Alex Raineri - A Story from the Sand Dunes: Solo Piano Works by Melody Eötvös (2024) [Official Digital Download 24/48]

Award-winning Australian composer Melody Eötvös communicates mystery and adventure within deeply sophisticated ideas in musical craft. For this album, she focuses on music for solo piano, with performances by internationally acclaimed ‘born communicator’ pianist Alex Raineri.

The main work, A Story from the Sand Dunes, draws on the Hans Christian Andersen story of the young man Jörgen, raised in humble circumstances among the fisher-folk of Jutland, unaware that he is the orphan son of a noble Spanish couple, whose ship was wrecked in a storm. Eötvös has given the movements whimsical titles that seem to suggest a ‘happy ever after’ ending, but this is no quaint fairy tale; it is a profoundly human story of love, loss and justice, its key scenes brought to life in Eötvös’ passionate and eloquent music.

The Shore’s Playground tells of Jörgen’s childhood of poverty, suffering cold and hunger but finding simple pleasures in the shells and stones on the beach. The Party evokes the lad’s first journey beyond the dunes – to a funeral party where, despite the solemnity of the occasion, the lad for the first time has plenty to eat and drink, and is thrilled by the number of new people he encounters at the event, developing a thirst to go out into the world and see new places. The Aesepige or housekeeper is the girl Else, with whom Jörgen falls in love, only to discover that she is pledged to his best friend Morten. When Morten is found dead, Jörgen, though innocent, is charged with his murder and imprisoned: Your Crime Will Cost You Your Life. Released at last, he returns to the life of a fisherman, and dreams of marrying the local lass Clara – but the ‘maiden fair’ that this unwitting ‘king’s son’ clasps in the final movement is the lifeless Clara whom he tries but fails to save from drowning when their boat sinks.

Eötvös’ Minikins are from a different world altogether, written purely for pleasure. The fruits of her student travels, they are short, heartfelt musical postcards from the past. Danaid is a more extended work, inspired by danaid butterflies, which are famous for their exquisitely beautiful brightly coloured wing patterns. Eötvös’ music captures the constant movement of their wings in flight, as they travel through the three dimensions of the air.

Eötvös’ music is performed here by Alex Raineri, a regular soloist with orchestras around Australia, a frequent guest artist at international festivals, and a passionate advocate for contemporary music who has given more than 140 world premiere performances. His awards include the Australian National Piano Award, ANAM Concerto Competition, and prizes at the APRA/AMCOS Art Music Awards and the Darmstadt Summer Courses for New Music in Germany.

Tracklist:
01 - Piano Sonata No. 2 _A Story from the Sand Dunes__ I. The Shore's Playground
02 - Piano Sonata No. 2 _A Story from the Sand Dunes__ II. The Party
03 - Piano Sonata No. 2 _A Story from the Sand Dunes__ III. Aesepige
04 - Piano Sonata No. 2 _A Story from the Sand Dunes__ IV. Your Crime Will Cost You Your Life
05 - Piano Sonata No. 2 _A Story from the Sand Dunes__ V. The King's Son Clasped His Maiden Fair
06 - Six Minikins_ I.
07 - Six Minikins_ II. For Taylah
08 - Six Minikins_ III.
09 - Six Minikins_ IV.
10 - Six Minikins_ V. Hailey's Minikin
11 - Six Minikins_ VI. Decembers
12 - Danaid


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