Bridge: Piano Music, Vol. 1

Featuring

Ashley Wass
Frank Bridge

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Composer Biography

Frank Bridge's career also included performing as a violist in groups like the English String Quartet, conducting, and teaching, with Benjamin Britten being his most famous pupil.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Frank Bridge's musical style underwent a significant transformation, moving from late-Romanticism to a more intense and chromatic language after the First World War.

Composer Biography

Frank Bridge, the composer, studied violin and composition at the Royal College of Music and was a pupil of Stanford.

Composition History

Many of Frank Bridge's solo piano works from the early 20th century were composed to meet the demand for salon music, often with evocative titles suggested by publishers for sales.

Performer Biography

Ashley Wass, the pianist on this album, was the first British pianist to win the top prize at the World Piano Competition in 1997.

Performer Biography

Ashley Wass has performed with major orchestras and conductors, including Sir Simon Rattle and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, and appeared in a gala concert for Queen Elizabeth II's Golden Jubilee.

Historical Context

The anguish Frank Bridge felt during the First World War, due to the death and destruction, led him to compose mainly smaller works, particularly for piano and songs.