Released

I've worked with Alan Hinde and Stuart Long for many months to achieve this album and then I was in Japan when the release happened.  Too bad but unavoidable in the circumstances.  Nonetheless we remain pretty chuffed with the outcome.  Alan is a composer and has released considerable music before.  This album comprises the first 12 of 24 preludes in all the major and minor keys, plus one added tune.   Another album is coming (mostly already written) with the remaining 12 preludes/keys.  Stuart performed the preludes and I recorded, mixed and mastered.  The delay was a function of Stuart's time to practice the tunes amongst his other matters.  And they were not all so easy; some were positively challenging.  But they came into being, the CDs have been printed, the preludes are in the process of being made available as printed music and the recorded versions are about to be distributed to a music-hungry world.  Perhaps a music-hungry world with a surfeit of calories.  CDs are available from Alan and the album will soon be available on the various streaming services.  Check it out.  Stuart describes Alan as our local Chopin and he's the one who'd know.  A lengthy and satisfying project. 

Water Works (album) is a series of 12 preludes (and an additional odalisque) composed by Alan Hinde (composer), performed by Stuart Long (piano) and recorded by Eric Pozza (mix/master).

For posterity, or at least for radio

I've recorded literally hundreds of jazz and classical performers but these have all been live shows.  It was something a bit special to track original compositions and to be asked to do it by the composer.  Alan Hinde recently provided a piece for Maruki Orchestra that we played as its world premiere.  A few weeks later I recorded Stuart Long playing four of his piano compositions.  The titles mean little and there was some discussion over apt titles (other than Nocturne or Prelude no.x).  These were seriously interesting tunes.  At one time, Stuart spoke of Alan as our Canberra Chopin.  Megan mentioned Satie when she heard some takes.  Alan himself spoke of the influence of jazz harmonies.  I enjoyed that the three of us could talk jazz as much as classical, with Alan and Stuart having a jazz background along with their classical present.  It's all music and each has its fortes.  We recorded on a new Yamaha grand at Wesley Music Centre, in that acoustically correct space.  What a pleasure and a privilege.  Let's now see what comes of it.

Stuart Long (piano) played and recorded four pieces by Alan Hinde (composer) at Wesley.  Eric Pozza tracked.

Finding the lost year

Finding the lost year was the theme, and title, of the Maruki Covid-return concert of last Sunday.  Still Albert Hall.  Still much the same repertoire as we expected to play before the arrival of Covid scotched music in Canberra.  Strangely, despite the time we've had it, it was a difficult concert.  The concerto was changed (the other to reappear in a few months) due to lack of a ready pair of clarinets.  It was replaced by Sibelius Violin concerto played by our ex-LSO master and musical director, John Gould, but it was a strange and fluid thing which challenged us no end.  It's described as a concerto for violin and orchestra, so presumably orchestral parts have their own expression.  Whatever, it's strangely indefinite at times and the parts are oddly unrelatable at other times.  Not that it's unpleasant, but it's willowy or liquid and thus a challenge.  Otherwise, we played a world premier from Alan Hinde, a symphonic poem called In search of lost land which portrays an ocean voyage of discovery with considerable wave-like clarity.  Nice one!  Also Beethoven Egmont overture.  Beethoven is always a winner.  And Schumann Symphony no4 Dmin, the earlier version from 1841.  This had its demands, but ended hugely with exhilaration so a great pleasure to play.  From a jazz POV, I was amused by a pizz bass line that drove the orchestra, in every way a walking bass line.  I could only feel at home in that part.  Even if we are returned, it remains Covid time with a limitation on numbers (thus an easy full house!) and various other demands and no afternoon tea.  But it was fun and demanding, as Maruki outings are.  Maruki doesn't shirk on its programs and this is just one clear example.  Next concert is Beethoven Symphony no.7 (!) and that missing Krommer Double clarinet concerto and Mussorgsky Pictures at an exhibition.  Just a another normal program for this community orchestra! 

Maruki Orchestra performed Beethoven, Hinde, Sibelius and Schumann at Albert Hall under John Gould (conductor).  For the violin concerto, Jennifer Groom (conductor) led and  John Gould (violin) soloed.  Alan Hinde (composer) provided the world premiere.