Olfasson brings a fresh perspective to well-known repertoire through thoughtful programming, finding intriguing connections and shining a new light on the familiar
Tag: piano music
Small Treasures – Sarah Beth Briggs, piano
In her latest release, British pianist Sarah Beth Briggs celebrates the notion that “small is beautiful” in a selection of piano miniatures, including two of the greatest sets of miniatures ever written – Robert Schumann’s Waldszenen (Forest Scenes) and Brahms’s 4 Klavierstucke op. 119. These are interspersed with less familiar works by Clara Schumann and…
Palimpsest – a compelling debut album which demonstrates how music evolves
Palimpsest Rob Hao, piano Palimpsest – a manuscript or piece of writing material on which later writing has been superimposed on effaced earlier writing. – something reused or altered but still bearing visible traces of its earlier form ‘Classical music lends itself naturally to this layered form of creation as past and present, or composers…
A reflective, sensitive musical journey with pianist Ashley Wass
BLACK & WHITE Ashley Wass, piano This new release from British pianist Ashley Wass celebrates a significant milestone in his musical life – some 40 years since he first touched the keys of a piano. Black and White, the album and corresponding live concerts, is a reflection of the Wass’s desire to find stillness, focus…
“micro-glimpses into countless worlds” – CASCADE Cordelia Williams, piano
This new release from pianist Cordelia Williams celebrates the notion that small is not only beautiful – but also witty, imaginative, colourful, varied, virtuosic and transcendent. The piano miniature, of which this disc is a selection of some of the best, is a genre that includes some of the most exquisite and inventive music in…
Close to the edit: Edna Stern, ‘Schubert on tape’
Edna Stern’s latest release is a fascinating find. Beautifully performed, for sure, but those performances are led by an intriguing, impeccably realised idea. The pieces on this disc are well-loved and oft-recorded: the first four ‘Impromptus’ (D899) and the ‘Moments Musicaux’ (D780). But Stern, following the courage of her convictions, has arrived at a new…
Darkness and Light: Nightlight – Cordelia Williams, piano
Darkness and light pervade Cordelia Williams’ latest release, Nightlight, which explores the many facets of nighttime – its turmoil, terror and tenderness, and the longing for and consolation of light – through a programme of brooding, atmospheric and ultimately consoling music.
‘The Piano: A History in 100 Pieces’ – a must-read for pianophiles & music lovers
It was perhaps inevitable that pianist and writer Susan Tomes would turn her attention eventually to the extraordinarily broad repertoire of the piano – her instrument, and mine, and that of countless others, both professional and amateur players. While her previous books have been concerned with the myriad aspects of “being a pianist” – from…
Stealing & Re-imagining: ‘Landscapes’ by Doug Thomas
Most composers (and artists and writers too) steal from others. They learn their craft by copying; studying the works of others who’ve gone before them offers important insights into the nuts and bolts of the music (structure, harmony, texture etc) as well as the composer’s personal musical fingerprints.
Pigment of the imagination: Roger Eno and Brian Eno, ‘Mixing Colours (Expanded)’
Almost perfect lockdown listening, this record takes the state of ‘very little happening’ and creates something beautiful and resilient in its care and restraint. Eno-watchers might feel that I’ve taken an appropriately glacial length of time to write about this album, but all is not quite as it seems: this is the third ‘Mixing Colours’…
ARTMUSELONDON 