If you’re going to write a cycle of pieces like Astro Dogs (Fanfare 44:3), you should really compose one called Astro Cats. There is a lot of personal preference involved here, after all. And so here it is.

Once more the pianist is Steven Graff, who seems to have an intuitive link to Carbon’s music. The canine cycle was composed in 2019; the feline, in 2023. Again, animals have astrological equivalents, but here only three breeds of cat are represented (Shorthair, Males, and Maine Coon). Wild cats comprise the balance except for one “imaginary” cat. As in Astro Dogs, nonexistence in the physical is no bar to inclusion: previously, it was the werewolf; here, that ever-happy chappie, the Cheshire Cat. A hyena acts as a sort of bridge between cats and dogs. This is, though, a substantially longer set (nearly double the length).

We begin with Saharan Cheetah, which is linked to Sagittarius; the music seems to reflect the attributes of curiosity and adaptability, so the music is light, fluid, and flexible. Graff plays with 100 percent conviction, and it is clear he has immersed himself in this score; the recording supports his every nuance. Graff’s touch is perfect in the lighter, higher passages, and his bass never loses focus. Obviously South African Lion is equated with Leo; this lion appears to be rather somnolent in the sun. Graff shapes the piece well, its climax significant more through an accruing of dissonance than volume. Peruvian Pampas Cat maybe has anger issues and is crazily unpredictable; the alignment with Aries (itself aligned with Mars) is clear in the music. I suspect a lot of pouncing was in the composer’s head. Graff’s articulation occasionally reminds me of Baroque clarity, something we will return to in American Shorthair (Aquarius). Strangely, toward the end of the Peruvian feline, as the music turns inward again toward the end, the harmonies do seem at least to glance sideways at Alban Berg’s Piano Sonata.

Taurus is the bull; and yet the music of this movement, a portrait of the Maine Coon cat, is gentle, perhaps reflecting the composer’s especial predilection for this particular moggy. The movement is reflective yet never sags (testament to Graff’s understanding of the score, surely). 

The Bengal tiger is Virgo: strong, magisterial, internally confident; but not without some play. The fictional “Cheshire Cat” seems remarkably contained in emotion for a cat that is supposed to grin so much: this is more English pastoralism (come to think of it, piano music is one of the less-favored media of those composers; perhaps this is filling in the gap?).

The highlight of the cycle is surely Siberian Lynx (Capricorn), by turns hyper-beautiful and quixotically energetic, expertly written, stunningly played. North American Panther (Cancer) acts as something of a slow movement, relaxing, even easygoing, the odd rhythmic/metric twist adding a touch of spice. 

Siamese Cat is paired with Pisces, written in honor of the composer’s mother (who loved all cats, but particularly Siamese ones). Accordingly, the piece is heartfelt and moving (as is the performance). But this could not be a piece about cats without some tomfoolery, some unpredictability, and so it includes a passage in which harmonic directionality seems, if not abandoned, certainly tenuous (might this be related to the composer’s sense of loss?). I’m speculating, for sure, but it is nice when the music re-rails itself into sweet memory.

Scorpio is the snow leopard—mysterious, but also mysteriously powerful, with implied rather than actual sting in its tail. Parts of this, I suspect, are deceptively difficult, and Graff’s playing is splendid throughout. The music brightens toward the end, like the drawing of a curtain to let in the light: a lovely effect. 

Geminis find their feline counterparts in spotted hyenas: a spirit of almost ragtime appears, but with a French accent. As a Gemini myself, perhaps I am more invested in this one. Is it two-faced? Maybe not, but it certainly has different sides to it, especially as various strata appear to deliberately misalign. Perhaps the hyena is really a trickster cat, then (but aren’t they all?).

Finally, a piece modeled after Scarlatti’s Fuga, Kk 30: American Shorthair (Aquarius) uses the ascending motif, reframed. Kk 30 is also known as Fuga del gatto (Cat’s Fugue) because Scarlatti’s cat walked across the keys and the composer ran with the sounds produced. This is another piece with a light touch from both composer and pianist; it sums up Carbon’s compositional expertise perfectly.

The recording is excellent. There is nothing not to like here. Just do not let the relatively easy listening eclipse appreciation of the expert processes at work. This is a delight – Carbon and Graff come as the perfect package – and a fine recording, too. Recommended.