Alex Petcu - In Time album review: strong debut from the Cork percussionist

In Time
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Artist: Alex Petcu; MIchael McHale; Ioana Petcu-Colan; Claude Debussy; Alex Gerassimez; Takatsugu Muramatsu; Nigel Westlake; Komitas; Sam Perkin; Evelyn Glennie; Steve Reich; Donnacha Dennehy; Johann Sebastian Bach; Elliot Cole; Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic; Philip Glass
Genre: Classical
Label: RTÉ lyric fm

Alex Petcu’s award-winning profile has grown hugely over the past few years. Here now is the Cork percussionist’s first CD, representing his regular repertoire: arrangements of classics, pieces by friends, some minimalist perennials and contemporary works that will leave you in no doubt about his technical prowess.

It's the latter category – especially Donnacha Dennehy's Paddy and Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic's Generally Spoken It's Nothing But Rhythm – that leave the strongest impression. Least satisfactory are the two pairings with other instruments (violin, piano), where the effect is of a chalk and cheese mixture.

Still, Petcu’s fluency and musicianship are never in doubt.

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan

Michael Dervan is a music critic and Irish Times contributor