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Albéniz - Iberia
• original solo piano version: The complete 12 pieces (approx. 80 minutes)
• A 13-piece cycle for solo piano, with revised and shortened forms of some pieces, a new performance order, and the inclusion of the opening piece, Evocación, again as a postlude - thereby creating a full cycle. (approx. 70 minutes)
• a new adaptation for Iberia for piano and spoken voice: Much of the music in Iberia uses patterns of construction which are derived from Spanish poetry. Albéniz exploits this using particular phrase structures, and often specific numbers of syllables in phrases which correspond exactly to the poetry from which it is derived. This point is often overlooked in his music, and this new hybrid work serves to highlight this 'language-derived' aspect of the work, employing relevant Spanish poetry and spoken voice super-imposed upon the music.
Rachmaninoff - The 24 Preludes
• The complete Preludes (Op3, Op23, Op.32) for Solo Piano (approx. 80 minutes)
Original Transcriptions
• Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture, Rachmaninoff Songs, Bach Brandenburg Concerto No.3, Bach Songs, Bach Double Violin Concerto, Faure In Paradisum, Gershwin Rhapsody in Blue, Vivaldi Summer, Khachaturian Sabre Dance
ORIGINAL WORKS
• solo piano
• voice and piano – music based on the poetry of the distiguished contemporary Mallorcan poet, Ponç Pons.
• chamber opera – libretto by Jesus Villaltra, created and adapted from the poetry of Ponç Pons
Next CD PROJECTS
• Iberia by Albéniz, as a cycle
• Untitled– an eclectic mix of styles ranging from the medieval, to jazz, through contemporary and world music, all arranged for solo piano
• Music and Madness - works highlighting the close association between artistic creativity and mental illness.
PUBLICATIONS
Piano Technique Optimisation: An approach based on principles of science and medicine, (in progress), 2009
Myths and lies surround the world of teaching piano technique. Some methods have some truth but most do not and achieve their technical goals by encouraging the execution of various finger exercises of ever-increasing difficulty. Years of repetition of such exercises indeed train muscles - adaption is one of their characteristics. 'Success' with such exercises, however, bares no relationship to their long term value or the status of health of the body. It says little about how the muscles are coping, are designed to cope, or what limits they have. It says even less about the other effects on tendons, ligaments and joints etc. Many methods on technique, including famous ones whose 'truths' continue to be propagated in the conservatories of the today, have no scientific validity whatsoever, confuse the concepts of art with science, and accept tradition and metaphor as fact. As such, they add to the generalised confusion of 'how to play the piano', describing methods of movement which are not only inefficient, ineffective, but potentially harmful. Injuries are very common amongst professional pianists, and most of them appear 'inexplicably' even to the best professionals. They are mostly always preventable, though for a variety of reasons teachers seem to shy from teaching technique directly, and more often than not, have very little to offer when problems arise. The ever-popular phrases, 'relax more' or 'try Alexander technique' etc. are non-specific and admit a lack of insight into the problem. Bad technique or pain has nothing to do with fine art and given the importance of the matter to artists solutions should not be guessed at. The problem is scientific (ie. with the proper applications of force, weight, momentum etc.), or medical (ie. understanding anatomy, physiology, biochemistry, neurology, rheumatolgy), and consequently, the solution should be sought there. This book is about technique, teaching it, using it, and showing that if it is based on principles of science, and a little medical understanding, it can be used to solve any technical problem (Chopin, Liszt, etc.) and avoid injury. Sadly, the voice of science and medicine continues to be lacking in the world of teaching and playing the piano. The book is aimed at teachers, serious students and performing professions. It explains in simple terms everything that is possible, and not possible, in regards to playing the piano, producing sound, and moving the body. Common, and established methods on technique are scrutinized - the goal: to show which teachings on technique are correct and incorrect, and to show why.