Listen & tracks

4 of 29 tracks have a preview · 19 works · 128:35

1 Portrait and Blues Hymn Stuart Greenbaum 1:57
Ice ManStuart Greenbaum 3 movements31:36
1. 2 i. Lost | The Moon | Don’t leave me here 9:16
2. 3 ii. Picture of an anorexic | Dignity | The dream 12:17
3. 4 iii. They must have seen me | Faint voices | Affinity 10:03
5 Innocence (in Stillness) Stuart Greenbaum 2:03
6 Looking to the Future Stuart Greenbaum 1:41
7 But I Want the Harmonica Stuart Greenbaum 8:45
8 New Roads, Old Destinations Stuart Greenbaum 7:02
9 First Light Stuart Greenbaum 6:32
10 Fragments of Gratification Stuart Greenbaum 2:50
201 Equator Loops Stuart Greenbaum 7:08
Three Optical AllusionsStuart Greenbaum 3 movements7:00
1. 202 i. Solar Eclipse 2:32
2. 203 ii. Time-lapse Photograph 3:12
3. 204 iii. Möbius Strip 1:16
Four ThoughtsStuart Greenbaum 4 movements9:50
1. 205 i. The End of Winter 3:04
2. 206 ii. For Oliver 1:42
3. 207 iii. Spirals 2:26
4. 208 iv. Bagatelle for Aksel 2:38
Matilda DeconstructionsStuart Greenbaum 2 movements4:51
1. 209 i. Energised, elated 1:55
2. 210 ii. Freely 2:56
211 The 4th Saturday in April Stuart Greenbaum 2:26
212 Evocation Stuart Greenbaum 9:16
213 Lavender for Hanna Stuart Greenbaum 2:21
Allusion, Introspection and AscensionStuart Greenbaum 3 movements13:21
1. 214 i. Barcarole Allusion 2:04
2. 215 ii. Schubert: 1828, an introspection 5:18
3. 216 iii. The Petrarch Ascension 5:59
217 Satellite Mapping Stuart Greenbaum 4:40
218 Fanfare for Elizabeth Stuart Greenbaum 2:15
219 Homage (1989) Stuart Greenbaum (Bonus track) 3:01

This two-CD release gathers over two hours of Greenbaum’s solo piano output across a quarter of a century (1989–2014). The works are presented chronologically, recorded by one artist on the same piano in the same room – a rare and coherent undertaking. Farid’s reading is masterful; the performances are beautiful and profound.

You can see videos of two tracks on YouTube. Here's one of them:

In the artist’s words

The piano is an instrument I grew up with. There were two pianos in the house and to sit at them and play was (and still is) as natural as sitting down to dinner. I was not a prodigy and struggled to sight-read music on two staves simultaneously. But the pure feel and sound of the piano is like a second language to me. Around half of the music on this two-disc release has previously been recorded (by many wonderful and talented pianists). But to comprehensively and chronologically present around a quarter of a century of writing for solo piano, recorded by a single artist on the same piano in the same room is a unique undertaking – somewhat akin to publishing a diary. Some of the music is occasional (written for births, deaths, weddings and birthdays); some works were written in response to works of art or established repertoire (communing with the canon of Western Art Music); others were deliberately blank canvasses inviting more abstract development of musical language. Throughout this, the influence of minimalism, contemporary jazz, blues and rock can be found interwoven with the chromatic, tonal language of the classical repertoire. The piano is not only a beautiful instrument; for me it has been an important tool for musical thinking and for the development of my compositional language.

I often conceive of music in terms of journeys, but I also believe that music should be appreciable as pure, abstract sound in time. Either way, my music aims to evoke an atmosphere apart from the routine of modern life. I believe in the need to cultivate space in a world increasingly filled with commercialism, light and noise pollution and 24/7 thinking. At times, I think we lose a sense of wonderment at our earthly surrounds. Therefore, when I write, I seek an experience in sound to take me beyond mundane imperatives.

— Stuart Greenbaum

Artists

Amir Farid

piano

Amir Farid has been described as a highly creative musician – a pianist of great intelligence and integrity who brings strong musical substance to all that he does, imbuing it with his own experience and understanding, and who distinguishes himself for all the right reasons.

Stuart Greenbaum

composer

Stuart Greenbaum’s sound has overt connections to jazz, pop and minimalism, yet is equally grounded in the Western art music tradition, across a large body of orchestral, chamber, choral and stage works.

Digital booklet

Digital booklet Notes, texts and credits — read online or download the PDF Download the PDF

Buy now

$25.00 AUD

Compact disc

Buywell Music Australian Music Centre

Stream now

Apple Music Spotify

Also available to download from the iTunes Store.

Performers

Amir Farid · piano

Technical credits

Producer Stuart Greenbaum
Recording Engineer Vaughan McAlley
Editing Engineer Stuart Greenbaum
Mastering Engineer Martin Wright
Venue Move Records Studio
Credit Annabelle Farid
Warwick Dalton

Details

List price: $25.00 AUD
Total playing time: 128 minutes 35 seconds
Release date: 12 Mar 2016
Categories: Australian, Classical
Genre: Contemporary Classical
Musical work copyright: © 2016 Move Records
Sound recording copyright: ℗ 2016 Move Records
Catalogue: MD 3402
EAN: 9314574340228

More to explore

Schumann Cello

Cellist Zoe Knighton and pianist Amir Farid continue their partnership in a programme of short works by Clara and Robert Schumann, pairing song transcriptions with chamber pieces for cello and piano.

Moonlight Reflections

A recital album full to the brim with exquisite art song, this recording gathers hidden treasures and classic favourites performed by Opera Australia star Stacey Alleaume.

Amir Farid plays Javad Maroufi

Javād Maroufi was among the first composers of piano music in Persia, celebrated for his contribution to Persian classical music. Born in Tehran to musician parents Musa and Ezra Maroufi – both pupils of Darvish Khan – he lost his mother young, was raised by his father, and learned violin and tar from an early age.

Veiled Virtuosity

Amir Farid’s debut solo recording, made after his win at the 2006 Australian National Piano Award, ranges from Beethoven’s Waldstein Sonata and works by Brahms, Liszt and Prokofiev to Australian scores by Stuart Greenbaum and Carl Vine, with two pieces by Iranian composer Javad Maroufi.

Brahms Cello

Zoe Knighton and Amir Farid present their seventh cello–piano collaboration, turning to Johannes Brahms. The programme pairs his two cello sonatas with three songs in which the cello takes the vocal line wordlessly.