New album - Pianoforte

I really like the year of incomparable happiness.... very nice.


It started a bit dark..... and there were a few places that had me questioning the happiness aspect of the song's title. And almost 12 minutes long....wow..... nice song to listen to.

OK, I finally had an hour at home alone while getting ready for our kids to come over.  Fortunately I remembered this....and just finishing listening to them all.  WOW!!!  just isn't enough to exclaim.  This is just incredible.  Thoroughly inspired and inspiring.  You've become one of my favorite pianists. (alongside Jon Schmidt, Yiruma, Dino, and a few others.) 

I didn't jot down the track names (could hardly read them w/o glasses), but I especially liked tracks 1, 4, 5, & 7-13.  I guess that's about all of them, isn't it?  lol  On track 5, the part that starts at 2:26 is brilliant.  Track 10, at 4:20, the change-up is great.  The part that starts at 8:56 is absolutely brilliantly incredible.  I keep hoping you'll say you recorded your hands separately, but I know better.  :-)   Your left hand work is especially inspired (in all the pieces).  I really really enjoyed the whole thing.  Thanks for posting it! 

Hi,

Wow, thanks very much! Apologies for the delay in replying - I've been away at my brother-in-law's wedding the last few days.

@guitarhacker - thanks for listening. I'm not going to say that the track is a complete parallel to everything that happened in the year this relates to - but it did start off pretty dark which meant that the light at the end of the tunnel was so much brighter!

@Janet - coming from you this means a lot, thanks for taking the time to listen. Comparing me favourably with the likes of Jon Schmidt made me break into a very wide grin! As far recording left and right hands separately... I have done that in the past but for this album I didn't want to cheat... however I must admit that there was some overdubbing on 1 track. On Bracken Moors (track 9) there's a bit in the middle that is technically possible to play (notes doubled up on octaves on the right hand, with lots of movement in the left hand, and some notes in-between the two parts that can be played in-between the octaves and at the top of the left hand runs... however much I practised I just couldn't get it perfect. So rather than simplify the music to the limits of my practical technique I decided to cheat. Everything else was played live - I would practise a track for a few days until I thought it was just right and then record it. Then practise the next one for a few days... etc etc etc.
The section that you mention on Track 5 (Russian Lament) causes frustrations for me. While I was practising I realised that the left hand is very similar to a Chopin piece that I like, but can't play. I dug out the sheet music and started to practice the Chopin... but I just couldn't get my left hand to do what it was supposed to in conjunction with what he'd written for the right hand... so I gave up :$ and went back to mine again.

@vechung - thanks for the compliment - and for listening to four tracks, I really appreciate you taking the time. I would love the opportunity to spend a decent amount of time in a decent studio with a decent piano and a decent mic setup. It would be my dream. Unfortunately time, money, and my job don't allow this kind of luxury. Perhaps when I retire... ;-)

Thanks again.

Terry.

Hi Terry, just listened to your album and think it's a great piece of work. The stand out track for me is "Slumbering spring". Erik Satie is my favorite composer and this sounds like Satie playing some nocturne by Chopin.

Greetings, Rik

Sounds awesome, makes me want to practice my piano more instead of programming almost all of it.

listening on soundcloud to 'the year'...
sounds great, of course, perfect piano samples. the tune is so diverse, it's great to hear non-virtuoso but solo piano stuff one can appreciate and get so much out of...a pretty rare genre. at times reminds me of Grieg's Lyric Pieces, at others Schumann, and again of Elton John! thanks for sharing!

  Sign me up!