Percussionist Claire Edwardes has gathered an attractive collection of Australian music for solo percussion. The pieces, primarily for keyboards -- marimba and vibraphone -- are notable for their rhythmic energy and bright, appealing harmonic language, which frequently hovers between tonality and atonality. Andrew Ford's The Armed Man, the only piece purely for drums and which features the snare, draws a surprisingly melodic sound from what is essentially a drum kit. Ross Edwards, the best-known composer on the CD, is represented by his loose-limbed, perky More Marimba Dances, written for Edwardes. Mark Pollard's Just a Moment and One Sweet Moment are similarly lively and dance-like. The title track, by Gerard Brophy, is shimmering and kinetic, a real showcase for Edwardes' virtuosity. The most harmonically and structurally adventurous piece is Damien Ricketson's three-movement Hol-Spannen-Luiden (Wood-Skins-Metal), which he wrote while studying with Louis Andriessen. It has the rhythmic drive characteristic of much of Andriessen's music and is the most abstract and timbrally inventive selection. Edwardes plays with the vitality necessary to make these pieces really sparkle, as well as with sensitivity to their dynamic subtleties. Tall Poppies' sound is bright and nicely present.
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