Album: Czerny School of Velocity
Author: Frans de Waard
Publication: Vital Weekly (source)
Date: 09/04/2014

For a very brief period of time I had piano lessons, but I really wanted a guitar, not guitar lessons, or piano lessons. All I know about scales is what I learned from that brief period, and I don't think I ever properly learned to play a 'real' song. Not much a musical talent, so I never got around playing music by Carl Czerny, the Austrian composer (1791-1851) whose 'School Of Velocity' (well, actually called "Schule der Geläufigkeit" is essential learning material for anyone learning to play the piano.
Frank Holger Rothkamm is a German composer, living in the USA, who has brought us electronic music, but also various works on the 88 keys of the piano. There is always a conceptual edge to his works, and sometimes it's hard to understand what that is. Such is the case with this particular release.
Rothkamm behind the piano playing seven pieces from that Czerny books 'School Of Velocity'. It seems, but oh boy, I might be terribly wrong here, that he's playing what Czerny wrote. Maybe not? I have no idea. It sounds like it. Maybe Vital Weekly should have a 'help wanted' add: in search of a reviewer classical music? It's an hour long and sounds great. I was reading the morning paper and drinking coffee - perfect time to play piano music.
The disc is spray-painted and an edition of 24 copies, but it looks a bit cheap all together. That's the only downside of an otherwise nice release.

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