Ein Traum Für Dich

Tori Kudo exists far outside the world of classical music. He’s a champion of the Japanese underground, building himself into a folk hero through stints in legendary groups like Fushitsusha, Ché-SHIZU, and his own Maher Shalal Hash Baz. Since the late ’70s he’s embodied an uncompromising DIY spirit, playing fast and loose with an almost effortless spontaneity, whether he’s playing contemplative surf ballads or dissonant noisy rock. Kudo continues to play music that’s bewildering and beautiful, offering his take on a lesser known work by Erik Satie on Ein Traum für dich — a small segment from Pièces froides (1987) stretched out into a 20 minute elegy. He’s assisted here by DJ and sonic wizard Kayo Makino; the piano passages are chopped, doubled up into cacophonous swells, and augmented with the chirping of crickets and a downpour of rain.