BLACK AND WHITE
Ashley Wass, pianist
Release Date: April 5th
ORC100288
BLACK AND WHITE
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
1. Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846
Frederic Mompou (1893 – 1987)
2. Música callada I: No. 1, Angelico
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
3. Après un rêve
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
4. Adagio sostenuto from Piano Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor (‘Moonlight’), Op.27, Mvt. 1
Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856)
5. Träumerei, “Kinderszenen” No. 7, Scenes from Childhood
Erik Satie (1866 – 1925)
6. Trois Gnossiennes : Gnossienne No. 1
Ludovico Einaudi (1955-)
7. Nuvole Bianche (White Clouds)
Percy Grainger (1882 – 1961)
8. Irish Tune from County Derry (Danny Boy)
Max Richter (1966 –)
9. Written on the Sky
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
10. Nocturne No. 20 in C♯ minor
Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)
11. Suite bergamasque, L. 75, Mvt. III, “Clair de lune”
Ashley Wass, Piano
BLACK AND WHITE
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 – 1750)
1. Prelude No. 1 in C Major, BWV 846
The first prelude in Johann Sebastian Bach’s seminal Well-Tempered Clavier of forty-eight preludes and fugues for keyboard, composed in the early 1720s.
Frederic Mompou (1893 – 1987)
2. Música callada I: No. 1, Angelico
The first piece in Catalan composer Frederic Mompou’s collection of the four books of twenty-eight piece for piano, “Musica Callada”, composed between 1959 and 1967.
Gabriel Fauré (1845 – 1924)
3. Après un rêve
The first in Gabriel Faure’s Trois mélodies, originally written for solo voice and piano, originally conceived as individual pieces written between 1870 and 1877, and released in 1878.
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 – 1827)
4. Adagio sostenuto from Piano Sonata No.14 in C sharp minor (‘Moonlight’), Op.27, Mvt. 1
The first movement, adagio sostenuto, from Ludwig van Beethoven’s “Moonlight” Piano Sonata No.14 in C-sharp minor, published in 1802.
Robert Schumann (1810 – 1856)
5. Träumerei, “Kinderszenen” No. 7, Scenes from Childhood
Movement seven of Kinderszenen, Robert Schumann’s “Scene’s from Childhood”, a volume of thirteen pieces of music for piano written in 1838.
Erik Satie (1866 – 1925)
6. Trois Gnossiennes : Gnossienne No. 1
The first of Erik Satie’s Three Gnossiennes, composed around 1890 and first published in 1893, in a musical form pioneered by the French Composer.
Ludovico Einaudi (1955-)
7. Nuvole Bianche (White Clouds)
One of the most beloved pieces by pianist and composer Ludovico Einaudi, Nuvole Bianche (White Clouds) written in 2003 and first released in 2004.
Percy Grainger (1882 – 1961)
8. Irish Tune from County Derry (Danny Boy)
“Irish Tune from County Derry”, Australian composer and arranger Percy Grainger’s realisation of the traditional Irish melody “Londonderry Air” for piano, published in 1911, a transcription of the original for mixed chorus.
Max Richter (1966 –)
9. Written on the Sky
The 2003 composition from German-British neo-classical composer Max Richter, originally conceived as part of The Blue Notebooks collection and released in 2004.
Frédéric Chopin (1810 – 1849)
10. Nocturne No. 20 in C♯ minor
Composed in 1830 and published posthumously in 1875, and dedicated to his elder sister Ludwika, the C-sharp minor Nocturne is often entitled Lento con gran espressione, or Reminiscence
Claude Debussy (1862 – 1918)
11. Suite bergamasque, L. 75, Mvt. III, “Clair de lune”
Debussy’s serene and contemplative third movement of the seminal Suite Bergamasque, first published in 1891 and periodically redrafted until 1905.
Ashley Wass, a veteran pianist, educator, and chamber musician, boasts a rich career spanning three decades. Former Deputy Head of Keyboard Studies at the Royal Northern College of Music and a Professor at the Royal College of Music, he co-founded Mash Productions and directed the Lincolnshire International Chamber Music Festival for over a decade. Trained at Chetham’s School of Music and the Royal Academy of Music, he won the London International Piano Competition in 1997 and received huge acclaim for his debut recording of César Franck’s piano compositions.
As a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist and prizewinner at the Leeds Piano Competition, Wass has performed with many of the major orchestras of the world and at events including the Queen’s Golden Jubilee and the BBC Proms, where he has made several appearances. As a keen chamber musician he also co-founded Trio Apaches, a group renowned for their captivating performances and innovative programming, including acclaimed broadcasts on BBC Radio 3 and collaborations with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales.