Iman Album 1: James W. Iman Plays Schoenberg, Boulez, Webern & Amy

Featuring

James W. Iman
Arnold Schoenberg
Pierre Boulez
Anton Webern
Gilbert Amy

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Compositional Technique

The 'Trope' movement of Pierre Boulez's Troisième Sonate pour Piano allows for eight cyclical orders of its four parts, and sections within two parts can be included or excluded by the performer.

Compositional Technique

Pierre Boulez, another composer on this album, intended his Troisième Sonate pour Piano to be capable of constant renewal, adapting innovations from writers Stéphane Mallarmé and James Joyce.

Compositional Technique

Gilbert Amy's Sonate pour Piano, a work on this album, explores structural innovations like those in Boulez's third piano sonata, and its 'Mutations' movement uses six colors to represent different 'circuits' for the performer to choose.

Interpretation

Peter Stadlen, the pianist who premiered Anton Webern's Variations, Op. 27, had rehearsals with the composer, whose annotations indicate a deeply expressive interpretation for the piece.

Compositional Technique

Anton Webern, a composer on this album, uniquely used tone rows as both sonic and structural content in his twelve-tone compositions, exemplified by his Variations, Op. 27.

Performer Biography

Pianist James Iman, the performer on this album, specializes in music written since 1900, with an emphasis on works from 1945 onwards, and is known for his meticulous study of scores and aesthetic concepts.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Arnold Schoenberg, a composer featured on this album, aimed for complete liberation from traditional forms, symbols of cohesion, and logic in his music.