TIMOTHY ANDRES - Shy and Mighty

loudQUIETloud is the name of a Pixies documentary, referring to that band's signature dynamics that influenced everyone from Nirvana to Mogwai as a dramatic device. But it could just as easily be the title of pianist/composer Timothy Andres' debut (an album that instead opts for the more poetic Shy and Mighty). Sudden dynamic shifts have been an key to much Western classical music for centuries, whether it's the jarring penultimate choral blast that explodes from a gentle drift in the 5th movement of Beethoven's Ninth, or the heart-pulsing ebbs and flows of Chopin's Ballade No. 2 in F Major.

The 25-year old Andres—already a quite experienced composer—is keen to carry on the tradition, but his approach is hardly Romantic. Where Chopin allowed his musical phrases to harmoniously wind their way through the scales, Andres pulls from the more recent traditions established by composers such as Steve Reich. In other words, repetition, subtle shifts of accent and the occasional fits of dissonance. The result is an album of tightly interlocked piano duets (performed throughout with pianist David Kaplan) that is beautifully placed between two modes—the cool calculation of the modern masters with a dash of Romantic emotional, fiery temperament.

In this context, the title Shy and Mighty is almost a little too on the nose, too eager a description. But it is one that Andres sells fully, if for no other reason than that it is truly exciting to hear a young pianist/composer who so convincingly blends daring originality, a reverence for the past, and respect for the listener. Because even when Andres' competing desires threaten to swallow each other, he manages to keep an eye on the piece as a whole long enough to always see it through. The result is both an accessible and unpredictable debut, not to mention a total score for the label Nonesuch. With Mehldau's Highway Rider already a great success, these pianists are giving their employers a vibrant 2010. Expect many big things from this guy in the future.