Giants in the Earth

Twenty-Four Contemporary Pieces For Solo Piano includes a diverse selection of works from 16 of the world's leading composers. The 24 pieces featured in this collection represent the best of contemporary classical Piano music being composed today. As well as being a compilation of fantastically enjoyable compositions, the book also features interesting notes by each composer to accompany their music.These Contemporary Pieces For Solo Piano are at once accessible and musically inspiring, featuring some of the most talented and respected composers and their most definitive contributions to Piano music. Perhaps the biggest name included here is that of Ludovico Einaudi, whose wide reputation is a result of his masterful ability to pull at heartstrings, exemplified in his works Berlin Song, The Earth Prelude and Waterways, all of which are included here. Other giants of contemporary classical music are included in the collection, names like Philip Glass (Etude #11), Max Richter (Horizon Variations and Vladimir's Blues) and Hauschka, whose Can You Dance For Me, Early In The Park and Until It's Dawn perfectly encapsulate the emotive characteristics of all the pieces in this book. Composers like Nils Frahm, Ólafur Arnalds, Dustin O'Halloran and Jóhann Jóhannsson evolved from a similar school that favours building atmosphere with hypnotic arpeggiation in composition, explaining why these composers are often used to great effect in film soundtracks.Other inclusions in Twenty-Four Contemporary Pieces For Solo Piano are simply too important to have left out, namely Nico Muhly's Hudson Cycle, two pieces by Joby Talbot as well as Tarik O'Regan's Lines Of Desire. The beauty of the songs here speak for themselves, but the composers have also written brief notes that preface each of the pieces, giving fascinating insight into either the composition itself or particular playing notes. Featuring some of the best compositions by the most respected and creative musicians writing today, the Twenty-Four Contemporary Pieces For Solo Piano within this collection are an exciting prospect for any pianist looking for some wonderfully inspiring music to learn and play. / Piano

Commissioned by John Storgårds Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra and Nordic House in the Faroe Islands.Dedicated to the composers daughter Malan.Preface / Programme note:From the Edda verse 31Three roots there are that three ways runNeath the ash-tree Yggdrasil;Neath the first lives Hel neath the second the frost-giants Neath the last are the lands of men.The idea behind the Symphony is the story of Yggdrasil “The Tree of Life” from the Old Norse mythology. TheAsh-treereaches all the way into the sky and has three roots each growing into three different places. One rootgrows into the “Land of Hel” (Hel is the goddess of Hell) called “Helheim” another into the “Land of Frost-Giants” called “Jotunheim” and one root grows into the “Land of men” called “Asgard”. And the Ash-treereaches into the sky. In the crown of the tree lives a squirrel which moves fast around the tree and spreadsgossip both between the three roots and between three roots and the crown of the tree.The Edda is a large collection of Old Norse poems collected in the 12th Century by the Icelandic poet andhistorian Snorri Sturluson. Sunleif Rasmussen March 2015