1 nouvelle étude #2 / f. chopin 2:42
2 des abends / r. schumann 3:20
3 etude op. 10 #3 / f. chopin 4:34
4 blumenstucke / r. schumann 7:48
5 liebestod (from tristan und isolde) / r. wagner 7:00
6 arietta / e. grieg 1:20
7 clair de lune / c. debussy 4:50
8 prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune / c. debussy
8:48
9 l'apèratif d'un faune / improvisation 1:43
10 arabesque #1 / c. debussy 4:01
11 prelude op. 23 #6 / s. rachmaninoff 3:18
12 pavane pour une infante défunte / m. ravel 6:19
13 prelude in A minor / m. ravel 1:24
14 improv on the ravel prelude 1:34
15 improv in G 5:41
16 menuet from le tombeau de couperin / m. ravel 4:54
Thanks to Bill Sample and Linda Lee Thomas for turning me onto the amazing
piano at the Langley Community Music School.
I appreciate Allan Bergman's ears, taste, advice, and mastering help,
and Tom McKillip for the mic I almost got to use.
Bert Turner gave me encouragement (by just being himself) and Sheila
Hardy spurred on this project with some special words at the right time.
Thanks to the Monday Men for listening to me drone on and on and on
and on and on and on about piano.
Thanks to Duranne for taking care of business and letting me be the
ahh-tist: Ingrams, Kisa's and Aquariums West
for giving me counterspace: to Steinway for the photo AND lastly but
hugely -
Gus for manufacturing and making the thing beautiful to look at.
The sequence is generally chronological by date of composition.
1 Nouvelle Etude #2 by F. Chopin. Written in 1839 in Paris. Chopin wrote this study of 3-against-2 rhythm in response to a request from the Belgian musicologist and critic Fétis, who was putting together a compilation of etudes to be released as a piano method. It's reported that this was the last piece ever performed by Liszt, Chopin's close friend - sometime rival! - and supporter, who died shortly after playing it for a gathering of his friends. Schirmer edition.
2 Des Abends from Fantasiestücke, Op.12 by R. Schumann. Written in Germany, 1837. Schumann, to become one of the most important music figures of the early Romantic period, was 27. Schirmer edition.
3 Etude op. 10 #3 by F. Chopin. Written in 1830 just before Chopin made his final relocation to Paris from Poland. This study sometimes has the name "Tristesse" (Sadness) attached to it. Chopin's first 12 studies were dedicated to Liszt, who looked over the manuscripts and tested them out before they were published. Cortot edition.
4 Blumenstück by R. Schumann. Written in Germany, 1839. Schumann's famous pianist wife, Clara, considered these "flower pieces" - composed at age 29 - among his finest works and performed them extensively. Peters edition.
5 Liebestod (from the music-drama Tristan und Isolde). Tristan was completed in 1867 in Weimar, Germany. This piano transcription of the finale of Wagner's music-drama "Tristan und Isolde" is unattributed, a download from one of the public-domain sheet music sites.
6 Arietta op. 12 by E. Grieg. Written in Norway, 1867. Grieg has been called the 'Chopin of Norway'. Considering the rapid evolution of musical language during the 19th century, it's interesting to note the similarity between early Schumann and early Grieg, given the almost 30-year date differential. Peters edition.
7 Clair de Lune (from Suite Bergamasque) by C. Debussy. Completed in 1890 in Paris. Probably the most famous piano piece by Debussy. Downloaded, edition undefined.
8 Prélude à l'Après-midi d'un Faune by C. Debussy. Written in France, 1893. The transcription (unattributed) is of the well-known ballet tone poem which caused a scandal when Nijinski incorporated some suggestive aspects into his premiere performance. Downloaded.
9 L'apèratif d'un faune (improvisation). An irreverent use of the chromatic motif which indicates that the Faun's afternoon may have ended up with a cocktail in the lounge at the Four Seasons.
10 Arabesque #1 by Debussy. Written in France, 1894. "Arab-esque" can be taken to mean "Arab-like", referring to the fractal-like patterning found in Islamic religious art. This is reflected in the repeated decorative patterns in the music. Downloaded, edition undefined.
11 Prelude op. 23 #6 by S. Rachmaninoff Written in Russia, 1903. This piece, in Eb, reminds many people of the famous second theme of the opening movement of his Piano Concerto #2. Boosey and Hawkes edition.
12 Pavane Pour une Infante Défunte by M. Ravel. Written in France, 1899. Far from being intended as a mournful elegy for a dead princess, the name was given as a whim, inspired by the eccentric naming tradition of Ravel's friend Satie ("Three Pieces in the Shape of a Pear"). Translation of the title of this popular work reveals that it's about as meaningful as "Foxtrot for a Disfunctional Ferret". Downloaded, edition undefined.
13 Prelude in A minor by M. Ravel. Written in France, 1913. Durand edition.
14 A little improvisation using the thematic elements of the Ravel prelude. Keyboardists all used to improvise. Bach improvised many works before writing them down, and Mozart and Beethoven recitals included improvisations on themes provided to them during the event. The 20th century saw a hard divide develop between note-learners and improvisers, improvising having become virtually the sole property of jazz and pop musicians.
15. Improv. in G. Free playing which helps in getting used to the piano, warming up for the session, checking the repetition on the action by use of trills, and feeling out the tone colour potential. This improv was edited to achieve a slighly more cohesive, less linear form.
16 Menuet from Le Tombeau de Couperin by M. Ravel. Written in France, 1918. Each movement of this suite was dedicated to friends Ravel had lost in the war. A great resurgence of interest in the keyboard music of Couperin was underway at the time, causing a wave of neo-classicism to affect most of the composers of the day. Durand edition.
Notes on the recording
The pieces were selected to be harmonious and calm, and relatively non-challenging technically. I envisioned this CD as something that someone could listen to while sipping a coffee - without spilling it on account of sudden jarring dynamics or harmonies. The opening of the Wagner, and the bravura chromatic runs in the middle of the Chopin op. 10 #3 are about the only places where the music is forceful and the drama intense.
The New York Steinway concert grand and the recording venue was provided courtesy of the Langley Community Music School. I rehearsed there extensively, recording one of the rehearsals on an iMac using a low-cost but servicable Sony stereo microphone. Then began a kind of comedy of errors: when the day I'd scheduled to do the complete recording arrived, so did an unexpected snowfall, rendering the tuner unavailable. On the rescheduled day, the recording computer was entirely, unaccountably dead (it arose from the ashes and was perfect when placed on the bench of a computer tech a few hours later..!). Neither of the final recordings, therefore, feature a piano that's perfectly in tune or recording technology that's state-of-the-art. At the end of Clair de Lune, for example, there's a slight thumping sound which is the door of the hall opening and someone kindly preparing to ask me when I was leaving! One or two softer passages feature very faint traffic noise, and there's some air-conditioning fan at work which is not entirely silent. I hope these inadequacies, no greater than the audio anomalies of any recorded live performance, are forgiven and the recording taken for what it is - a selection of great historic pieces performed with dedication, enjoyment, and love.
