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Broadway Boogie
Michael Kieran Harvey
Reviewer Bob Crimeen has awarded Broadway Boogie the honor of being number 1 in his best classical CDs of 2008 list in Melbourne's Herald-Sun. He says, "Australia's own piano maestro makes modern classical music arrestingly acceptable".
"Broadway Boogie is an assemblage of recent Australian piano music selected for its allusions - sometimes extremely tenuous - to New York. A major international centre of ideas and creativity, this city maintains a galvanizing effect on Australian intellectual life in a way that, say, Washington never could. Andrew Ford's Broadway Boogie-Woogie finds musical parallels to Mondrian's famous painting, the epitome of non-symmetrical balance, and itself a paean to New York's artistic diversity. Andrew Byrne, a resident of New York, has written an unsentimental exploration of the surreal sounds of chaos and succour after the destruction of the Twin Towers. Byrne's mentor, John McCaughey, possibly the most self-effacing and reluctant Australian composer, yet one of Australia's busiest and most original musicians, gives us a glimpse into the multi-layered nature of his thinking with Toccata de Nielico. Nigel Westlake's brilliant (if brief!) follow-up to the magnificent first sonata contrasts ethereal improvisations with driving rhythms which would not sound out of place in downtown Manhattan. Mark Pollard's homage to Euclid shows his fascination with post-minimalism (a New York hallmark) and the re-emergence of emotion, and finds fresh stimulus in the nostalgic language of Chopin. My own sonata is offered in gratitude to Saxby Pridmore, who in turn owes his inspiration to the great New York Stoic psychologist Albert Ellis." - Michael Kieran Harvey All works on this CD are premieres: Andrew Ford: 11/11/05 at Feast Festival, Adelaide (Australian premiere) - Andrew Byrne: 25/7/04 at Federation Concert Hall, Hobart (world premiere) - John McCaughey: world premiere on this recording - Nigel Westlake: 1/8/05 at Festival Hall, Adelaide (world premiere) - Mark Pollard: 16/6/06 at Federation Hall, VCA (world premiere) - Michael Kieran Harvey: 8/10/06 at Port Fairy Festival, Victoria (world premiere) Press quotes:
“Who better to interpret and play this splendidly engineered and lengthy recital of contemporary music than one of Australia's finest pianists, Michael Kieran Harvey? . . . For those with flexible and enquiring minds it provides an insight into the creative thinking of some of Australia's most foremost composers”
— John Barns, 3MBS FM Libretto Audio previews:
Broadway Boogie-Woogie (Andrew Ford) download
Six Dances: Third dance (Andrew Byrne) download
Toccata da Nielico (John McCaughey) download
Piano Sonata II - 1st Movt (Nigel Westlake) download
Piano Sonata I - 1st Movt (Mark Clement Pollard) download
Piano Sonata - Meastoso (Michael Kieran Harvey) download Track Listing:
Broadway Boogie-Woogie - Andrew Ford
Six Dances - Andrew Byrne Toccata da Nielico - John McCaughey Piano Sonata II - Nigel Westlake Piano Sonata No.1 - Mark Clement Pollard Piano Sonata - Michael Kieran Harvey Catalogue Number: MD3315
Price: AU$26.00
(convert to $US)
Broadway Boogie can be purchased through Buywell Just Classical who offer secure on-line ordering. |
 Featured Artists:
Michael Kieran Harvey is one of the foremost interpreters of contemporary piano music of his generation. A champion of Australian music and himself a composer, he regularly commissions new Australian music and has performed Australian music with Australia's leading contemporary music ensembles and orchestras
Composers:
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