Sheet Music Reviews – Page 61

Film Themes: The Piano Collection

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Compare weekly cinema attendance with the numbers who go to classical concerts and you will be left with no doubt as to why music composed for films works its magic in the hearts and minds of listeners more than any other genre. And it is little wonder that piano players so regularly show an interest in learning their favourite film themes.

In the case of the most popular composers and successful scores, there’s very often a tie-in publication so that fans can buy the sheet music. But for those after an anthology of their favourite pieces, the choice is not necessarily so easy. Some collections of this kind provide poor transcriptions, while others aren’t sympathetically arranged for piano.

It is with real pleasure that I can therefore warmly recommend the latest piano book from Faber Music, a collection simply entitled Film Themes: The Piano Collection.

Schott’s Easy Concert Pieces

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Easy Concert Pieces is a brand new series of three piano collections edited by Monika Twelsiek and Rainer Mohrs, published worldwide by Schott Music, and including selections of core piano music from the Baroque to the present day.

According to the Preface,

“The Easy Concert Pieces series presents easy piano pieces in progressive order. These pieces are intended to complement a piano tutor method and are particularly suitable for performance and auditions, concerts, competitions and examinations. They offer varied repertoire in a broad selection of pieces from the Baroque, Classical, Romantic and Modern eras.”

This is hardly a revolutionary concept, and aside from the many exam-music spin-off books on the market I was immediately reminded of the collection My First Concert, also edited by Monika Twelsiek and published by Schott last year. Indeed, several of the pieces from that collection are included again here, albeit in an enlarged book series, and organised more effectively into order of difficulty.

I must admit that I far prefer the presentation here, too, which I think is very classy indeed. Printed on cream paper and to the same well spaced and clean engraving standards enjoyed in other recent Schott publications, the books are saddle stitched, have simple but very attractive covers.

Schott have generously included professional recordings of all the pieces. These initially appeared as an included CD, but are now digital downloads. They are well produced, enjoyable to listen to, and learners will find them helpful for selecting pieces, and hearing good models of phrasing and style. They feature pianist Vera Sacharowa, who is joined from the second volume by Wilhelm Omen.

Simon Hester’s ‘Megabytes’

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Simon Hester is a prolific composer whose works include numerous chamber and orchestral pieces as well as music for the stage. Hester has written extensively for solo piano too.

That Hester is himself a fine pianist with a deep empathy for the instrument and its possibilities is clear in his piano writing, and not least in the ten character pieces which make up Megabytes I: The Private Life of Bugs.

Alison Mathews: Treasure Trove

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Regular readers will know that I have huge admiration for the independent publisher Editions Musica Ferrum, whose publications consistently bring high-end quality and creative originality.

In recent months EMF have been adding to their range of publications for intermediate pianists, building on the significant success of their best-selling Cool Beans series by Ben Crosland.

Among the most recent releases, Treasure Trove by Alison Mathews is a standout collection for intermediate players, which is already finding popularity with my students…

Christian Hartmann: Two Pieces

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Per Hartmann’s independent publishing house Edition HH have produced many fine scores, and brought into the spotlight some fine classical pieces which were unjustly overlooked elsewhere.

I have been uniformly impressed with the quality of Edition HH publications, such as Barbara Snow’s brilliant Animal Jazz which I reviewed last year, and many others (more reviews of Edition HH publications coming soon!)

In the meantime I was delighted to receive a small score containing two solo piano pieces composed by Per’s own father, Norwegian composer Christian Hartmann (1910-1985).

Hartmann senior is apparently well known to Norwegian children for his song settings for Ole Brumm (Winnie-the-Pooh), as well as having success with his works for stage and screen. According to Per:

“I thought it would be good to have something composed by him in our catalogue, so I decided upon these two short piano pieces, which I love to play myself.”

I was naturally touched by the affection of the publisher for his father, but as I sat down to play these pieces I was equally impressed by the charm of the pieces themselves.

Finding no recordings of them elsewhere, I agreed with Per to record them myself, sharing them here, and on my SoundCloud page.

Ultimate Easy Piano Songlist

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Here’s a book that I suspect many will rush to buy – a bumper collection of easy piano arrangements of great popular tunes, from the contemporary to the classic.

With (according to the cover) over 90,000 units sold, the hits that make up this “Ultimate Songlist” plunder the charts across many decades, from Cilla Black to One Direction, from Nat King Cole to Elbow, and from Wham! to Radiohead. Movies are well represented too, with The Hanging Tree (from The Hunger Games series) and Let it Go! (from Frozen) standing out as welcome highlights.

In theory there should be something here for everyone, and in practice … there probably is!

Of course any collection of this kind can be “miss” as much as “hit”, and I suspect that the best market for this collection will be families that want to gather around the piano for a sing-song, or which have more than one player in them, and from different age groups.

But you can see the full track list here for yourself, and make up your mind whether it appeals to you.

Blues, Boogie & Gospel Collection

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Tim Richards will be known to many readers as the best-selling author of the seminal Improvising Blues Piano, which set a new standard in jazz education publishing upon its first release back in 1997.

His follow up books Exploring Jazz Piano volumes 1 and 2, and Exploring Latin Piano (co-written with John Crawford de Cominges) have consolidated his place as a leading authority in the field of blues and jazz piano playing and teaching. Before proceeding, let me say that if you don’t already own Tim’s previous books, you owe it to yourself to buy copies right away.

Tim’s latest publication (once again brought to us by the forward-thinking Schott Music) is called Tim Richards Blues, Boogie and Gospel Collection (hereafter BBGC for short).

Faber Music Piano Anthology

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Faber Music launched their deluxe Faber Music Piano Anthology with impeccable timing, just a few weeks before Christmas – but it makes a wonderful gift book for enthusiastic pianists, all the year around!