Matthew Davidson: The Graceful Ghost: Contemporary Piano Rags

About

Many people think contemporary ragtime is a contradiction in terms, but this is not so. This album proves that ragtime is still a vital and exciting medium for contemporary composers.

Some controversy surrounds the performance of ragtime. There are those who think that the music should be played exactly as written, while others believe the pieces are just a starting point to improvisation. Personally, I travel the middle road, playing the works mostly as written, with changes in rhythm (and occasionally in harmony) during repeats.

Although ragtime, even now, mostly uses the musical language of the 1830s, I believe my harmonies (which bring it up to the 1890s) and Smart's (which bring it into the 1910s) push the envelope as far as possible, while still allowing the pieces to be ragtime. As long as the muse remains alive in the land, then this wonderful, joyous music will continue to entertain and enlighten.

– Matthew Davidson