Piano recording with Ralph van Raat
February 7, 2010

During the course of working with Ralph van Raat on the piano concerto, we talked about other pieces. Strictly I have written almost nothing for solo piano, but Ralph wants to add other piano works of mine to the CD of the piano concerto which he plans to record for Naxos. He may record After Handel’s Vesper (which, although for harpsichord, has been performed and recorded on piano. He has also asked me to play with him for the two piano piece My First Homage – which we will record in Holland during the time that he is performing the concerto. 

I did write a series of very short pieces – a set of variations – when I was guest composer for the Victoria Piano Summer School in 2003, but that is quite small. So I am adding a number of extra sections to this, and revising it, to make a new piece for solo piano called Ramble on Cortona – as it is a reflection/paraphrase (“Ramble” as Percy Grainger used to call such things) on my vocal Laude that originate in the 13th century manuscript collection in Cortona (where, incidentally, my singer and dear friend Anna Maria Friman got married to Arve Henriksen last year…)

Gavin Bryars