{"product_id":"0801213076390-william-howard-plays-skempton","title":"Préludes et Fugues - Nocturnes - Reflections - Images","description":"\u003cmeta content=\"text\/html; charset=utf-8\" http-equiv=\"Content-Type\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eEDITORIAL REVIEWS \u003cbr\u003e William Howard performs the solo piano music of Howard Skempton in a collection that includes Skempton's 24 Preludes and Fugues, inspired by J.S. Bach's example but in a contemporary style. Skempton's piano miniatures are concise, crystalline gems: clear, colorful and bright. There is a neoclassical quality to Skempton's Preludes and Fugues, which exude a serene, almost otherworldly atmosphere, tempered with a sense of intimacy and refinement. Each Prelude consists of a spare, canonic piece, and each Fugue is woven into an intricate but delicate texture of interlacing lines. Skempton's Three Nocturnes are richer and more fluid, at times darker-hued and enigmatic, with the use of jazz inflections but with a similar clarity of texture to that heard in the Preludes and Fugues. The Reflections are exquisite windows into a world of contemplative introspection, and the Images represent a varied collection of miniatures culminating in a Postlude based on The Keel Row, a folk tune from the north of Britain also used in Debussy's orchestral Images - perhaps a nod to the impressionistic aspects of these works, as alluded to by Skempton in his album notes: \"The landscape of these four collections of pieces is gently unpredictable.\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Rarewaves","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":57053045522806,"sku":"0801213076390","price":11.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0092\/7504\/8033\/files\/orig_1565563_648440_jpg_7f91822b-7c99-4ffd-ae4c-e4f79a3f6e0e.jpg?v=1768311662","url":"https:\/\/www.rarewaves.com\/products\/0801213076390-william-howard-plays-skempton","provider":"Rarewaves.com","version":"1.0","type":"link"}