Album: Amerika
Author: frans de waard
Publication: vital weekly (source)
Date: 09/19/2010

On the press release we find quotes by Mr "Karl May" Rothkamm and Ms "Klara May" Rothkamm. The first being the foreword to Winnetou III and the second just says 'letters'. We also find "Frank Rothkamm is a composer and conceptual artist who lives and works in View Park", which is perhaps true. At least: its something I can acknowledge. Rothkamm composes music and packs it as a conceptual artwork. 'Amerika' is a five part work (well, actually works, as they are Opus 475, 476 up to 479) and are played on a '1954 Wurlitzer Spinet Piano'. No electronics at work, no processing, no plug ins. Just two hands and one piano. Five pieces, each spanning somewhere between eleven and seventeen minutes. Its not 'easy' listening music, nor a take on Erik Satie. But just what it is? That's a difficult question as my knowledge of modern classical music is very, very limited. That makes this CD not easy to digest. I am reminded of his one of his earlier releases, 'Opus Spongebobicum' (see Vital Weekly
636), but now with five in stead of forty pieces. I can just as easily repeat what I wrote back then: "It's not the piano playing of say Satie or Debussy - that much I know - but more like 19th century piece of classical music with some 'strange' elements thrown in that make this is quite a strange piece too. Even when the overall concept left me with questions, the work as such was nice to hear. That's about all I can say about it." Applies to this one also.

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