaen’s trademark birdcalls thread through ‘La Fauvette Des Jardins’. Impressive.
Kang, American Record Guide

Her opening performance of Ravel’s ‘Miroirs’ focuses on the mood of the piece, the notes literally swirling from the keyboard to create a beautiful ambience. She possesses the kind of touch that coaxes rather than pulls notes from the keyboard, even in the fastest and busiest passages. Nothing ever sounds strongly attacked, even the loud passages, but rather it swells and ebbs in the air as if played on the vibes rather than piano. This approach gives everything she does a shimmering quality, like the ping of fine crystal, and this in turn conveys her feelings about the music. [...] an excellent disc and a fine representation of the music chosen.
Lynn Renée Bayley, Fanfare