Release Date: 01 February 2004
Label: Naxos / Naxos Classics
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 636943921227
Genres: Classical
Composer/Series: BRUBECK
Description
Dave Brubeck (b. 1920)Chromatic Fantasy Sonata Five Pieces from Two PartAdventures TritonisThe Salmon Strikes Rising SunNotes from the ComposerA question I am repeatedly asked is \What is the differencebetween your composed pieces and your piano improvisations? My approach towriting for the piano is basically the same as my approach to improvisation,the difference being the gift of time and opportunity to edit, rewrite andrefine what is written. I would venture to say that the best of my compositionswere probably never notated or recorded, but were created at the moment for themoment. That is the nature of improvisation. There is a story about a meetingbetween Mozart and Beethoven in which the young Beethoven played hiscompositions for Mozart, who left the room unimpressed. However, the storygoes, Beethoven remained at the piano and began to improvise. It is said, thatupon overhearing these improvisations, Mozart exclaimed, "This young man willmake a great noise in the world". He had caught a glimpse of the workings of acomposer's mind. I hope to capture in my composed pieces some of the freshspirit of improvisation.My association with pianist John Salmon began over thirtyyears ago. It came in the form of a letter from a young man, who played bothjazz and classical piano, seeking advice about pursuing a professional careerin music. There was such obvious sincerity in the tone of the letter that Ianswered, telling him about my own sons near his age, who were just enteringthe professional world. Bestowing a modicum of fatherly advice, I wished himsuccess. Seven years later he showed up in my dressing room at the Universityof Maryland, where I was performing with my Quartet. He was there toparticipate in a piano competition taking place on the campus (a competition atwhich he won a prize, by the way!). Throughout the following decades weexchanged holiday greetings and John would show up at our concerts whenever wewere in his area. In 1992 John interviewed me for an article he was writing forthe magazine American Music Teacher. The article was entitled "What Brubeck GotFrom Milhaud", and upon reading it, I knew that John was a serious scholar aswell as an accomplished pianist. One day I received a telephone call from Johnin which he told me that by changing the fingering, he had finally figured outa way to play some parts of the fugue in my composition, Points on Jazz. I had consideredit almost impossible for any soloist, since it was a reduction of a pieceoriginally written for two pianos. The following year I received in the mail atape of a John Salmon piano recital at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan.His performance of Points on Jazz and the difficult Fugue amazed me. It beganan exchange of letters, followed by more articles for music journals, andeventually my asking him to edit my piano music for publication by Warner Bros.Publications. I really became aware of John Salmon's dedication to my music in1994 when he came to Germany to deliver
Tracklisting
Dariia Lytvishko
Baltimore Symphony Orchestra; Marin Alsop
Alice Di Piazza; Basel Sinfonietta; NDR Bigband; Titus Engel
Anna Alas i Jove; Miquel Villalba
David Childs; Black Dyke Band; Nicholas Childs
Yaqi Yang; Margarita Parsamyan; Robynne Redmon; Minghao Liu; Frank Ragsdale; Kim Josephson; Kevin S
Vilmos Csikos; Olivier Lechardeur; Manon Lamaison
Tomas Cotik; Martingale Ensemble; Ken Selden
