Martin Cousin - Martin Cousin Plays Glazunov Liadov & Arensky - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

A Forest Unfolding is a collaborative work inspired by recent scientific research into the rich communication and subterranean connectivity between trees. Four writers-the environmentalists Bill McKibben and Joan Maloof, along with the novelists Richard Powers and Kim Stanley Robinson-selected prose passages and poems on the relations among people and trees. They presented these selections to four composers-Eric Moe, Melinda Wagner, Stephen Jaffe, and David Kirkland Garner-who set these words into a linked sequence of recitatives and arias. The resulting whole traces a narrative arc beginning with human estrangement from nature and ending with a glimpse of the endless cooperation that knits a forest together.

Anton Rubinstein's remarkable virtuoso career during the 19th century coincided almost exactly with the final developments of the modern piano. The increasing popularity of the instrument combined with Rubinstein's formidable execution earned him enormous popularity as a performer. The Six Preludes and Fugues in Free Style are major works, each piece dedicated and alluding to famous composers and performers of the day. The charming Three Pieces are small-scale character works, while the Concert Étude in C major is a witty display piece in which 'wrong notes' are instantly corrected, like an errant pupil attempting to disguise mistakes. Album Tracks 1. Six Fugues en Style Libre Introduites de Préludes, Op. 53 ('Six Preludes and Fugues in Free Style') (1857( 2. Three Pieces, Op. 71 (1867) 3. Concert Étude in C Major 'On False Notes' (1868) - Moderato

From the sixteenth century to the present day, fantasias have developed from improvisatory and virtuosic works for lute, to extended and elaborate works for ensembles, solo keyboard instruments and full orchestra. The dazzling array of works featured in this album showcases how composers have delighted in allowing their creativity and imagination to take precedence over conventional styles and forms. Album Tracks 1. Fantasia Contrappuntistica Opus 24 (1956) 2. Piano Fantasia Opus 24 (2018) 3. Morceaux de Fantaisie Opus 3 (1892) 4. Fantasia Baetica (1919)