From My Window: Five New Works for Piano by Joseph Fennimore
Jeffrey Middleton (piano)
Composer Joseph Fennimore's ninth recording for Albany Records includes new works for piano, brilliantly performed by Jeffrey Middleton. Fennimore, who is known as a formidable pianist, has a special affinity for this instrument, and it shows in these works. He wrote the music on this collection when he was in his mid 60s to mid 70s. It is mature, the product of a restless and powerful mind. While these works don't form a program, they each benefit from a lifetime of accumulated experience and feeling. They are ruminative, unflinching in the contemplation of mortality, yet retain the composer's natural vivacity, his sense of whimsy and style. Pianist Jeffrey Middleton is a graduate of Juilliard and Yale. His career has included chamber music, vocal coaching and accompanying, solo performances, and teaching. He is on the faculty of the School of American Ballet, receiving the Mae Wien Award for distinguished faculty service in 2010.
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Track Listing
| Title | Composer | Performer |
|---|---|---|
| Monuments for Piano | Joseph Fennimore | Jeffrey Middleton, piano |
| From My Window: Variations on a Schubert Theme | Joseph Fennimore | Jeffrey Middleton, piano |
| Escorial | Joseph Fennimore | Jeffrey Middleton, piano |
| Sixth Sonata | Joseph Fennimore | Jeffrey Middleton, piano |
| Doldrums and Daydreams: Nine Bagatelles for Piano | Joseph Fennimore | Jeffrey Middleton, piano |
Reviews
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"With titles like Dover Air Force Base and Sixth Sonata, Joseph Fennimore's works speak of a mid-1900s zeitgeist and an overall sense of brooding and morose pensiveness. La Comitiva (Cortete) is a favorite of mine here. A movement from the piece Escorial, named after a palace built by Philip II of Spain between 1563 and 1584, the Cortege is sumptuously heavy with tendrils of ornamentation hanging off the main melodic line like thick velvet ruffles hanging off of King Philip's robes. Fennimore's work captures these vivid moments in human history, and Middleton plays these works with attention and care. Middleton should be commended for all the work he put into this satisfying album; its creation, performances, and program notes are very good."
*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.