This week we have been celebrating a piano day - which occurs every 8th of November. To be really frank, I never heard of this holiday before this year, and it was a bit weird feeling to find out only a couple of days later, on the 10th... But anyhoo, we, human kind, just love various celebrations that help us get out of the grim reality, so why not?
Hence a very cool batch of new releases coming our way this week which I am very happy to present to you today.
As always: read on below or dive right into the music here:
1. "Rose Curtains"
by Holly Jones from the US
Rose Curtains is a peaceful, felted solo piano track of the beauty and calm of a childhood memory.
Holly Jones says:
"Growing up in Kentucky on the Ohio River, I loved to go visit my grandparents on the Indiana side, whose house sat on a bluff, overlooking the water below. They had many fruit-bearing trees and everything was...just mossy, green, and lush.
The memory that inspired Rose Curtains was, when I was maybe 6 or 7, being put to bed in the “front room.”
I remember the thick, satin rose curtains, draped to the floor, and the heavy, yet soft rose bedding on the poster bed. I tucked in, feeling like Lucille Ball in a suite.
It was still light outside; very early in the evening, and as I settled back in the comfort, I remember the lulling mourning doves calling as the evening drew darker, as I drifted off to sleep.
May Rose Curtains bring you comfort and beauty as you listen."
2. "The Secret Garden"
by Sally Greenaway from Australia.
This is a beautifully structured light classical piece featuring Cello, Piano and Flute.
3. "Lullaby for Beirut"
by C-rouge from Lebanon
This is a blend of Armenian and Middle Eastern sounds, a Tribute to the Martyrs of the Beirut Explosion on August 4, 2020
Born to an artistic family of composers and performers, Serouj Baghdassarian also known as C-rouge, is a Lebanese-Armenian music producer known for his unique sound of blending traditional Armenian ethnic instruments and melodies with electronic music, as well as epic orchestral arrangements, crafting the best of both worlds.
4. "Vivaldi Variation"
by Julie Hanney from the US
This piece, originally composed by Florian Christl, is based on Vivaldi's Concerto for Strings in G minor. Here is Julie's version of this masterpiece.
I personally absolutely love this work of art and I hope you do too. It's a wonderful combination of old and new, and the melodies are unique, memorable and calming.
Julie is a pianist, composer and teacher. Her music spans several genres from relaxing to contemporary classical to jazz to modern romantic. Writing music since she was a little girl, she received her formal music education at the University of Oregon where she graduated with a degree in music with special emphasis on piano and composition.
She studied composition at the graduate level and is a published composer of works for piano, choir and various instrument combinations. She has arranged and composed music for the Jones Road String Quartet, the Bend Cello Collective, the Gospel Choir of the Cascades and various community, church and school choirs. Comfortable crossing many genres from classical to gospel and more, Julie loves to create unique soundscapes. Julie's music has been described as "peaceful yet intriguing."
One reviewer said, "If George Winston and Erik Satie had a musical baby, it would be Julie Hanney." This is a true compliment of Julie's ability to create and perform music that can both inspire and soothe.
5. "Another Era"
by Ian J. Green from Canada
Another Era is a song with a timeless style and sound. It is an original piece for solo piano that creates connections between each note in the melody and chords that creates a peaceful and relaxing vibe.
As a graduate of Queen’s University and the Royal Conservatory of Music at Toronto, Ian now maintains a thriving music business in the Greater Toronto Area. When he is not performing at venues or special events, Ian is composing new music or teaching piano lessons. From music rudiments to history and theory; Ian instructs students at all levels. He incorporates the various elements of Conservatory Canada and Canadian National Conservatory of Music curriculum to offer a well-rounded teaching philosophy and approach.
In addition to teaching piano and theory to students of all ages, Ian adjudicates piano classes for all performance levels across Canada and the United States. He is a National Piano Examiner with the Royal Conservatory of Music and an active volunteer and supporter of music culture in our communities.
A loyal patron to the arts. “I believe in the strong spiritual and social values that are offered through all performance arts. We need to continue offering scholarships to young students across the county.”
6. "Tender Words"
by Peter Cavallo from Australia
This is a very soft and nostalgic piano solo track.
7. "I Am Water"
by Wiebe from the Netherlands.
The artist says:
I decided to make an album inspired by the natural underwater world. When I am underwater the motion and patterns of the waves and the sea life trigger musical patterns and melodies in my head. The main instruments on the album are piano and cello.
“I feel very relaxed underwater, the sense of drifting and floating”
8. "Look to the Sea"
by Aisha Edwards from the UK
This is a very gentle and soft piano track to think to, or meditate to. Soothing and warming from inside.
9. "Dream Chasers vol 4 - Autumn Falls"
by Various Artists from all over the world
And lastly but not leastly, The Yellow Rose Records label had a fantastic compilation release this week. It's an autumn-themed album with 14 artists around the world. All tunes are solo piano tunes with mostly felt piano sound. Check the whole album out on Spotify here
https://open.spotify.com/album/0bcRMpFL56aB9aYHboW2UO
Listen to these and other wonderful piano pieces at Multicolored Piano on Spotify here
Blessings and a good Sunday to everyone! andrei