Three days remain in the Kickstarter campaign for the Drew Baker/Marilyn Nonken CD Stress Position, soon to be released by New Focus Recordings.

Baker, an accomplished pianist himself, infuses his virtuosic compositions with a specifically political perspective; the title track itself was inspired by forms of torture that were revived by American forces at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo Bay. In his notes for the CD, he explores the complex relationship between art and culture, particularly musical culture, and how they have evolved in his music through the last decade:

Pianists spend lifetimes alone in small rooms with antique instruments. This intimate scenario is defined by an atmosphere of confinement as well as an overt physicality. The piano receives the weight of the body and disperses sound.

These simple and rather obvious facts regarding intimacy, physicality and space are essential to my piano works. Whether addressing extra-musical and political topics or simply existing as “absolute music,” every piece on this recording attempts to lay bare the visceral intensity that directly results from the act of playing. …

Watching the process of interaction is also central to the title track of this recording, Stress Position. Here we return to the aforementioned intimate physicality embodied in the relationship between pianist and piano. In the case of this piece, however, that relationship is taken to an extreme and even perverse level. The insistent and unrelenting rhythmic repetition, coupled with an ever-increasing mass of pitches and dynamic intensity, creates a scenario whereby the piano becomes a torture apparatus. Virtuosity in this case is defined by the ability to endure. To a large extent, perfection in the most basic sense (avoidance of wrong notes and rhythms, command of tempi) is impossible given the manner in which the pianist must marshal all strength and concentration in order to merely continue. …

To a large extent, Stress Position makes the notions of confinement and physicality the focus of the piece. However, one may rightly note that the confinement of the practice room or concert hall stands in direct opposition to the brutality and inhumanity of the torture chamber. Within this stark contrast lies one of the central political themes. As humans, we are capable of remarkable civility and the most base, animalistic behavior. The piano, a historical technology of great innovation and beauty, reveals these conflicting human capacities when turned into something that physically compromises the player.

The recording also includes Baker’s Asa Nisi Masa, Gray, Gaeta, and National Anthem. You may sample some of these compositions here; but, better, make a Kickstarter contribution to support the work of these fine artists. Below is a promotional video for the album.