Late Intermediate Repertoire – Page 16

Adriano Cirillo: Deux Valses

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Edition HH is one of the few independent boutique publishers whose releases consistently impress, with an enterprising and eclectic catalogue that ranges from Baroque and Classical rediscoveries to contemporary compositions.

Among the latter, Edition HH publishes the work of Italian composer Adriano Cirillo, born in 1951 in Bari. Cirillo studied with acclaimed composer Nino Rota, who is perhaps best known for his scores to movies such as The Glass Mountain and The Godfather, but who also composed ten operas and a significant body of concert works.

Rota’s influence is palpable in Cirillo’s hugely enjoyable Duex Valses, freshly published by Edition HH and the subject of this short review…

Pam Wedgwood: Piano Meditations

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Following on from her previous collections of original pieces inspired by works of art Piano Gallery (reviewed here) and Piano Seascapes (reviewed here), Piano Meditations is the latest from best-selling composer Pam Wedgwood, brought to us as ever by publishers Faber Music.

Here we have 12 brand new compositions which are, according to their composer, “inspired by contemplative works of art”, and once again the publication includes a gorgeous full colour pull-out poster featuring images of all the paintings which served as Pam’s muse.

Intermediate players who enjoyed the previous collections, along with Wedgwood’s many fans, will undoubtedly already be rushing to their music supplier for a copy; for the benefit of those wanting more information, let’s take a quick look…

ABRSM’s Core Classics

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Once in a while, a publication arrives for review which is based on a great concept, and is itself essentially a very good product, but where the mismatch between the original intention and its actual delivery is a glaring one, as though at some point in the developmental process there was a communication breakdown.

Core Classics: Essential Repertoire for Piano, a set of seven progressively graded solo repertoire books published by ABRSM, seems to me a striking example of this, and is unfortunately rather a missed opportunity.

The series is certainly a beautifully presented and musically interesting one, but despite very considerable strengths, it falls short of its stated ambition. So let’s find out exactly what the series has to offer…

James Welburn: Reflections in Waltz

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Around this time last year I reviewed James Welburn’s Musical Escapades (you can read that review here), and was very positive about his original piano music, concluding:

“What impresses me most of all is the infectious good humour and the compelling imagination that runs throughout the whole collection…
James Welburn has with this collection made a stunning Editions Musica Ferrum debut; he is clearly a composer to watch, and among this publisher’s rich and growing catalogue, Musical Escapades becomes one of their best publications yet.”

Now Welburn is back with a new collection, once more published by Musica Ferrum. Reflections in Waltz offers seven new original pieces, again suited to players at late-intermediate level…

My First Tchaikovsky

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Wilhelm Ohmen’s My First Composers collections from Schott Music are proving to be a series which keeps on giving.

It only seems yesterday that I reviewed My First Haydn, having previously taken a look at My First Schumann and My First Beethoven.

The series also includes collections of music by J.S. Bach, Mozart and Chopin. And now, the series is joined by My First Tchaikovsky …

‘Ragtime Blues’ and more…

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

The arrival of a new collection from the pen of composer and arranger Mike Cornick is always likely to be greeted with enthusiasm.

Cornick’s latest two publications are Ragtime Blues and more and Elgar Favourites (arranged for piano duet). The latter will be reviewed separately, while in this post I will be having a look at ‘Ragtime Blues and more’…

Hauschka: A Different Forest

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Known professionally as Hauschka, the composer Volker Bertelmann has catapulted himself into the top tier. Perhaps best known for his compositions for prepared piano, Haushka has also excelled as a film composer, receiving an Oscar nomination for his soundtrack to the 2016 film “Lion”.

Hauschka’s latest album A Different Forest, a solo piano recording (with some electronic elements and treatments), was released back in February on the Sony Classical label.

There is now also a supporting sheet music publication from Bosworth Edition, distributed by Hal Leonard, the subject of this review…

Nikolas Sideris: Personalities

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

While the best composers often write brilliant music in response to a commission or request, the creative impetus for composing will often arise from a specific moment of inspiration, musical or conceptual.

So it is with the latest scores from Nikolas Sideris, known to many not just for his own music, which includes Fairyland in Treble and Dusk of Day, Dawn of Night, but also for his Editions Musica Ferrum independent publishing house.

Due to a change in personal circumstance, Nikolas finds himself semi-moving from London to Amsterdam, and among other things this will mean that he will no longer be teaching his 18 students in one particular school. Having grown attached to them, Nikolas decided it a fitting gift to compose a piece dedicated to each of the students.

These personal gifts were no doubt enthusiastically welcomed by their dedicatees, but I think that they deserve a far wider appeal and use. Which brings us to “Personalities”, the two new solo piano collections containing these 18 pieces, now available from Musica Ferrum.