Nick Peros- Soliloquies
Soliloquies is the latest CD release from composer Nick Peros and features various works for solo instrument, including "Five Poemes for Solo Piano"; "Eden", for solo flute; "Suite No. 1 for Solo Cello". The "Five Poemes" are wonderfully engaging works that represent a wide range of moods and sensibilities - Poeme No. 1 is a moving, beautiful work with unexpected harmonic turns and subtle melodic twists; Poeme No. 2 is a joyful, playful two-part invention, filled with vigour and vitality, in contrast to Poeme No. 3, which is a deeply and hauntingly expressive piece; Poeme No. 6 is a fiery, passionate and demanding piece, while Poeme No. 8 is a tender, gentle work of melodic beauty. "Eden", for solo flute, is a powerful and evocative work that takes a single melodic line and raises it to a passionate and stunning climax before bringing it down to a reflective close; the five movement "Suite No. 1 for Solo Cello" is powerfully expressive, with Movement I evoking a sense of noble mystery, calling for numerous quadruple stops on the cello, while Movement II is energetic, playful and joyful, a reflection of the joy of childhood; Movement III is quiet and reflective, characterized by an expressive and lyrical melodic line; Movement IV exudes a hesitant yet pregnant energy, while the final Movement V is an exuberant, soaring and joyful movement that requires a great technical mastery for performance. With stirring performances from Linda Shumas (piano), Simon Fryer (cello) and Virginia Markson (flute), Soliloquies is an exciting showcase of Peros' music - his music is characterized by a free and extended tonality, melodic richness and great harmonic invention; even in these earlier works Peros shows his distinctive, original voice and a mastery of form & harmony. Although a collection of earlier pieces, the works on Soliloquies represent a vital part of Peros' catalogue.
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Nick Peros- Motets
Motets (PHX 08782) is the debut CD from composer Nick Peros and features 20 a cappella choral works composed by Nick and performed by The Renaissance Singers, conducted by Richard Cunningham. The Motets are deeply expressive works-- skillfully crafted, beautiful, powerful and passionate. Flowing melodies and rich and innovative harmonies are presented across a wide variety of musical textures - some pieces are very polyphonic (“Love & Faithfulness”, “Shout for Joy”), some are very chordal (“All Glorious is the Princess”), others are both (“O God You Are My God”). The pieces themselves range from 2 part, 4 part and 5 part textures. Motets was released on the Phoenix Records (Canada) label in October 1999 and has received superb critical and audience reviews. The World Premiere concert of Motets took place on Friday September 24, 1999 at Toronto's Ford Centre - Weston Recital Hall.
Motets -- Track Listing
1) Love & Faithfulness 4 part
2) You Have Made Known to Me 4 part
3) Blessed is the Man 2 part
4) All Glorious is the Princess 5 part
5) He That Follows Me 2 part
6) I Call On You O God 4 part
7) Blessed is the Man (Ps. 1) 4 part
8) And I in Righteousness 2 part
9) He Reached Down From On High 4 part
10) I Love You O Lord My Strength 4 part
11) Where Morning Dawns 2 part
12) May The Lord Answer You 4 part
13) I Will Praise You O Lord 4 part
14) O God You Are My God 4 part
15) The Lord is My Shepherd 2 part
16) How Long O Lord 4 part
17) The Righteous Shall Blossom 2 part
18) Veni Sponsa Christi 5 part
19) I Will Sing of the Lord's Great Love 4 part
20) Shout for Joy 4 part
Total Playing Time 66:26
See Critical Reviews Section for Motets Reviews
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Nick Peros - Songs
Songs (PHX1439-2) is the second CD from composer Nick Peros and features a collection of 31 original songs written for solo voice & piano. Performed by soprano Heidi Klann and pianist Alayne Hall, Songs features Peros' setting of the poetry of William Blake, Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson, William Wordsworth, James Joyce and others, set to music which is beautiful, passionate and evocative. Songs covers a great artistic and emotional range, with pieces such as Wordsworth's She Dwelt Among the Untrodden Ways, a heart-rending song of lost love, as is Robert Louis Stevenson's She Rested By The Broken Brook; Housman's Eight O'Clock, a powerful song about one man's last moments on the gallows; Her Strong Enchantments Failing, a mini opera of passion & intrigue featuring a stirring piano performance. Over half of the pieces on Songs feature the poetry of Emily Bronte and in many cases is the first time that Bronte's poems have been set to music. Peros has sensitively set Bronte's deeply personal texts which are brought to life in the committed performance of Heidi Klann and Alayne Hall. Bronte's Sleep Brings No Joy To Me is haunting, while The Soft Unclouded Blue Of Air is full of energy and vitality. Emily Dickinson's When Roses Cease To Bloom, Sir and I Taste A Liquor Never Brewed are exuberant while William Blake's Eternity and Ah, Sunflower! are magical. The World Premiere concert of Songs occurred Friday October 13, 2000 at Toronto's Jane Mallett Theatre, performed by soprano Stephanie Piercey. Recorded by Emmy and Juno award winning producer Jim Morgan, Songs is a gorgeous CD of original and innovative music.
Songs -- Track Listing
1) When Roses Cease To Bloom, Sir (Dickinson)
2) I Taste A Liquor Never Brewed (Dickinson)
3) So Set Its Sun In Thee (Dickinson)
4) My Love Is In A Light Attire (Joyce)
5) Tell Me, Tell Me, Smiling Child (Bronte)
6) I Gazed Upon The Cloudless Moon (Bronte)
7) Lonely At Her Window Sitting (Bronte)
8) Was It With The Fields Of Green (Bronte)
9) Morning's First Light Is Gold (Peros)
10) Today A Bird Came Down To Me (Peros)
11) She Dwelt Among The Untrodden Ways (Wordsworth)
12) Sleep Brings No Joy To Me (Bronte)
13) The Soft Unclouded Blue Of Air (Bronte)
14) I Know Not How It Falls On Me (Bronte)
15) Twas One Of Those Dark Cloudy Days (Bronte)
16) O Evening, Why Is Thy Light So Sad (Bronte)
17) Mild The Mist Upon The Hill (Bronte)
18) She Rested By The Broken Brook (Stevenson)
19) Eight O'Clock (Housman)
20) With Rue My Heart Is Laden (Housman)
21) Her Strong Enchantments Failing (Housman)
22) I'll Come When Thou Art Saddest (Bronte)
23) Still Beside That Dreary Water (Bronte)
24) The Sun Has Set (Bronte)
25) Awaking Morning Laughs From Heaven (Bronte)
26) Fall, Leaves, Fall (Bronte)
27) There Are Two Trees In A Lonely Field (Bronte)
28) She Dried Her Tears (Bronte)
29) Virtue (Herbert)
30) Eternity (Blake)
31) Ah, Sunflower! (Blake)
Total Playing Time 55:05
See Critical Reviews Section for Songs Reviews
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