Vladimir Ashkenazy - Walking In The Air 2014 24-bit/96 kHz torrent

Vladimir Ashkenazy - Walking In The Air: The Music Of Howard Blake (2014)
FLAC (tracks) 24-bit/96 kHz | Time - 80:48 minutes | 1,29 GB
Studio Master, Official Digital Download | Artwork: Digital booklet

Vladimir Ashkenazy returns with an unexpected album of compositions by his long-standing friend Howard Blake, best known for the Christmas favourite Walking In The Air. Walking in the Air, which Ashkenazy has chosen as the title track of the disc is arranged here for solo piano (and available as an e-single). The song was composed by Blake as the centrepiece of his score for the children’s classic animated film The Snowman, and exemplifies the composer’s warmly accessible style.


Ashkenazy performs no fewer than nine world premiere recordings from Blake’s repertoire and the album features music from Blake’s other film scores, including Ridley Scott’s ‘The Duellists’ and horror classic ‘The Changeling’ and the Prelude for Vova Op.640, written after Ashkenazy asked Blake to “make a piece out of my initials A.S.H. – like Liszt did with B.A.C.H.”

Howard Blake’s illustrious career has spanned over 50 years in which he has composed more than 650 works, both classical and popular. He has written scores for numerous films, beginning in the 1970s, but it was in 1982, with his orchestral score for The Snowman that Blake achieved widespread acclaim. While he is best known for the Christmas classic, he has written a wide range of music, including a piano concerto for the 30th birthday of Princess Diana.

“His piano music is extremely well written and pianistic, due, of course, to the fact that he is a very good pianist himself,” explains Ashkenazy, “and so it is truly a joy to play”.


Tracklist:

01 - Walking In The Air (Excerpt 'Lifecycle'), Op.310
02 - Music Box Theme (from 'The Changeling'), Op.274
03 - Lara's Theme (from 'The Duellists'), Op.247
04 - Prelude For Vova, Op.640
05 - Speech After Long Silence, Op.610
06 - Twelve Piano Pieces, Op.177 - 1. Prelude
07 - Twelve Piano Pieces, Op.177 - 2. Nocturne
08 - Twelve Piano Pieces, Op.177 - 3. Impromptu
09 - Twelve Piano Pieces, Op.177 - 4. Toccatina
10 - Twelve Piano Pieces, Op.177 - 5. Mazurka
11 - Twelve Piano Pieces, Op.177 - 6. Walking Song
12 - Twelve Piano Pieces, Op.177 - 7. Chaconne In D Minor
13 - Twelve Piano Pieces, Op.177 - 8. Scherzo In D Major
14 - Dances For 2 Pianos, Op.217a - 1. Parade
15 - Dances For 2 Pianos, Op.217a - 2. Slow Ragtime
16 - Dances For 2 Pianos, Op.217a - 3. Jump
17 - Dances For 2 Pianos, Op.217a - 4. Medium Rock
18 - Dances For 2 Pianos, Op.217a - 5. Folk Ballad
19 - Dances For 2 Pianos, Op.217a - 6. Boogie
20 - Dances For 2 Pianos, Op.217a - 7. Jazz Waltz
21 - Dances For 2 Pianos, Op.217a - 8. Cha-Cha
22 - Dances For 2 Pianos, Op.217a - 9. Galop
23 - Sonata For Two Pianos, Op.130 - 1. Allegro
24 - Sonata For Two Pianos, Op.130 - 2. Lento
25 - Sonata For Two Pianos, Op.130 - 3. Scherzando
26 - Sonata For Two Pianos, Op.130 - 4. Presto
27 - Piano Fantasy, Op.1
28 - Four Easy Pieces, Op.1b
29 - Romanza, Op.5f
30 - Haiku For Yu-Chee
31 - Parting, Op.650a