This album was recorded at Hurstwood Farm Piano Studios in Kent because ambient noise in London, particularly from traffic and nearby restaurant kitchens, made recording at Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, impractical.
Instruments
The recording features a Bösendorfer 290 piano, which allowed the composer to quietly add even graver notes not present in the score.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Michael Brough consciously chose to follow his own artistic path, rather than being a 'dedicated follower of fashion' in a musical sense.
Composition History
The 25 Picture-Preludes were written by Michael Brough in a few months at the end of 2013 and beginning of 2014, sometimes with a new piece finished each day.
Compositional Technique
The term 'picture-prelude' is used like Rachmaninov's 'études-tableaux' to suggest a scene, activity, or story, leaving the listener's imagination free.
Composer Biography
Michael Brough, the composer, was a reluctant choirboy who became an organist at St Paul's, King Cross, in 1973 and later at Holy Trinity, Sloane Street, from 1986.
Compositional Technique
Michael Brough's Picture-Preludes are grouped in pairs of relative keys, with an additional 'no key' piece at the center, and use almost solely English terms for directions.
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Alkan: Preludes, Op. 31
Szymanowski: 9 Preludes, Op. 1: No. 2 in D Minor. Andante con moto
