What, pray tell, is an "Ing?" The quirky title of this almost bewilderingly diverse compilation of late-twentieth-century music for solo piano, derives from American composer Henry Cowell's Six Ings: "Floating," "Frisking, "Fleeting," "Scooting," "Wafting," "Seething." Fluidity and expressiveness seem to be the keynotes hinted at, and the missing and essential seventh "Ing," needed for true completeness, is, of course: ListenING.

Compiled from live performances broadcast over CBC Radio, the two discs (sound quality ranges from good to excellent) cover a range of compositional styles, witness to the international character of modern serious music for piano. And anyone wanting to study influences and trends, could do know better than to begin with these polished and sensitive performances.

Included are North American composers Alexina Louie and Henry Cowell to those Frenchmen of Frenchmen, Messiaen and Boulez. Toru Takemitsu and Masamitsu Takahashi represent Japan. Gavin Bryars does the same for England.

As it should be, the mix of names happily brings together those of international renown and those somewhat lesser known, so that a sense of discovery and familiar territory interplay happily here.

The pieces that give this album its title are somewhat misleading, for Cowell's work is intensely austere, frolicsome mainly in a cerebral fashion. More flashy and much more fun -- and Petrowska-Quilico brings it off with an adroitness of tone -- is Suite by American composer Bill Westcott. Saucy and knowing, its four movements are a compelling mix of new and old, its prelude followed by genial and relentlessly clever riffs on the ballad, the rag, and the boogie.

Another highlight is Canadian composer Alexina Louie's hauntingly beautiful "Star-filled Night," as it title indicates an impressionist evocation with a contemporary twist. Also impressive are Lowell Liebermann's Apparitions, a work rendered with intensity and warmth of tone.

Madame Petrowska-Quilico, an accomplished artist, is a reliable guide to this repertoire, which she has made her own. Her pianism is stylish, her technique well-honed, and the sound firm and bright. The interpretive qualities are on the same impressive level: not shy of plunging into difficulty, the artist does so with a confident sureness of touch.

These pieces, so diverse in origin, are brought vividly to life, and each given loving treatment. The musicality is deft and knowing, and the intelligence informing the performances generous and warm. This is an album for the Ipod or MP3 player of anyone interested in the contemporary piano repertoire -- it's already been tranferred to mine.

© 2008 J H Stape

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