Relaxing Piano Playlist Series 5 Episode 7

Feeling tired? Need to unwind? Then how about some gentle, soothing piano music? Welcome to the Episode 7 of the Fifth Series in the Relaxing Piano Playlist! In this episode, I perform for you music by Chopin, Gabriel Dupont, MacDowell, Scriabin and Debussy,

Transcript

00:30 - James Quinn

Hello and welcome to Episode 7 of Series 5 in the Relaxing Piano Playlist, with your host, James Quinn here at the piano, thank you very much for joining me.

In this episode, you’re going to hear a number of pieces ranging from a wide variety of composers, covering the Romantic and 20th Century periods.

The first piece that you’re going to hear, comes from the composer Frederic Chopin. In this instance you’re going to hear a short work of his which comes from his collection of Waltzes, and in particular you will hear his Waltz No.1 in A Flat which he published as Opus 69.

We then feature a piece from a new composer added to the series, by the name of the French composer Gabriel Dupont. Born on Caen on Northwestern France on 1st of March in 1878, he was well known for his operas and chamber music. He studied at the Paris Conservatory with Joules Massenet in Composition and would continue this later with the renowned Organist and composer Charles-Marie Widor. To give you an idea of his compositional style, the piece you will hear comes from the first of his two piano cycles, entitled Les heures dolentes, “The doleful hours”. From this you will hear the movement entitled Le soir tombe dans la chambre, translated as Evening falls in the room. 

We then revisit the American composer Edward MacDowell for our next piece, and in this case you will hear a short movement entitled ‘Starlight’ which comes from his piano cycle Sea Pieces, which he published as Opus 55.

After this we return to the Russian composer Alexander Scriabin, and on this occasion you will hear his Prelude No.13 in G Flat which comes from his cycle of 24 Preludes which he published as Opus 11.

Finally, we finish this episode with a piece from the French Impressionistic composer Claude Debussy. In this instance you will hear the first of a three-movement work known as the Estampes, where you will hear the opening movement entitled Pagodes, which he composed and published in 1903.

So to recap, here is the order just once more: Waltz No.1 in A Flat Op.69 by Chopin, Le soir dans la chambre from Les hears dolentes by Gabriel Dupont, 'Starlight' from Sea Pieces Op.55 by MacDowell, Prelude No.13 in G Flat Op.11 by Scriabin, and finally Pagodes from Estampes by Debussy.

So sit back, relax, and I hope that you enjoy all of the music. Thank you.