Shards: Piano Music of Jonathan Pieslak

Robert Auler (piano)

Catalog #: TROY1496
Release Date: June 1, 2014
Format: Digital
Piano

Composer Jonathan Pieslak is on the faculty at the City College of New York and Graduate Center, where he teaches composition, theory, and music and radicalism. He is a fellowship winner from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and his compositions have been widely performed and recorded. Pieslak comments that he is no exception to the stereotype of younger American composers citing the influence of pop/rock music on their own compositions. His musical roots lie in the hard rock and metal of the late 1980s and early 1990s as well as Latin and funk. He and pianist Robert Auler have been friends and musical collaborators since graduate school days at the University of Michigan and the performances on this recording reflect their close relationship. An associate professor at SUNY Oswego, Auler has performed throughout the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, China and Austria. A first-prize winner of the Society of American Musicians competition, Auler made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2004.

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Track Listing

Title Composer Performer
Shards Jonathan Pieslak Robert Auler, piano
Bhakti (1), unburdening Jonathan Pieslak Robert Auler, piano
Spiral Jonathan Pieslak Robert Auler, piano
American Atmospheres Jonathan Pieslak Robert Auler, piano
Prednisomnia Jonathan Pieslak Robert Auler, piano

Reviews

  • "This beautiful recording of the piano music of Jonathan Pieslak, played with extraordi-nary rhythmic clarity and expression assured, instantly communicative musical lan-guage, fluidly and lovingly rendered by Mr. Auler."

    – The New York Times

  • "Pianist Robert Auler is in fine form throughout the disc, bringing out plenty of subtleties and nuance in these pieces. He is also fully up to the considerable technical demands of many of these works."

    – Fanfare

  • "Auler makes a strong case for all of these works, using all different timbres and ambi-ance each time. This is a rewarding release by a composer we need to hear more from."

    – American Record Guide

*Album cover provided for Editorial use only. ©Albany Records. The Albany Imprint is a registered trademark of PARMA Recordings LLC. The views and opinions expressed in this media are those of the artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions held by PARMA Recordings LLC and its label imprints, subsidiaries, and affiliates.