William Howard - Howard Skempton: Piano Works (2020) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist
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01. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 1 in C Major
02. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor
03. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 3 in D Major
04. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 4 in E-Flat Minor
05. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 5 in E Major
06. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 6 in F Minor
07. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 7 in G-Flat Major
08. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 8 in G Minor
09. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 9 in A-Flat Major
10. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 10 in A Minor
11. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 11 in B-Flat Major
12. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 12 in B Minor
13. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 13 in C Minor
14. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 14 in C-Sharp Major
15. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 15 in D Minor
16. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 16 in E-Flat Major
17. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 17 in E Minor
18. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 18 in F Major
19. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 19 in F-Sharp Minor
20. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 20 in G Major
21. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 21 in G-Sharp Minor
22. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 22 in A Major
23. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 23 in B-Flat Minor
24. 24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 24 in B Major
25. 3 Nocturnes: No. 1, —
26. 3 Nocturnes: No. 2, —
27. 3 Nocturnes: No. 3, —
28. Reflections: No. 1, —
29. Reflections: No. 2, —
30. Reflections: No. 3, —
31. Reflections: No. 4, —
32. Reflections: No. 5, —
33. Reflections: No. 6, —
34. Reflections: No. 7, —
35. Reflections: No. 8, —
36. Reflections: No. 9, —
37. Reflections: No. 10, —
38. Reflections: No. 11, —
39. Images: Song No. 2
40. Images: Prelude No. 3
41. Images: Interlude No. 8
42. Images: Interlude No. 2
43. Images: Interlude No. 1
44. Images: The Cockfight
45. Images: Prelude No. 7
46. Images: Interlude No. 5
47. Images: Prelude No. 8
48. Images: Interlude No. 3
49. Images: Prelude No. 2
50. Images: Prelude No. 6
51. Images: Interlude No. 4
52. Images: Variations
53. Images: Interlude No. 6
54. Images: Interlude No. 7
55. Images: Prelude No. 4
56. Images: Prelude No. 5
57. Images: Prelude No. 1
58. Images: Postlude (The Keel Row)


William Howard performs the solo piano music of Howard Skempton in a collection that includes Skempton’s 24 Preludes and Fugues, inspired by J.S. Bach’s example but in a contemporary style. Skempton’s piano miniatures are concise, crystalline gems: clear, colourful and bright. There is a neoclassical quality to Skempton’s Preludes and Fugues, which exude a serene, almost otherworldly atmosphere, tempered with a sense of intimacy and refinement. Each Prelude consists of a spare, canonic piece, and each Fugue is woven into an intricate but delicate texture of interlacing lines. Skempton’s Three Nocturnes are richer and more fluid, at times darker-hued and enigmatic, with the use of jazz inflections but with a similar clarity of texture to that heard in the Preludes and Fugues. The Reflections are exquisite windows into a world of contemplative introspection, and the Images represent a varied collection of miniatures culminating in a Postlude based on The Keel Row, a folk tune from the north of Britain also used in Debussy’s orchestral Images – perhaps a nod to the impressionistic aspects of these works, as alluded to by Skempton in his album notes: “The landscape of these four collections of pieces is gently unpredictable...”

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