Breaking down each CD in Kirsten Johnson’s 3-disc Arthur Foote: Complete Piano Music recording:
CD 3 begins with Foote’s Op. 52 set of 20 Preludes: most run under a minute in length. But these might just as well been called studies or etudes, as each deals with a different problem of piano technique, very much as the previous CD’s Nine Studies do. Among the main pleasures found in Five Serenades, Op. 45, are ‘Aubade,’ a piece that breathes breezy contentment, in contrast to the more pensive mood of the following ‘Air.’ Crowning the Five Silhouettes, Op. 73, is one of our artist’s favorites: ‘Valse Triste,’ with its sweetly brooding strains; it’s the perfect foil to the happy tumble of ‘Flying Cloud’ and the exotic stylization of the concluding ‘Oriental Dance’ that follow. From Rest Harrow, subtitled A Little Suite for the Pianoforte, has no opus number; it was written in 1922, and contains several charming little jewels, including a rather impressionistic piece, `Rain on the Garret Roof.’
Rounding off our final CD are a few shorter sets and individual numbers – to include `An Irish Folk Song,’ based on `You’ll Wander Far and Wide, Dear.” The first of the Two Compositions for Piano, Op. 60, is `Revery’ – a good example of typically reflective Victorian-era sentimentality in music; its companion piece, ‘A May Song,’ radiates more positive springtime spirits. `Meditation,’ Op. 61, projects a darker, more somber aura. Among my personal favorites in the entire collection are the Two Pieces, Op. 62. `Whims,’ the first, is a blithe Mendelssohnian romp, offset by the contrasting `Exaltation’ – with its ravishing, atmospherically nocturnal melody floating over a bed of broken chords in 16th notes. Following a short octave study is the cheerful little `Rondo in G Major.’
Explore Disc One
Explore Disc Two
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