William Howard - Mendelssohn, Schubert, Schumann, Chopin, Matthews, Wagner: Works for Piano (2014)

Tracklist

01. Rondo Capriccioso, Op. 14
02. Impromptu No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 90, D899
03. Impromptu No. 2 in E-Flat Major, Op. 90, D899
04. Nine Pieces from Bunte Blätter, Op. 99 "Drei Stücklein": I. Nicht schnell, mit Innigkeit
05. Nine Pieces from Bunte Blätter, Op. 99 "Drei Stücklein": II. Sehr rasch
06. Nine Pieces from Bunte Blätter, Op. 99 "Drei Stücklein": III. Frisch
07. Nine Pieces from Bunte Blätter, Op. 99 "Albumbätter": I. Ziemlich langsam
08. Nine Pieces from Bunte Blätter, Op. 99 "Albumbätter": II. Schnell
09. Nine Pieces from Bunte Blätter, Op. 99 "Albumbätter": III. Ziemlich langsam, sehr gesangvoll
10. Nine Pieces from Bunte Blätter, Op. 99 "Albumbätter": IV. Sehr langsam
11. Nine Pieces from Bunte Blätter, Op. 99 "Albumbätter": V. Langsam
12. Nine Pieces from Bunte Blätter, Op. 99 "Novellette": I. Lebhaft
13. Nocturne No. 2 in A-Flat Major, Op. 32
14. Ballade No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 23
15. Four Portraits: I. Tempo di valse lente
16. Four Portraits: II. Presto velato
17. Four Portraits: III. Andante grazioso
18. Four Portraits: IV. Molto vivace
19. The Shorter Ring: I. Das Rheingold (arr. Matthews)
20. The Shorter Ring: II. Die Walküre (arr. Matthews)
21. The Shorter Ring: III. Siegfried (arr. Matthews)
22. The Shorter Ring: IV. Götterdämmerung (arr. Matthews)



The selection of music on this CD is very personal. I have chosen pieces which mean a lot to to me for a variety of reasons, and which I feel work well side by side. At the heart of this recording is Chopin’s G minor Ballade, which I have loved since I was in my teens. I performed it in my first public solo recital in 1973 and have continued to study it ever since. More than any other piano work it has helped me to assess and to extend my own boundaries as a musician and and as a performer. I envisage continuing to study it until the day I can no longer play. Most of the works that I have recorded here were written in a fourteen-year period, between 1827 and 1841. The exceptions are the two works by David Matthews, which are the most recent pieces of many that I have commissioned over the years. Playing works by living composers has been an extremely important part of my life as a performer, and throughout my career I have always made a point of programming contemporary works alongside music from the past. David’s pieces also add to the personal flavour of this recital; in what is commonly known as a ‘portrait recording’ it seems appropriate to include his Four Portraits, which are musical representations of myself and three friends. The final piece, David’s brilliant reduction of Wagner’s Ring Cycle, was also written for a mutual friend. I would like to thank all those who encouraged me to make this recording and have supported the making of it in numerous ways.

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