Precipice

Nathaniel Bartlett, marimba

You might assume a disc including compositions by Augusta Read Thomas and Steve Reich back-to-back to be somewhat disjointed, if not downright disconcerting, but marimbist Nathaniel Bartlett makes the juxtaposition sound not only natural but inevitable. And, according to his program notes, this was his goal, which makes highlighting just one track from it all the more difficult. That said, Allan Schindler’s Precipice, which lends the disc its title, raises the stakes by adding computer-generated sounds to the marimba mix, making the music all the more mysterious and alluring.

—FJO