Philip Mead - Cowie: Prelude To 24 - Import CD

Credits:

Philip Mead

Description:

Edward Cowie was born in Birmingham, England in 1943. He is a nature-loving "post-impressionist" composer who studied with Lutoslawski and Tippett in Poland, and also studied physics and painting at university. His works, including "Leviathan" and "Portrait of Birds," commissioned by the Proms, have received critical and audience acclaim. The "24 Preludes" are written in major and minor keys, all 12 of them in the tradition of Bach and Chopin, but also interestingly, the smaller pieces, written from impressions received from different regions, fall into four groups representing the "four elements" of antiquity. The first was the "The Four Elements of the Elements" (1920s). Originally recorded for the University of Hertfordshire's UH Recordings label, it is now part of the Metier label's "Cowie Collection. It is performed by Philip Mead, who holds honorary doctorates from the London Conservatoire and the Royal Academy of Music and was a visiting professor at the University of Hertfordshire. Naxos Japan

Tracklisting:

1.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 1 - Water: I. O Brook (Devon England) in C major
2.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 1 - Water: II. Kiama Blowhole (NSW, Australia) in C minor
3.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 1 - Water: III. Cancleave (Cornwall, England, sea mists) in G major
4.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 1 - Water: IV. River Dronne (Dordogne, France) in G minor
5.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 1 - Water: V. St Maxime Beach (Provence, France) in D major
6.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 1 - Water: VI. Tennessee River (Tennessee, USA) in D minor
7.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 2 - Air: I. Boscastle (Cornwall, England, gale) in A major
8.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 2 - Air: II. Hay Plains Twisters (NSW, Australia) in A minor
9.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 2 - Air: III. 35,000 feet (Straits of Java) in E major
10.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 2 - Air: IV. Tapada (Portugal, thermal raptors) in E minor
11.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 2 - Air: V. Lake Eacham (Queensland, Australia, night breezes) in B major
12.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 2 - Air: VI. Dartington Gardens (Devon, England, autumn leaf-fall) in B minor
13.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 3 - Earth: I. Uluru (Australia) in F sharp major
14.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 3 - Earth: II. Crackington Haven (Cornwall, England) in F sharp minor
15.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 3 - Earth: III. Rosedale (Yorkshire, England) in C sharp major
16.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 3 - Earth: IV. Glencoe (Scotland) in C sharp minor
17.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 3 - Earth: V. Brecon Beacons (Wales) in A flat major
18.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 3 - Earth: VI. Shenandoah Valley (Virginia, USA) in A flat minor
19.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 4 - Fire: I. Sunrise (Loch Carron, Scotland) in E flat major
20.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 4 - Fire: II. Bush Fires (Bluewater, N.Queensland, Australia) in E flat minor
21.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 4 - Fire: III. Home Fire (Garlinge Green, Kent, England) in B flat major
22.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 4 - Fire: IV. Blast Furnaces at Port Kembla Steel Works (Australia) in B flat minor
23.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 4 - Fire: V. New Year Fireworks (Kassel, Germany) in F major
24.Preludes (24) for piano~Book 4 - Fire: VI. Sunset (Dartmoor, Devon, England) in F minor