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, colorful 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..."

Tracklist:

24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 1 In C Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 2 In C-Sharp Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 3 In D Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 4 In E-Flat Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 5 In E Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 6 In F Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 7 In G-Flat Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 8 In G Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 9 In A-Flat Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 10 In A Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 11 In B-Flat Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 12 In B Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 13 In C Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 14 In C-Sharp Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 15 In D Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 16 In E-Flat Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 17 In E Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 18 In F Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 19 In F-Sharp Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 20 In G Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 21 In G-Sharp Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 22 In A Major
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 23 In B-Flat Minor
24 Preludes & Fugues: No. 24 In B Major
3 Nocturnes: No. 1, -
3 Nocturnes: No. 2, -
3 Nocturnes: No. 3, -
Reflections: No. 1, -
Reflections: No. 2, -
Reflections: No. 3, -
Reflections: No. 4, -
Reflections: No. 5, -
Reflections: No. 6, -
Reflections: No. 7, -
Reflections: No. 8, -
Reflections: No. 9, -
Reflections: No. 10, -
Reflections: No. 11, -
Images: Song No. 2
Images: Prelude No. 3
Images: Interlude No. 8
Images: Interlude No. 2
Images: Interlude No. 1
Images: The Cockfight
Images: Prelude No. 7
Images: Interlude No. 5
Images: Prelude No. 8
Images: Interlude No. 3
Images: Prelude No. 2
Images: Prelude No. 6
Images: Interlude No. 4
Images: Variations
Images: Interlude No. 6
Images: Interlude No. 7
Images: Prelude No. 4
Images: Prelude No. 5
Images: Prelude No. 1
Images: Postlude (The Keel Row)

UPC: 5060189561162
Label: Orchid Classics
Release Date: 2.14.20
Format: CD

Skempton / Howard - William Howard Plays Skempton (CD)