This album was recorded at St. John's Church in Helsinki, Finland, on May 11-12, 2011, with Matti Heinonen of Pro Audile handling the stereo and multichannel recording, editing, and mastering.
Performer Biography
Risto-Matti Marin, the dedicatee of this cycle, won the 1st prize in the Kuopio Piano Competition in 1996 and the Helmi Vesa Piano Competition in 1999, and the 3rd prize in the international Franz Liszt Piano Competition in Weimar in 2003.
Compositional Technique
The composer consciously based some pieces or sections in Leaves of Grass on familiar figurations from the work of other admired composers, viewing it as a primary task for composers in the new century.
Composition History
The Leaves of Grass cycle was co-commissioned by Risto-Matti Marin, the pianist, and the Mänttä Music Festival, which also provided the forum for its premiere performance.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The composer, Matthew Whittall, found comfort in Walt Whitman's words, "Do I contradict myself? / Very well, then, I contradict myself. / I am large, I contain multitudes," which helped him navigate composing for the piano.
Performer Biography
Risto-Matti Marin, the pianist on this album, graduated as a Doctor of Music from Sibelius Academy in 2010, with his artistic degree focusing on piano transcriptions.
Composer Biography
Matthew Whittall, the Canadian-born composer, lives in Helsinki, Finland, and in 2011 was awarded a three-year artist grant by the Finnish Cultural Foundation.
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