KUNIKO - cantus - The Guardian

The art of transcription flourishes in these imaginiative reworkings of classics by Arvo Pärt and Steve Reich in the hands of a master marimba player. Kuniko adds percussion and makes her own arrangements. Least successful is the title track, where Pärt's hypnotic homage to Britten is reworked as 200 mixed tracks and comes across as far too buzzy and busy. But both Spiegel im spiegel with resonant marimba and bells, and Für Alina reworked for vibraphone and crotales create a distant world of repetitive beauty. Hywel Davies's Purl Ground, with its deep marimba resonance, completes an absorbing recital.