Episode 300: 19300 Williams Wordsworth - Complete Music for Solo Piano

Likewise with the Anglo-Scottish composer William Wordsworth (1908–88), great-great-grandnephew of the poet, with whom I occasionally exchanged letters and phone calls in the pre-e-mail late 1970s and early 1980s: I never could have predicted that his reputation might be restored by a series of Toccata Classics albums of his orchestral music, and I confess to an inordinate degree of pleasure in having helped right that injustice. Wordsworth’s piano music, too, was poorly known before now, none of it recorded since a handful of pieces appeared on LP 60 years ago – though his epic Piano Sonata is a work of major importance. The first-ever complete recording, on this release, reveals an honest, unfussy approach to the keyboard akin to that of two other major symphonists, Sibelius and Rubbra: like them, Wordsworth’s primary concern seems to have been the expression of deep feeling – which makes the gentle story-telling of his miniatures for children all the more surprising. The pianist is that stalwart defender of Scottish piano composers, Christopher Guild – who grew up just a few miles along the Moray Firth from Wordsworth’s Highland home overlooking Glen Feshie in the Cairngorms.TracksPiano Sonata in D Minor, Op. 13 (1938-39) (27:04)I. Maestoso (13:21)II. Largamente e calmato – (6:13)III. Allegro molto – Poco adagio – Tempo I (7:30)Three Pieces for Piano* (10:35)Prelude (1932) (4:40)Scherzo (undated) (2:04)Rhapsody (spring 1934) (3:51)Cheesecombe Suite, Op. 27 (1945) (13:18)I. Prelude (4:35)II. Scherzo (1:34)III. Nocturne (4:58)IV. Fughetta (2:11)Ballade, Op. 41 (1949) (7:55)A Tale from Long Ago (publ. 1952)* (1:48)March of the Giants (publ. 1952)* (1:16)Ding Dong Bell (publ. 1952)* (1:19)Snowflakes (publ. 1952)* (1:38)Fireside Story (publ. 1952)* (2:28)Bedtime (Six O’Clock) (publ. 1952)* (1:13)Bedtime Story (publ. 1952)* (1:25)Hornpipe (publ. 1952)* (1:03)Valediction, Op. 82 (1967)* (10:00)- First RecordingsHelp support our show by purchasing this album  at:Downloads (classicalmusicdiscoveries.store) Classical Music Discoveries is sponsored by Uber and Apple Classical. @CMDHedgecock#ClassicalMusicDiscoveries #KeepClassicalMusicAlive#CMDGrandOperaCompanyofVenice #CMDParisPhilharmonicinOrléans#CMDGermanOperaCompanyofBerlin#CMDGrandOperaCompanyofBarcelonaSpain#ClassicalMusicLivesOn#Uber#AppleClassical Please consider supporting our show, thank you!Donate (classicalmusicdiscoveries.store) [email protected] album is broadcast with the permission of Sean Dacy from Rosebrook Media.