Repertoire Collections – Page 3

Piano Music by British & American Composers

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

Lurking in my reviews backlog for some time, here’s a book which has continued to beckon, so let me finally highlight it as the epitome of a great idea brilliantly brought to life.

The so-called “core repertoire” for classical piano has long been predominantly drawn from the great composers of the Central European Tradition (Germany, Austria and Hungary), France and Russia. Meanwhile, composers from the UK and USA have somewhat struggled to gain comparable recognition beyond their own borders.

This bumper anthology from publishers Boosey & Hawkes collates piano works from an even and well-matched spread of composers from both sides of the Atlantic, all of whom lived and worked in the 20th century. As such it offers a rather wonderful introduction to some great music, much of it too-little performed, but all hugely worthy of the pianist’s attention.

LCM ‘In Concert’ anthology

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

London College of Music Exams may be less well known to readers than the ABRSM and Trinity College London boards which I have written about previously, but that may be about to change

Certainly LCM offer a very wide range of different assessments for piano players. According to my colleague David Barton:

“I estimate that LCM offer nearly 20 different options for pianists at 15 different levels, right from the earliest stages of learning, through to the Fellowship of the London College of Music (FLCM). The range of options now available is fantastic; I feel enormously lucky to be teaching at a time when the needs of a diverse range of learners of all ages is finally being met by examination boards, led, in my view, by LCM. We live in exciting times, and it will be interesting to see what options continue to develop in the future.”

And it isn’t just in the area of examinations that LCM are looking to innovate and lead the way, but also in the area of publications…

When Publications Officer David Duncan told me that he hopes to significantly shake up their publications, I quietly thought to myself ”thank goodness”, as their previous efforts haven’t been particularly user friendly, well edited, or attractively presented.

That said, nothing prepared me for the extent and speed with which LCM Publications would reinvent itself: their new collection of selected works from their Piano Diploma syllabus has taken my breath away.

Put simply ’In Concert’ is an extraordinary achievement, and in a completely different league from LCM’s previous published efforts. And whether or not you are interested in LCM’s Diploma exam, this is a highly desirable new collection for players looking for interesting and diverse repertoire at this level.

Let’s take a closer look…

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.

Mindfulness: The Piano Collection

Pianodao Music Library
Selected and Reviewed by Andrew Eales

According to Faber Music:

“Mindfulness: The Piano Collection offers a way to bring mindfulness and playing the piano together by sharpening musical focus and establishing the pianist’s attention in the present moment. The carefully selected repertoire, which is aimed at intermediate level players, is presented with guidance on how to bring mindfulness into piano playing.”

So what does the book include, and how is it different to other piano anthologies?