Arc I

Arc 1 is the first in American pianist Orion Weiss’ triptych of albums exploring the impact of the First World War on music. It brings together three pieces that examine the turbulence of the years just before the outbreak of conflict—as well as a sense of what was about to unfold. Granados’ Goyescas (1911) explores a love story that ends in death in six movements. The piano writing is so subtle, and Weiss shows himself completely attuned to its complex universe. Janáček’s In the Mists (1912) is also death-infused, though in a much more diaphanous language, while Scriabin’s disconcerting Black Mass Sonata (1913) evokes a world of impending disaster.