Early Advanced Repertoire – Page 3

The Women Composers Piano Anthology

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

Arriving just in time for International Women’s Day, the latest addition to Faber Music’s popular line of bumper piano anthologies focuses on music by women composers.

This is Faber Music’s second ‘women composer’ anthology, following in the footsteps of Karen Marshall’s Herstory, which I reviewed here. But while Herstory focused on forgotten classical composers, accompanied by its author’s teaching content, this new collection offers a more cosmopolitan range of music that encompasses contemporary styles.

The format of Faber Music’s Piano Anthologies will by now be familiar to readers, and I have reviewed the whole series here, so let’s jump straight in and consider the music on offer here.

Schubert • Masterpieces

Pianodao Music Library

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

The consolidation of Edition Peters within Faber Music continues to prove a fruitful alliance with the arrival of a new series, Masterpieces for Piano, bringing together Faber’s penchant for producing bumper anthologies with Edition Peters deep and respected classical catalogue.

The first arrival announcing the series is a stunning new 176-page compendium of music by Franz Schubert.

With selections suitable for players from intermediate to advanced level, taking in easy Ecossaises and other dances, and progressing through Moment Musicals to several popular Impromptus and the complete Sonata in A major Op.120, this could well be the ultimate Schubert collection for enthusiastic adult players and students…

Gregson • A Song for Sue

Pianodao Music Library

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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I first encountered the piano music of contemporary British composer Edward Gregson when I heard a recording made by Murray McLachlan a year or two ago, and I was immediately won over by the variety, appeal, and obvious craftsmanship.

A highlight of that recording, and now available as a single piece published by Novello, A Song for Sue is a tender, jazz-infused miniature suitable for early advanced players around Grade 8, and sure to bring delight to many…

Einaudi • The Summer Portraits

Pianodao Music Library

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
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Ludovico Einaudi is without doubt one of the most globally successful piano composers of our time. His latest single amassed a record breaking 2.5 million streams in a single day. His music is ubiquitous in film, television, and media. It is performed at your local school, and in the world’s most hallowed classical venues.

At the same time, Einaudi’s music continues to divide opinion. Some in the piano education community and classical establishment still dismiss his work as dull, derivative, poorly written, and even cast him as a charlatan.

In my article The Appeal of Einaudi’s Music, I explored what it could be that makes his piano recordings so widely and wildly popular, concluding:

“Music can occupy and fill many different spaces in our lives. Fundamentally, it can be truly accessible to us all. Einaudi’s compositions remind us that music does not always need to be intellectually supercharged, even though his pieces are cleverly and carefully crafted. Nor perhaps should we equate the best composition with a dazzling display of technical expertise, or the best performance with physical pyrotechnics. Great music can equally be driven by the flow of emotion, simple connection, and a quest for lingering beauty.”

If this seems a rather hyperbolic preamble for a sheet music review, it is in part because Einaudi’s latest album The Summer Portraits must be evaluated in the context of this larger cultural phenomenon. When he releases new material, it is always something of an event, but does his latest project meaningfully add to the larger narrative of his body of work?

Discovering Backer Grøndahl

Pianodao Music Library

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

As I write, I am enjoying the magical afterglow of an event I recently attended at the Norwegian Ambassador’s residence in Kensington. Organised with publisher Edition Peters, the evening celebrated the release of the first ever urtext editions of piano works by Agathe Backer Grøndahl (1847-1907).

The Edition Peters scores for both works have been published in association with Kode, the association of art museums and composers’ homes in and around Bergen, who previously also partnered for the publication of Grieg – A Piano Treasury, reviewed here.

Christian Grøvlen, who is Director of Music and the Composer’s Homes for Kode, and the editor of the Edition Peters scores, performed the two recently published works: the Fantasy Pieces Op.39 and In the Blue Mountain Op.44, introducing each with the rapt fascination and deep insight of a true expert.

While the latter piece was a virtuosic concert work in the manner of Liszt, it was the Fantasy Pieces that impressed me the more. While designating these miniatures “salon pieces,” Grøvlen highlighted Backer Grøndahl’s genius with the form, and her innovative compositional style.

I am surprised that a renewed interest in Backer Grøndahl’s music hasn’t come sooner. Enjoying the generous hospitality and chatting with other guests after the performance, it was clear that none there doubted that this music is of special importance and quality.

Matthew Hindson • Sad Piano

Pianodao Music Library

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

Matthew Hindson is one of Australia’s most dynamic, successful, and widely-performed composers. His atmospheric soundworld is both immediate and direct, and his orchestral and ballet music have been performed by many of the world’s leading orchestras.

For his latest project, Hindson has turned to the piano. Sad Piano offers 13 captivating solo pieces, published last year by Faber Music, and recently followed by a recording featuring his compatriot, the pianist Andrea Lam.

I have been dipping into Faber’s handsome publication for several months, but with the arrival of Lam’s mesmerising recording, this is a perfect time to take a closer look…

Piano Player • Classical Pieces

Pianodao Music Library

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

Faber Music’s The Piano Player series, which launched in Summer 2022, has been a highlight of the last couple of years, delivering a succession of themed anthologies that have enjoyed wide appeal with adult enthusiasts.

The eighth and latest title in the series is now with us, stylishly complementing the set with a collection of beloved (and in a few cases lesser-known) classical pieces from the eighteenth to early twentieth centuries.

I have reviewed all the previous titles in the series, and in this post I will take a look at this new addition…

Smetana • Easy Piano Pieces

Pianodao Music Library

Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales
Find out more: About Pianodao Reviews

Earlier in this, the year in which we mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of Czech Romantic Era composer Bedřich Smetana (1824-1884), I wrote an overview of his most significant solo piano works, which are published by Bärenreiter.

Noting that most of Smetana’s output is virtuosic, I mentioned that for those in search of some easier pieces, Bärenreiter were planning a collection in their Easy Piano Pieces and Dances series. That more accessible collection is now available, so I am bringing you this review.