Paul Creston: Piano Music

Featuring

Myron Silberstein
Paul Creston

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Performer Biography

Myron Silberstein, the pianist on this recording, specializes in championing neglected mid-twentieth-century repertoire that prioritizes expressiveness, often making first recordings of works.

Compositional Technique

Creston's music is tonal but he preferred the term 'pantonal' because he rarely resolved dominant-quality seventh chords to a tonic, instead moving to other dominant chords for continuous chromatic motion.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Creston developed his own theories on music, religion, language, and health, resulting in a highly individual philosophy that questioned conventional wisdom.

Compositional Technique

For Creston, rhythm was the most important element of music; he distinguished between 'pulse' (recurrent oscillation) and 'beat' (audible subdivision), often creating conflict between them for interest.

Composer Biography

Paul Creston, born Giuseppe Guttoveggio, was the son of a poor Sicilian house-painter who taught himself violin and took piano lessons on a ten-dollar piano.

Recording & Production

This album features several first recordings, including the complete piano works of Peter Mennin and Norman Lloyd, and an album of sonatinas and character pieces by Vincent Persichetti.

Composer Biography

Creston left school at fifteen to support his family, working a clerical job while maintaining a rigorous self-education schedule, including practicing piano until 11 p.m. and studying until early morning.