{"product_id":"skempton-howard-william-howard-plays-skempton","title":"William Howard: William Howard Plays Skempton - COMPACT DISCS","description":"\u003cb\u003eTitle: \u003c\/b\u003eWilliam Howard Plays Skempton\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eArtist: \u003c\/b\u003eWilliam Howard\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eLabel: \u003c\/b\u003eOrchid Classics\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eProduct Type: \u003c\/b\u003eCOMPACT DISCS\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eUPC: \u003c\/b\u003e5060189561162\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eGenre: \u003c\/b\u003eClassical\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eRelease Date: \u003c\/b\u003e2020-02-14\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \u003cb\u003eNumber of Discs: \u003c\/b\u003e1\u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \n                                         \u003cbr\u003e\n                                         \n                                         \n                                         William Howard performs the solo piano music of Howard Skempton in a collection that includes Skempton's 24 Preludes and Fugues, inspired by J.S. Bach's example but in a contemporary style. Skempton's piano miniatures are concise, crystalline gems: clear, colorful and bright. There is a neoclassical quality to Skempton's Preludes and Fugues, which exude a serene, almost otherworldly atmosphere, tempered with a sense of intimacy and refinement. Each Prelude consists of a spare, canonic piece, and each Fugue is woven into an intricate but delicate texture of interlacing lines. Skempton's Three Nocturnes are richer and more fluid, at times darker-hued and enigmatic, with the use of jazz inflections but with a similar clarity of texture to that heard in the Preludes and Fugues. The Reflections are exquisite windows into a world of contemplative introspection, and the Images represent a varied collection of miniatures culminating in a Postlude based on The Keel Row, a folk tune from the north of Britain also used in Debussy's orchestral Images - perhaps a nod to the impressionistic aspects of these works, as alluded to by Skempton in his album notes: \"The landscape of these four collections of pieces is gently unpredictable...\"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTracks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAudio Sample:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n                                           \u003ci\u003eAll soundclips are provided by Tidal and are for illustrative purposes only. For some releases, the tracks listed may not accurately represent the tracks on the physical release.\u003c\/i\u003e\n                                           \u003cbr\u003e\n                                           \u003ciframe src=\"https:\/\/embed.tidal.com\/albums\/129712962\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\" frameborder=\"0\" style=\"width:100%;height:700px\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e","brand":"William Howard","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39595439718471,"sku":"40005287","price":17.98,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2976\/0132\/files\/3770683-2540105_b7ea4f3a-820a-4b95-bce8-f555305fdd05.jpg?v=1769601111","url":"https:\/\/tower.com\/products\/skempton-howard-william-howard-plays-skempton","provider":"Tower Records","version":"1.0","type":"link"}