Matson: Steel Chords/i-5

Sasha Matson | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 22, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: AudioQuest
• ASIN: B000003HKB
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #644,616 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Adventurous ground for the pedal steel guitar, September 10, 1998

By 

Bob Lee (Cloverdale, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Matson: Steel Chords/i-5 (Audio CD)

California composer Sasha Matson is a modernist with a sweet spot for harmonious timbres. As a steel guitarist, I was most interested in "Steel Chords". Incorporating a pedal steel into a small chamber orchestra playing modern music is an interesting premise, and Matson proceeds cautiously. The pedal steel part is rather tame, suggesting that Matson doesn't fully understand the potential of the instrument.

Steel guitarist Doug Livingston performs the part flawlessly, and the entire ensemble embraces Matson's score lovingly, though. This is fine listening for a late afternoon, and it relaxes the senses in spite of the dissonance we have come to expect from modern music.

My only complaint is that the steel guitar could have been louder in the mix. "Steel Chords" is the only modern classical piece I know of that features the pedal steel. It's a pity that we can't always tell what the instrument is doing.

-Bob Lee