Chaconne

A tribute album is a convention much more common in the pop world, but it is one warmly taken up here in gratitude to Andrew Imbrie on the occasion of his 80th birthday. The disc features a mix of works—some penned by Imbrie, others in his honor. John Harbison’s Chaconne for piano and four instruments is among the pieces carrying a dedication to Imbrie. Taking a small pattern, then turning it over and developing it during the course of the work’s five-minute run time, Harbison’s ear seems to have been born aloft by a leaf caught up in the wind, the sort that never quite comes to rest on the ground. An overly sentimental image perhaps, but a simple one fitting to this wistful, almost nostalgic piece.

—MS