Spluga / Beach – Amy Beach: Present Reflections [CD]

Description

The album “Present Reflections” offers an anthology of Amy Beach’s piano works, showcasing her remarkablecompositional talent and stylistic range-from expressive virtuosity to deep interpretativeintimacy. This distinctive quality is due not only to her extraordinary gift but also to several factors: theprofound cultural shifts she experienced between the late 19th and early 20th centuries-bridging lateRomanticism, the emergence of the avant-garde, and the advent of jazz-and her unmistakable emotionalexpressiveness. Despite the strict, self-imposed discipline of her compositional process (she wasentirely self-taught), her style remains deeply personal and authentic in every work. Looking back intime, beginning with her later compositions, one can observe a radical evolution in her writing.These works are not only a significant contribution to American piano literature but also a testamentto the transformation of an era-one that slips away from the present to become almost immediatelypart of the past. In this way, Present Reflections becomes a mirror of today’s world, reflecting the epochalchanges of which we are all a part. Mrs. Beach’s incredible talent, which enabled her to emergeas one of the greatest composers of her time, tells the story of both women and men-transcendingthe limitations imposed by society and leaving behind a musical legacy that deserves not only rediscoverybut celebration.Katia Spluga

Tracklist:

1. Two Pieces Op. 54: Scottish Legend
2. Two Pieces Op. 54: Gavotte Fantastique
3. Preludio e Fuga Op. 81
4. Fantasia Fugata Op. 87
5. Hermit Trush at Eve Op. 92 n.1
6. Hermit Trush at Morn Op. 92 n.2
7. Cradle Song of the Lonely Mother Op. 108
8. By the Still Waters Op. 114
9. Improvisations Op. 148~Lento. molto tranquillo
10. Improvisations Op. 148~Allegretto grazioso e capriccioso
11. Improvisations Op. 148~Allegro con delicatezza
12. Improvisations Op. 148~Molto lento e tranquillo
13. Improvisations Op. 148~Largo maestoso

UPC: 8011570373212
Label: Stradivarius
Release Date: 8.29.25
Format: CD