Skafte: 24 Preludes for Piano

Featuring

Jonas Olsson
Martin Skafte

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Compositional Technique

Three of Skafte's preludes require the piano to be 'prepared' by attaching a piece of Blu Tack to a specific C key, creating a percussive, woody sound.

Interpretation

Unlike Debussy, Martin Skafte provides precise and detailed performance directions in his scores, including specific pedalling instructions and poetic indications for emotional effects.

Composition History

Martin Skafte's 24 Preludes were created to help him understand Claude Debussy's music more deeply from a composer's perspective through the act of composing.

Composer Biography

Martin Skafte, a Swedish composer, initially disliked the piano and stopped lessons, only to reignite his interest in his late teens through video game music.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Composer Martin Skafte aims to write music that is beautiful, with content dictating the form and style being secondary, viewing composition as a spiritual experience.

Compositional Technique

Each of Martin Skafte's 24 Preludes has two titles: his own and the Debussy prelude that inspired it, though they do not follow Debussy's original chronological order.

Performer Biography

Jonas Olsson, the pianist on this recording, is known as one of Scandinavia's most adventurous new-music pianists and has worked with influential figures like Pierre Boulez.