Pianist Ray Shows Mastery of 20th Century Material

Los Angeles’ Vicki Ray is one of our more gifted and intrepid champions of new music, piano division, bringing to the task technical strength, expressive moxie and infectious enthusiasm. Add to that a sense of historical overview and you had an inspiring display of 20th century pianism when Ray gave a recital as part of the Piano Spheres series, Tuesday at Pasadena’s Neighborhood Church.

Any 20th century piano program worth its salt entails extra-pianistic techniques. Ray opened with George Crumb’s Bartok-inspired “Makrokosmos Vol. II,” replete with prepared piano touches, inside-the-piano treatments and dramatic effects both feverish and dreamy.

The program included music by modernist icons from radically different corners. Ray attended to a knee-high instrument for John Cage’s 1948 “Suite for Toy Piano,” a deceptively simple piece with an Asian composure. Milton Babbitt’s “Playing for Time” (1978) was brief yet potent, full of the arid poetry and the underrated, inner vitality of his piano work.

Ray captured the bounding spirit of Sofia Gubaidulina’s “Chaconne,” which begins with an almost romantic gusto, then readjusts its attitude as it goes. Ernst Krenek’s Piano Sonata No. 7, Opus 240 (yes, he was prolific) is a one-movement work, alternately meditative and turbulent.

After these bold enticements, a world premiere of Paul Dresher’s “Blue Diamond” proved underwhelming. What began well enough, with dry dissonances laid out pointillistically, quickly descended into post-minimalist arpeggios and a kind of strained earnestness too close to “Tubular Bells” for comfort. Still, Ray played the piece for all its worth, and then some.