Paul Dresher Casa Vecchia Starkland

Paul Dresher is perhaps the best of the postminimalist composers who learned at the altar of Reich, Riley, and Glass. Highly acclaimed for his music-theater pieces, Dresher demonstrates a versatility that transcends categorization. Casa Vecchia, a stunning string quartet arranged here for eight instruments, invokes the minimalists while echoing the spirit and beauty of quartets by John Cage and Samuel Barber. Included are two unexpected but marvelous synthetic soundscapes and a terrific, gently percolating piece for bass guitar and electronics. A gorgeous gem.

- Dean Suzuki