Images
This recording was begun in December 1997, solely to fill a personal need. I had composed music over the last 20 or so years, some of which was still not committed to paper. I set about recording and notating many of the tunes still floating around in my head, and thus the seeds for Images were sown. After a few pieces were completed, it became clear that I had the beginnings of a very unique recording. Being interested in many different genres of music, it seemed fitting that my first album reflect the diversity which I love so much in music. Each piece seemed to represent a different idea, a different mood, a different Image.
Here you'll find a mix of Baroque, Jazz, Easy-listening, New Age, orchestral works, and old favorites. Being fond of the sound of ensemble piano works, most of the works here are 2-piano or orchestral in nature.
Image for Piano
One morning, still groggy from sleep, I wandered over to the piano to wake-up. I sauntered through a bit of Rachmaninoff, and in my early-morning stupor, made the same mistake over and over. It was in that moment that the opening three-notes of Image for Piano sprang to life. If I hadn't been playing Rachmaninoff that morning, this piece might never have come into existence.
Mediterranean Mood
Imagine a stroll on the beach in Italy or southern France. A lazy, warm day… in the distance, church bells. This piece begins quietly, interrupted by a majestic hymn sung quietly in the vocal register of the piano. The piece ends as quietly as it began, the last phrase recalling the first in a major key, and fading into a distant sunset.
Bach 2x2-part invention #8,
2x2-part invention #13 and
3x3-part Inventions (Sinfonia in D Major)
Oh, these are a hoot. The oh-so-familiar inventions 8 and 13 retooled for duo piano. Additional counterpoint makes the pieces fresh, and exciting. The D Major Sinfonia takes the concept one step further, doubling the 3 part inventions to 6 part inventions for two pianos.
Chronicles
A day in the life of … This piece gives the listener a kind of musical glimpse into my psyche. This piece sort of composed itself all at once. I sat down at the keyboard one day, started playing with the recorder turned on, and this is what happened. I thought it a fitting title, "Chronicles", as it chronicled the events in my life that day.
Summertime
Gershwin didn't write it this way, but I sure like playing it this way! An easy jazz feel, but without taking too many liberties with the melody, this piece is comfortable, like an old shoe.
Just for Fun
Remember Leroy Anderson? His pieces are bright, airy, and generally a lot of fun. I thought, "What if I were to score a Leroy Anderson-like tune, and take it to the nth degree?" This is what came of that-light, airy, bouncy-The Happiest Piece in the World (tongue firmly planted in cheek).
Sketches for Pedal Piano,
#2,
#3, and
#4
Robert Schumann wrote a series of pieces that are known mostly to organists today, but have been almost completely forgotten by the pianists of our day. Why? Probably because these can't be played by a single pianist on modern instruments. The Pedalier was a piano with a set of pedal notes for the feet to play-like an organ. The only way modern pianists can play these pieces as written is as a duet. I've taken this wonderful collection of pieces, and transcribed them for duo piano.
New Moon
Quiet, pensive, gentle… Like a sailboat on a calm sea with a full moon overhead. The orchestration is ethereal, using choirs and strings to provide a kind of aural surface for the ear to rest upon. Definitely music for a lazy Sunday afternoon.