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Track(s) taken from 1EMIPM08

7 Airs & Fantasias

composer
1992-2007

Steven Kings (piano)
Recording details: August 2008
Victoria Rooms, Bristol, United Kingdom
Produced by Jonathan Scott
Engineered by Jonathan Scott
Release date: December 2013
Total duration: 65 minutes 5 seconds

Cover artwork: Photo of Clifton Suspension Bridge by Mat Connolley
www.iteracy.com
 

Reviews

‘Highly listenable stuff, very deftly in control of its chosen medium. A number of disparate influences are on display here, but welded into an overall idiom of considerable charm … "Intensely pleasant music"? Most certainly’ (International Record Review)

Are you going for piano triet brings this fine recording of interesting and evocative music to an exciting conclusion. As usual with Hyperion it is well recorded and it is all well worth listening to’ (MusicWeb International)» More
The seven “intensely pleasant” Airs & Fantasias for solo piano were written between 1992 and 2007. The airs are essentially melody-dominated, and the fantasias are pieces in free form with a minimalistic use of repeated and rotating patterns. The pieces are intended to be performed individually or in numbered pairs, or as a complete collection. The subtitles are largely programmatic or self-explanatory, other than Air 3 (On an anagram) which uses a melodic motif based on the letters of a name. This performance of Fantasia 2 uses optional piano preparations (a small plastic ruler secured loosely in place over middle C to the E above, another ruler wedged between 2 of the 3 F strings, and a bent metal ruler from the next C up over a further octave). A&Fs 6-7 inhabit a different harmonic world to the other pieces, using a collection of chord relationships called “Twisted Harmonies”. A book of the whole collection (grades 6-8) is available to order from www.johnpitts.co.uk.

from notes by 1equalmusic © 2013

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