Alex Petcu’s award-winning profile has grown hugely over the past few years. Here now is the Cork percussionist’s first CD, representing his regular repertoire: arrangements of classics, pieces by friends, some minimalist perennials and contemporary works that will leave you in no doubt about his technical prowess.
It's the latter category – especially Donnacha Dennehy's Paddy and Nebojsa Jovan Zivkovic's Generally Spoken It's Nothing But Rhythm – that leave the strongest impression. Least satisfactory are the two pairings with other instruments (violin, piano), where the effect is of a chalk and cheese mixture.
Still, Petcu’s fluency and musicianship are never in doubt.
