Repertoire Suggestions: Modern piano music and natural sensations Part 1.



I would love to share with you 5 modern piano compositions. In recent years, love of nature and concern for the environment influenced many works of living composers. Here are some of my favorite compositions that are pianistically well written and enjoyable to listen to.

Karen Tanaka – Water Dance III. This is a must for all water music fans! It is the 3d movement from the Suite Water Dances. Karen Tanaka is a Japanese composer who lives in USA, “Her music is delicate and emotive, beautifully crafted, showing a refined ear for both detail and large organic shapes…The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. I particularly love this poetic description: “Dance with the waves, Move with the sea, let the rhythm of the water set your soul free” Christy Ann Martin

Oleg Plotnikov – Homage Planet Earth. This is a part of the piano cycle  “Planets” by Oleg Plotnikov. The music with its clear structures gives a feeling of infinity. Free from time and space, the mind starts wandering.

Jane Leslie – Shorebirds. American pianist and composer Jane Leslie knows how to write for piano. This can be classified as relaxing piano and it is very enjoyable to play, I can recommend it to pianists of different levels.

Zhang Zhao – Moon on Mountains. One of the leading Chinese composers. This is the 2d movement from the piano suite „ Three Mountain Ballads of the South Yunnan“. I would suggest that you search for pictures of the South Yunnan first in order to appreciate the imagery and the evocative beauty of the musical landscapes. This movement is a true dreamy piano music.

Anthony Silvestre – Clouds. French composer of piano and choral music with different styles. This particular song is popular in Spotify for the atmospheric quality, for all lovers of cloud-watching. This music has a meditative quality. Scores can be found here: https://www.asturiamusic.com