Guest pianist Lang Lang shows up to duet with Micarelli on "Meditation from 'Thais'", by Massenet. This is some serious stuff. Very pretty. Very sparse.

Though I'm not all that impressed with chops, those who are will have fun with "Aurora", an excerpt from Violin Concerto in D Minor, Op. 47 by Sibelius. Holy note-fairy, this is a beauty. Skip ahead to track #9 (a Ravel string quartet) for similar fun.

OK, now things get a little weird.

First, there's a trip-hoppy take on Bowie's "Lady Grinning Soul" that turns into a full-on orchestra with band thing. It's been so many years since I've had a listen to Aladdin Sane that I don't know what to make of it.

After the Ravel thing (which is quite good), my favorite tune appears: a version of the traditional "She Is Like The Swallow", featuring the justabout angelic voice of Leigh Nash. Had ta use the 'repeat' button on this several times.

The world probably doesn't need another rehash of "My Funny Valentine", but, what the hey, have you ever heard it done as a piano/violin duet? Me neither.

The program closes with the Paul Schwartz-penned "Nocturne"...which morphs into the middle section of (I'm not kidding) "Bohemian Rhapsody"...which then almost goes all Trans-Siberian Orchestra on us before slipping back into "Nocturne".

So, from this experiment, an attempt to ignore easy preconceptions...what have I learned? That tablas sound good in nearly all types of music (probably wouldn't work with country though). That I still don't like orchestration all that much outside of film music. That My Funny Valentine sounds great as a violin/piano duet. That Lucia Micarelli played this stuff on a Hannibal Fagnola Turin violin. That I will miss this CD after my mother swipes it.

(I'll miss the liner "art" too.)

(First posted on Mark Is Cranky)