The sound possibilities of the piano have only one limit: our own imagination: Gustavo Díaz-Jerez's Metalaudios II on Ibs Classical

I wrote about Spanish composer Gustavo Díaz-Jerez's orchestral cycle, Maghek, inspired by the Canary Islands back in 2020 [see my record review], but Díaz-Jerez is also a pianist and he has returned to the studio as composer/performer for Metaludios II, two new books of pieces for piano (he has already recorded the previous three books) in which he explores new sound territories in the piano. Gustavo Díaz-Jerez comments that "Since the composition of the first metaludios, back in 2013, I have learned that the sound possibilities of the piano have only one limit: our own imagination."

Many of the pieces use electronics and inside-the-piano extended techniques not, Gustavo Díaz-Jerez hastens to add, as mere effects but as an integrated part of the discourse. And there is science too, pieces inspired by biology, psychoacoustics, astronomy, artificial intelligence and machine learning, as well as pure mathematics, and not to forget those pieces inspired by mythological figures.

Part of score for Gustavo Díaz-Jerez's Metaludios II

There are 12 works on the disc (which is issued by Ibs Classical), and you can catch it on Spotify, and read more at the composer's website. The embedded video (above) is from the complete YouTube playlist.