Michael Wolny

Wunderkammer ACT***
The title means "chamber of curiosities", the secret room in castles and monasteries where an eclectic store of exotic, even bizarrely incongruous, treasures were kept. Wollny, the brilliant pianist of the German trio [em],

has therefore gathered celesta, harpsichord, harmonium and

Fender Rhodes to go with his concert grand for a series of miniatures, musical wunderkammernof his own. Duetting with Tamar Halperin (harpsichord/celesta) on six of the 12 pieces, Wollny creates an otherwordly musical climate, with strong classical elements, free improv and compositions that seem almost totally through-composed, often on the simplest of bases. It's charming, full of contrasts of mood, texture and colour and, with its hints of Steve Reich minimalism and jazz, and dedicatees such as Glenn Gould and Franz Mesmer, evocative as much of past as present. www.act music.com