Description
Heritage presents the first recorded collection of the piano music of Reginald Redman. Duncan Honeybourne explains: 'Reginald Redman (1892-1972) was a revered figure: a cultured musician and refined composer; a generous supporter of the arts in the West Country; and a man whose influence as BBC West of England Director of Music defined the tastes of a generation. The majority of Redman's solo piano music seems to have been composed in the 1920s, before the demands of BBC work became all-consuming. It displays elegant craftsmanship and a fondness for the instrument's lyrical qualities, demanding warm melodic lines and a keen colouristic imagination, as well as nimble fingers and, at times, a relaxed and unselfconscious virtuosity. The intervallic language sometimes betrays Redman's interest in Chinese music - with a pentatonic flavour making a more than occasional appearance - and he is fond of fourths and fifths. Some of Redman's piano music is highly distinguished and intended for the professional recitalist, whilst some slighter pieces were clearly written with an educational purpose in mind'.
