EPISODE 10
0:00:31
Hello and a very warm welcome to what is our final episode of Series 3, Episode 10 in the Relaxing Piano Playlist with your host James Quinn here at the piano, thank you very much for joining me. This episode is centred on a very special theme of music from women composers, which I do think is incredibly exciting and I’m glad I’m doing this sooner rather than later. In this episode, you’re going to hear a short number of pieces ranging from a wide variety of composers, including a piece from a current composer in the UK. We’ll also finish this episode with one more movement from a Piano Concerto, towards the end.
The first piece you will hear comes from the composer Clara Schumann, who was the wife to Robert Schumann. She would also become close friends with Johannes Brahms. She would also premiere many of their own works for them as well as her own music. In this instance you’re going to hear a short work of hers, simply entitled the Romance in A minor, which she published as Work without Opus Number 28.
The next piece that you will hear comes from a new composer added to the podcast, with the French composer Louise Farrenc. In this case, you’re going to hear a short piece of hers known as the Nocturne in E Flat, which she published as a single work, bearing the Opus number 49.
We then travel over the pond to the American composer Amy Beach, where she became one of the most prominent Female composers from the US. To give you an idea of her compositional style, you’re going to hear a short work of hers, which she composed in a cycle, which she entitled as ‘Eskimos’ bearing the Opus number 64, and from this you’re going to hear the very first opening movement which is known as the Arctic Night.
The next piece comes from the Norwegian composer Agathe Backer Grondhal. In this particular instance, the piece that you’re going to hear is known as the “Sommervise”, translated as the ‘Summer Song’, which she composed in a short cycle of pieces known as the ‘Fantasy Pieces’ which she published as Opus 45.
We then have two very special pieces to follow. The first of these is by the French composer Augusta Holmes. You’re going to hear a very special piano arrangement from one of her own orchestral songs for orchestra, as well as both Tenor and Soprano solo. This piano arrangement of this third song from the set of orchestral songs, is simply known as La nuit et l’amour, translated as The Night of Love.
Our penultimate piece is by an active composer by the name of Nickie Hart, who in fact sent me a message back in the end of last year about how she enjoyed my podcast and wanted to share one of her own piano compositions from her most recent album. Of course I was more than happy to oblige and I do think that this can be a great way to share and promote piano music from active composers around the world. Her music is considered romantic and melodic in style, and as a singer she is described as having a unique voice, similar in style to the like of Enya, Katie Melua and Kate Bush. Her earliest influences came from classical music and French songs. After first learning the piano and clarinet, she would have a chance meeting with another composer, by the name of David Berman, which led to the beginning of her songwriting career and the production of her debut album in 2009 called “Will and Destiny”. She followed this with an album of relaxing piano music, called “Eternal Love”. Her piano music is likened to the style of Ludovico Einaudi, and has recently released her third album on more relaxing solo piano music. Fresh from this album, you’ll going to hear her own recording of one of these pieces, called “Sweet Dreaming”.
If you like to take do the same and happen to compose some of your own relaxing piano music and have it shared with our worldwide audience on my podcast, then do feel free to get in touch and I’ll be happy to help set this up as soon as possible in Series 4!
We now have a movement from a piano concerto to finish both the episode and the series. The piece that you will hear comes from the Russian composer, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and in this case you’re going to hear one of his most beloved works for piano and orchestra. Although it’s not considered a movement per se, the work itself can be put into 3 sections. Heavily used in popular culture it was given its first performance in Baltimore, Maryland with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the renowned conductor, Leopold Stokowski in early November 1934. But enough teasing already, you’re going to hear Variation 18 from the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, which he published as Opus 43. Rachmaninoff even clearly understood the warm appeal of this variation, simply saying “this one is for my agent”
So to recap, here is the order just once more: the Romance in A minor WoO 28 by Clara Schumann, the Nocturne in E Flat Op.49 by Louise Farrenc, Arctic Night No.1 from “Eskimos” Op.64 by Amy Beach, “Sommervise” the Summer Song from the Fantasy Pieces Op.45 by Agathe Backer Grondhal, La nuit et l’amour by Augusta Holmes, Sweet Dreaming by Nickie Hart, and finally Variation 18 from the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini Op.43 by Rachmaninoff
So sit back, relax, and I hope that you all enjoy the music in this episode. Thank you.
00:38:56
That brings us to the end of this current series of the Relaxing Piano Playlist, I hope you enjoyed all the music throughout with a wide range of composers and styles. As you can imagine it’s been a big undertaking and a lot of work putting these podcasts together and playing all of the music for you to listen to, nonetheless it has been a real labour of love and I hope that this has been a real source of comfort and peace for you.
I like to quickly finish by saying a big thank you to those of you who continue to support my podcast, by choosing to downloading it, to listening to it, however you listen to it, and wherever you listen to it in the world. No matter it’s on your phone, or on your computer or on any device in all parts of the world. It continues to amaze me from looking at my range of statistics, every now and then, just how far-reaching my podcast has spread in such a short space of time, but I do my absolute best to keep working on this podcast for you, so that my playing and the music that I choose for each episode reflects my vision and energy to provide the best content and musical experience for you.
This may be the end of Series 3, though I’m sure you will not be surprised to know that I can definitely announce that there will be a fourth series in the early Spring. There will be a podcast update nearer the time, and you’ll be able to hear when the exact date of Series 4 Episode 1 will be available from one episode to the next. I’ll have these episodes released normally every 2 or 3 weeks.
All that’s left for me to say is just one very big special thank you to all of you once more, and without your very kind support, this podcast will never have been as successful as it has, and if you did want to know I do have some extraordinary news to relay to you, that currently with all of the episodes combined so far, this podcast has now been downloaded over 50,000 times, which to me is just staggering and very surreal for me to process, and this is due to your kind and wonderful support. By choosing this podcast, listening to it and enjoying it in your own way, I can definitely assure you, this really does mean the world to me, so I owe this all to you.
I am aiming to have a plan in action next year to have the concept of my podcast as a web-series on my YouTube channel, so that you can see me play the pieces, along with bonus content to include piano tutorials on some of the pieces as well!
I will now bid you all a fond farewell for now, and Series 4 will be released soon in the earl Spring, and I will announce when you can get Episode 1 once I have a date confirmed. So until then, we will meet again.
This has been the Relaxing Piano Playlist with James Quinn. Thank you very much for listening, take very good care of yourselves and each other. Good bye for now.