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Music

I am a multiple award-winning amateur pianist. The awards were all rather insignificant but hey, what gives. Beethoven in particular is my life essence, but I play pretty much anything that’s remotely tonal.

In addition, I am a hobby composer. Back when I was a teenager I used to write sheet music in Sibelius, but at the moment I am learning how to produce it properly in a DAW, using synthesised sounds and the BBC Symphony Orchestra sample library. I intend to publish what I write once it gets to an acceptable level, so watch this space!

My greatest wish in life is to hear a cycle of the Bax symphonies in the concert hall. I simply do not understand why they are never played.

Pieces I enjoy playing

Adams

  • Phrygian Gates

Alkan

  • *Le Festin d’Ésope

Bach

  • Chaconne from Violin Partita No. 2 BWV 1004 (arr. Busoni)
  • Violin Partita No. 3 BWV 1005 (arr. Rachmaninoff)
  • Keyboard Concerto No. 1 BWV 1052

Bax

  • Piano Sonata No. 2

Beethoven

  • Piano Sonatas 1-32 (except Hammerklavier…)
  • Variations on “God Save the King” WoO 78
  • 32 Variations in c minor WoO 80
  • Andante Favori WoO 57
  • Rage Over a Lost Penny op. 129
  • *Diabelli Variations op. 120

Brahms

  • 16 Waltzes op. 39

Chopin

  • Ballades Nos. 1 & 3
  • *Fantasie-Impromptu
  • *Polonaise in A flat op.53

Copland

  • Appalachian Spring (arr. Stanley)
  • 3 Pieces from “Our Town”

Debussy

  • Two Arabesques
  • Suite Bergamasque
  • Estampes

Gershwin

  • Rhapsody in Blue
  • Songbook (selections)

Glass

  • Etudes I-XX
  • The Hours
  • Opening from “Glassworks”
  • Mad Rush
  • Trilogy Sonata

Grieg

  • Lyrical Pieces

Handel

  • The Harmonious Blacksmith

Hisaishi

  • Various pieces from the Ghibli and Kitano films

Kapustin

  • *Eight Concert Etudes op. 40

Khatchaturian

  • Toccata
  • Lullaby from “Gayaneh”
  • Waltz from “Masquerade”

Liszt

  • *Piano Sonata in b minor

Mendelssohn

  • Songs without Words
  • *Scherzo from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” (arr. Rachmaninoff)

Mussorgsky

  • Pictures at an Exhibition

Poulenc

  • Melancholie
  • Huit Nocturnes 
  • *Quinze improvisations

Prokofiev

  • Piano Sonatas 3, 6 & 9
  • Visions Fugitives
  • Ten Pieces from Romeo and Juliet op. 75
  • Six Pieces from Cinderella op. 102
  • Tales of an Old Grandmother
  • *Pensées

Rachmaninoff

  • Piano Sonata No. 1
  • Variations on a Theme by Corelli
  • Preludes & Etudes-tableaux (selections)

Ravel

  • Jeux d’Eau
  • Le tombeau de Couperin
  • Pavane pour une infante défunte

Sakamoto

  • Works and arrangements for Piano Solo, including
    • Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence
    • Opus
    • Aqua
    • The Sheltering Sky
    • The Last Emperor

Schubert

  • 4 Impromptus D899
  • Piano Sonata in B flat, D960

Schumann

  • Symphonic Etudes op. 13
  • Kinderszenen op. 15
  • Fantasie op. 17
  • *Toccata op. 7

Shimomura

  • Kingdom Hearts Piano Collections

Sibelius

  • Piano Sonata in F
  • Finlandia
  • Valse Triste

Stravinsky

  • *Trois Mouvements de Petrouchka
  • *L’Oiseau de Feu (arr. Agosti)

Uematsu

  • Piano Opera FF I-III
  • Piano Opera FF IV-VI
  • Piano Opera FF VII-X
  • Piano Collections FF VII
  • Piano Collections FF X

Wagner

  • Piano Sonata op. 1
  • Isolde’s Liebestod (arr. Liszt)
  • Siegfried-Idyll (arr. Gould)

* = currently learning