Vytautas Bacevicius: Piano Music, Vol. 3 [CD]

The Lithuanian pianist and composer Vytautas Bacevic?ius (1905-70) - exiled to the New World by the outbreak of the Second World War - is one of the undiscovered pioneers of the twentieth century. This third volume of his piano music presents works written between 1926 and 1959 and shows the evolution of his musical language from the post-Skryabin style of the early works, via the influence of Debussy, Prokofiev and Stravinsky, to a highly individual modernism that can occasionally nod to the jazz of his adoptive New York. It is a testament to the strength of Bacevic?ius' personality that his musical identity remains consistent even as his manner evolves - his individuality is never in doubt, not least because of his enduring fondness for a playful gesture.