Various artists –

Short cuts / various

This remarkable collection of music for solo piano takes one short-form piece (ranging in length from just under half a minute to just over five) by each of 50 composers, forming a cross-section of piano music spanning the centuries from Rameau, born in 1683, to Alessandro Lucchetti, born in 1958. That a listener can make this astounding journey through piano music from the Baroque to the Contemporary in the space of two compact discs is truly a shortcut" through the ages - but it misses nothing along the way. The programme is jam-packed with detail and character in it's compact space. Ballista demonstrates how each composer is able to thoroughly express his style in a handful of bars, even if it means he must be incredibly versatile as a performer, continually adapting and readapting himself to the new territory of each musical microcosm. As he rightly points out, the brevity of these pieces means they are seldom programmed in recitals, such that even well-known composers are represented here by music that is likely to be a revelation to the listener. Guiding us through the twists and turns of this miniature labyrinth, Ballista offers a nine-word epigram to introduce each piece, compact as a haiku, they are often amusing, yet invariably thought-provoking."

Country of Pressing	US
Artist	Various Artists
Released	2020
Music Genre	Classical
Label	BRILLIANT CLASSICS
Condition	New
UPC	5028421956152
SKU	al-5028421956152

1.1 Poule (from Suite in G, RCT6)
1.2 Cantata BWV147~Chorale: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
1.3 Allegretto in G Hob:XVII:10 for piano (after Hob:XIX:27 for mechanical clock)
1.4 Marche funèbre del Sig, Maestro Contrapunto K453a
1.5 Bagatelle in C WoO54 'Lustig-Traurig'
1.6 Waltz in G D844 'Albumblatt'
1.7 Valses di bravura Op.35~Finale. Bear Dance
1.8 Péchés de vieillesse Vol. XIII 'Musique anodine~Prelude
1.9 Geistervariationen, WoO 24~Theme in E flat RSW:Anh:F39
1.10 Prélude in A flat Op. posth. À mon ami Pierre Wolff
1.11 Sarabandes WoO5~Sarabande No.1 in A minor
1.12 Bagatelle sans tonalité S216a
1.13 Waltz in F
1.14 Albumblatt
1.15 Cygne (from Le Carnaval des animaux")
1.16 Marche funèbre d'une marionnette
1.17 10 Pièces de genre, Op.10~V. Mélodie: Lento ma non troppo Elégie jouée dans les Erynnies
1.18 Cinq Morceaux pour piano~Ballabile
1.19 18 Morceaux Op.72~Berceuse: Andante mosso
1.20 Allégresse in C (from 8 Pièces brèves Op.84)
1.21 Lyric Pieces Op.12~Arietta
1.22 Scènes bohémiennes~Danse bohémienne
1.23 Triakontameron~Alt Wien
1.24 Poème fantasque
1.25 sombrero de tres picos~Danza del molinero
2.1 D'un cahier d'esquisses: Très lent
2.2 Saudades do Brasil Op.67~Ipanema
2.3 Walking the Dog sequence. Promenade (from "Shall We Dance?")
2.4 Prélude M65
2.5 Piano-Rag-Music
2.6 Foglio d'album
2.7 Mouvements perpétuels~Mouvement perpétuel No.1
2.8 1922 Suite für Klavier Op.26~V. Ragtime
2.9 Love for Three Oranges~March
2.10 8 Préludes~III. Le Nombre léger
2.11 Klavierstück III
2.12 Promenade d'un musicologue éclectique~III. Hommage à Domenico Scarlatti (Couronné par Beethoven et par Mendelssohn, sous le regard complice de Debussy)
2.13 Composition 1960 #7
2.14 Come io passo l'estate~VI. La fontanella di Ganna
2.15 Intermission 6~Intermission 6 (for 1 piano)
2.16 O polichinelo (from "A prole do bebê", Book 1)
2.17 Caro babbo
2.18 Musica ricercata~Allegro con spirito
2.19 Totem Ancestor for prepared piano
2.20 Erdenklavier
2.21 China Gates
2.22 microritratto
2.23 Anamorfosi
2.24 Grey Veil
2.25 Makrokosmos, Vol. II: Twelve Fantasy-Pieces after the Zodiac - Part 2~VII. Tora! Tora! Tora! (Cadenza Apocalittica) 'Scorpio' for amplified piano"