PianoBasso - Tranquillo III (2023)

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PianoBasso - Tranquillo III (2023)

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Gymnopédie No. 1 is the first of three piano compositions written by the French composer Erik Satie in 1888. PianoBasso preserves the beautiful original simplicity of the melody adding an updated harmonization that subtly changes the timbre of the piece.

Johann Sebastian Bach is assumed to be the composer of Siciliano, originally a flute sonata. Thomas Gustavsson has based the arrangement on Wilhelm Kempff’s piano transcription, but have given the parts greater independence.

Rêverie by Claude Debussy is one of the most well-known pieces from the Impressionist period. PianoBasso’s arrangement highlights the sonorous and improvisational features that later became well-known elements in jazz music.

Frédéric Chopin dedicated Nocturne No. 20 to his sister Ludwika, as a preparatory piece before she began learning his Piano Concerto No. 2. He composed the piece as early as 1830 but it was not published until 1870, 21 years after Chopin’s death. Many will probably recognize it from the opening of the award-winning film The Pianist.

The second movement of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, commonly known as Pathétique, is one of his most popular compositions. In PianoBasso’s version we let the melody wander between piano and double bass.

The beautiful alto aria Erbarme dich from the St Matthew Passion by Johann Sebastian Bach was originally performed by a full orchestra and a soloist. In this scaled down arrangement, main melody and countermelody alternate between the left and right hand parts of the piano. The double bass has been given a prominent role since Bach gives his bass line a particularly supporting function.

In 1825 Franz Schubert wrote “Ellen’s third song” which is part of a collection of seven songs. The song is best known as Ave Maria, one of the most commonly used Catholic prayers. Many people have written music to the prayer but Schubert’s and Bach/Gounod’s compositions are the two most performed.

8. Intermezzo from the opera Cavalleria Rusticana by Pietro Mascagni, premiered in 1890, was Mascagni’s contribution to a composition competition. PianoBasso has moved the distinct melody to a lower register to create a more contemplative expression.

The album ends with two lyrical Nordic choral pieces. Stämning from 1891 by Wilhelm Peterson-Berger whose compositions often combine folk music and art music…

…and Aftonen, written in 1942 by Hugo Alfvén, which is one of his most often performed choral works. The piece is a tribute to the nature of the Swedish province of Dalecarlia (Dalarna).