Repertoire Collections – Page 2

The Night Time Piano Anthology

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Faber Music’s Piano Anthology series understandably continues to prove popular with late intermediate to early advanced players looking for a bounty of fresh music in beautifully presented, keenly priced, and durable volumes.

In recent years, new additions have generally appeared in the autumn, and the most recent was the excellent Harry Potter Piano Anthology.

Hot on its heels, Faber now bring us another collection, this time resuming the series standard of offering a far broader, more varied selection of pieces for intermediate to advanced players, and celebrating an ever-popular theme: night time.

Piano Music of Black Composers

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Leah Claiborne writes in the compelling introduction to her two new music collections, Expanding the Repertoire: Piano Music of Black Composers, published worldwide by Hal Leonard,

“For far too long, the contributions of Black composers in the piano repertoire have not been brought to the forefront. Despite a persistent wave of great scholarship to bring awareness of these composers to light, only recently has there been deliberate inclusion of their works. Even with more awareness and attempts for inclusion, the myth that there is only piano music by Black composers for advanced pianists remains…”

With these two slim books, Claiborne is ambitious to change false perceptions and plug a gap in the piano music market:

“Finally there is a pedagogical piano collection that celebrates Black composers as pedagogues and gathers together piano music that can be enjoyed by the most novice beginning piano students through their musical progress.”

Women Composers: A Graded Anthology

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Hot on the heels of Karen Marshall’s lovingly curated HerStory from Faber Music, which I recently reviewed here, Schott Music bring us three brilliantly compiled and vividly presented collections of music by neglected female composers past and present.

Melanie Spanswick’s Women Composers: A Graded Anthology is equally as groundbreaking, and being a larger series these books offer space to a wider and more diverse range of repertoire, particularly in their inclusion of playful jazz and 20th century piano works.

It is interesting to note that of the 30 works in Marshall’s book and the 52 more here, not only are there no actual duplicates, but few of the composers themselves appear twice, an extraordinary confirmation (were it needed) that the pool of neglected music by female composers is a deep one indeed.

So let’s cast an eye over Spanswick’s series…

A Czech Piano Expedition

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Here’s an interesting idea – and a superb collection of music!

German music publisher Bärenreiter have had offices in Prague since 1991, and have done more than any other publisher to champion Czech music.

For their new Expedition into Czech Piano Music collection they have worked with leading Czech pianist and educator Ivo Kahánek to produce a collection of 21 solo piano pieces composed from the 18th to 20th centuries, including representative music by 15 composers.

Though rather ambitiously billed as being for “early intermediate pianists” (and such definitions are always loose), I would suggest the pieces here would suit later intermediate to advanced players, from around UK Grades 4-8, several pieces having appeared in the higher grades.

Trinity College: A Recital Anthology

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Once in every while a music book arrives on my review desk which is simply too wonderful for words, and yes, this is one of those! Surprisingly so, perhaps, given that on paper this looks like a rather plain anthology of well-worn diploma repertoire.

According to the blurb,

“This unique collection contains 21 pieces from the ATCL repertoire list for Music Performance Diplomas in Piano from 2019. The most popular recital choices join lesser-known treasures, allowing performers to create diverse and compelling programmes, whether preparing for a Trinity diploma or not.”

So you’re possibly wondering what lifts it above the exam jargon and makes it truly special. Let’s find out…

Play Piano for Wellbeing

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Faber Music have established a reputation for producing interesting and beautifully presented piano collections in recent years, ranging from their standard-setting Faber Music Anthologies series to less imposing but equally attractive compilations.

Their latest is called Play Piano for Well-being, which offers a typically diverse assortment of popular and easily accessible pieces.

In common with last year’s Peaceful Piano Playlist, this new addition similarly compiles a wide range of music in the manner of a Spotify playlist, the hope being that the “31 uplifting piano solos” contained within will bring delight to players and listeners alike. Let’s hit the play button…

Schott Music’s Mini Maestros

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Those looking for good anthologies of easy piano music are fairly spoilt for choice these days. Latest to arrive, Mini Maestro is a set of three books from Schott Music, compiled by the ever-prolific Hans-Günter Heumann.

With each of the three books containing 50 solo pieces and 3 bonus duets, Mini Maestro certainly offers great value and plenty to dig into, so let’s take a look…

LCM: In Concert 2

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

London College of Music’s suite of LCM Diplomas have just been revised for 2019, with certification beginning this Spring, and with a crossover during which candidates can continue to use the previous 2011 syllabus.

Alongside the Diploma syllabus revision, a new anthology of solo piano repertoire has been published, called In Concert 2. This book is the sequel to last year’s In Concert, which I enthusiastically reviewed here.

In this review I will look at the syllabus and then offer a more detailed review of In Concert 2, which may in any case have a wider appeal.