In putting together this program, Kremer was obviously not of a mind to show off his technique, as none of the works are especially virtuosic—in fact, the majority of them are relatively small-scale pieces of modest melodic material and less than flamboyant gesture. Only Yuji Takahashi's Insomnia contains any moments that could be described as aggressive, and that in a unusual sequence of events (the two instruments appear for the most part to be disinterested in what the other is doing; Kremer plays microtonal or altered pitches while wandering around the stage, Yoshino plays an ancient form of Japanese harp called the kugo, and they talk—according to the program notes they are reminiscing about the Russian poet Ossip Mandelstam). Most of the music is low-key; in fact, expressiveness is specifically verboten in Cage's minimal Six Melodies and Part's delicate Spiegel im Spiegel, and elsewhere—Satie's pseudo-Japanese melody and Jean Francaix's scurrying, songlike, easily digestible morsels among them—the attitude definitely appears to be "less is more."

I wish I could say I've deconstructed the connections (musical and/or symbolic) between the pieces, but this appears to be a tough nut to crack. Annotator Paul Griffiths speculates on a few possible interwoven threads, but as I said I think there's more here than meets the ear. This will take time. It goes without saying that the playing is impeccable.

-- Art Lange, FANFARE [7/2000]