by William Watson
BurnhamWoods Records, P.O. Box 410447, San Fransisco, CA 94141
[888] 823-5535
www.williamwatson.com
William Watson’s press material announces his homosexuality about as loudly as many a Republican candidate announces his hatred of the same. Actually, though, the current emotional climate makes Watson’s declaration heartening; besides that it saves people like me from endless speculation as to his orientation.
Burnham Woods, Watson’s second album of solo piano music, demonstrates him as a remarkably gifted performer, and pretty good as a composer, though he stops just short of those magic piano albums in the top echelon where you can play them over and over and whatever you’re doing seems more balmy just by virtue of having them on.
Watson’s music is in many ways concert oriented, in that you could sit and listen to it without having to otherwise occupy yourself. He doesn’t miss many opportunities to display his technique, in fact one of the more enjoyable things with this album is to see how he puts in a touch or two of virtuosity where the average new age pianist would plow through the material with a few less fingers, and a lot slower. It’s just the occasions where the virtuosity supercedes the composition that we lose touch.
"Flight of the Celtic Earls" is a piece that manages to combine both, well written while showing off a deftly fingered allegro. "Peyote Mandolins,"starts off the album with some folksy harmonies, but soon Watson takes it out of the familiar with his harmonies and some interesting rhythm with the left hand. The title track is a pretty "song without words," and without ostentation. "Annica" is an extraordinarily touching piece that shows this guy has a lot of promise. Those last three, by the way, are all in the often underutilized key of G-flat.
So on the whole, I’d say it’s a little different than what you usually find in this category, but familiar enough to bring you in and eventually, keep you along for the ride.
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