Peter Stopschinski

Sixth Symphony: Rough Night w/ Happy Ending (Pecan Crazy)

Local pianist/composer/genre-hopper Stopschinski’s work is typically erratic and whimsical, but with the five movements of his latest, he’s nearly bridged the gap between the two. As one-half of the Golden Hornet Project with Graham Reynolds, Stopschinski’s in near-constant scoring mode, and this Sixth Symphony, part of a piece GHP debuted earlier this year, shows the polish. After the swerving “My ’81 Camaro” and “The Creamy Filling in the Middle” enters the “Rough Night,” which fills the midsection of the disc with shivering strings and minor key swirls of piano. By the time the “Happy Ending” comes around, you’ve been cued, while still getting a few screwballs. Above all, Stopschinski knows how to transition, how to take a nicely set dinner table and pull the tablecloth off while only breaking a glass or two.

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This article appears in April 30 • 2010.

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