Christos Tsitsaros - Piano Works - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Long based in the United States, Greek composer Dinos Constantinides has written a large volume of works for a wide variety of ensembles and solo instruments. His piano works are wonderful, probing works that are immediately accessible. The music of Greek born composer Dinos Constantinides (Boyd Professor of Composition) has been performed throughout the world. He is the recipient of many grants, commissions and awards, including first prizes in the 1981 Brooklyn College International Chamber Competition, the 1985 First Midwest Chamber Opera Conference, and the 1997 Delius composition Contest Grand Prize. He also received the 1985 American New Music consortium Distinguished Service Award, the 1989 Glen Award of l'Ensemble of New York, several Meet the Composer grants and numerous ASCAP Standard Awards. In 1994 he was honored with a Distinguished Teacher White House commission on Presidential Scholars

Chisato Kusunoki - Piano Works [COMPACT DISCS] Jewel Case Packaging date 03/13/2012

Over the course of his life Max Bruch often made uncomplimentary remarks about the piano as an instrument - even though he himself was an outstanding and successful pianist. On the whole it was not until his later years that increasing occupation with the piano could be observed in his compositions. His late chamber music with the piano and the Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra may be understood as a return to this instrument. The selection of piano works recorded here by the pianist Christof Keymer demonstrates beyond any doubt Bruch's mastery in the compositional treatment of the piano and it's special resources. Here we find a cosmos of romantic emotional worlds that in Bruch's hands produce original, unique tones. This very personal treatment of piano sound, melodic invention, and melodic leading shows us Bruch as a great composer personality. The transcriptions almost incidentally reveal his great command of the tonal transformation of the originals, while many virtuoso elements in turn have a signature that is very much Bruch's own. All the piano works have in common Bruch's love of melody, which was his creed as a composer.