Move Records Australian classical & art music, est. 1968
Front cover art for PianoWorks

PianoWorks

Linda Kouvaras’s piano works respond to three places: Ormond College at Melbourne University, bayside St Kilda, and Bundanon on the Shoalhaven. Each set reflects lived experience of a distinct site.

  • CatalogueMD 3233
  • Released2000
  • Playing time63 minutes 51 seconds

Listen & tracks

1 of 17 tracks have a preview · 3 works · 63:51

  1. The Ormond CollectionLinda Kouvaras 8 movements27:26
    1. 1 City Views from the Sixth Floor, McCaughey Court 3:38
    2. 2 postlude 1:10
    3. 3 Tower 5:49
    4. 4 postlude 2:17
    5. 5 Chapel 5:42
    6. 6 postlude 1:33
    7. 7 The Yearning 4:57
    8. 8 postlude 2:20
  2. Three St Kilda SketchesLinda Kouvaras 3 movements10:58
    1. 9 i. 3:22
    2. 10 ii. 3:04
    3. 11 iii. 4:32
  3. Bundanon Suite for PianoLinda Kouvaras 6 movements25:27
    1. 12 Secrets of the Amphitheatre 4:49
    2. 13 Shimmering Haze on the Shoalhaven 5:32
    3. 14 Lament for Helen 4:17
    4. 15 Haunted Point 5:17
    5. 16 Bundanon Rhapsody 3:05
    6. 17 Old Forest Growth 2:27

The first is a residential college at Melbourne University, the second the inner Melbourne bayside suburb of St Kilda, and the third a working farm and historic homestead on the Shoalhaven River in NSW.

Recorded on the Steinway in the then-new Iwaki Auditorium, these are premiere recordings with the composer at the keyboard.

In the artist’s words

The Bundanon Suite for Piano (1999) is the outcome of a midsummer stay on the Shoalhaven River near Nowra on the NSW south coast, sponsored by the artist-in-residence program at Bundanon – Arthur and Yvonne Boyd’s gift to the nation. Kouvaras’ sojourn at Bundanon provided an invaluable opportunity to explore the beauty, magnitude and isolation of a complex ecosystem of unspoilt bush, vestigial rainforest, the Shoalhaven River, a working farm, and historic homestead built in 1866. “Lament for Helen”, described by Kouvaras as the most programmatic work in the collection, is a response to a tragic drowning event of 1922.

Helen, aged 11, and her father both drowned when their horses inexplicably got into difficulties whilst crossing the river. A more personal association arose during the writing of this piece when Kouvaras learned of the death of her colleague and friend since childhood, musicologist Dr Naomi Helen Cumming (1960–1999).

Reviews

a collection of pieces that tantalises by its secrets … thoroughly delights … in hearing it one is almost bewitched by its wistful turns of melody, subtle chord-building and apparently improvisatory forms.

Linda Kouvaras has established a unique language of keyboard music in the tradition of the great composer/pianists … remarkable

PianoWorks shows the composer's intellectual grip and interpretative freedom … the playing is articulate and expressive

The music and the performance are inspiring, enthusiastically tackling life in a spiritual sense while providing a spontaneity in a physical manner with the music itself.

the piano is the sole story-teller of many different scenes and personal thoughts. Kouvaras gives a faultless performance

Artists

Photograph of Linda Kouvaras

Linda Kouvaras

piano

Linda Kouvaras is a pianist, composer and musicologist with a particular focus on contemporary Australian music. She has recorded, commissioned and premiered numerous new works for piano, and performs widely in city and regional centres.

Buy now

$25.00 AUD

Compact disc

Stream now

Also available to download from the iTunes Store.

Performers

Technical credits

  • Recording Engineer Jim Atkins
  • Editing Engineer Jim Atkins
  • Venue ABC Studios, Melbourne
  • Thanks to Ian Potter Foundation

Details

List price
$25.00 AUD
Total playing time
63 minutes 51 seconds
Release date
Categories
Australian, Classical, Keyboard
Musical work copyright
© 2000 Linda Kouvaras
Sound recording copyright
℗ 2000 Move Records
Catalogue
MD 3233
EAN
9314574323320

More to explore

Front cover art for Homegrown

Homegrown

Themes of nature, motherhood, and a profound spiritual connection to place pervade Homegrown — art song by Australian women composers, performed by soprano Rebecca Cassidy and pianist Alex Raineri.

Front cover art for Move 50

Move 50

Twenty-four Australian composers mark Move Records’ fiftieth year with short new works gathered on this commemorative disc.

Front cover art for The Sky Is Melting

The Sky Is Melting

Marianne Rothschild and Glenn Riddle formed as a duo in 2004, recording Stuart Greenbaum’s Sonata for Violin and Piano for the CD Mercurial. Broadcast on ABC Classic FM, ABC Radio National, 3MBS FM and Radio New Zealand, they have premiered and recorded many works by Melbourne composers including Broadstock, Greenbaum, Pertout, Schmidt and Kouvaras.

Front cover art for Giants in the Land

Giants in the Land

Recorded in Melba Hall, this world premiere finds Melbourne pianist Ian Holtham in a brilliant cross-section of Australian contemporary piano works by Brenton Broadstock, Linda Kouvaras, Stephen Ingham, Stuart Greenbaum, Johanna Selleck and Christine McCombe.

Front cover art for Mozart

Mozart

Having already tackled Liszt, Chopin and Godowsky, Ian Holtham turns to Mozart in this solo piano recital for Move, continuing his survey of the virtuoso keyboard repertoire.

Front cover art for Bright Tracks

Bright Tracks

Winner of the 1998 ABC Classic FM Listeners’ Choice Award, this double CD gathers chamber music by Brenton Broadstock, one of Australia’s most established and respected composers.