Some great new discoveries and otherwise the usual company in abundance. John Adams Absolute Jest · Grand Pianola Music San Francisco Symphony · Michael Tilson Thomas · John Adams (SFS Media) Bang on a Can All Stars Field Recordings (Cantaloupe) eighth blackbird Filament (Cedille) Mahan Esfahani Time Present and Time Past (Archiv) Morton Feldman ·… Continue reading Best of 2015
Category: Piano
Children’s Suite
Children’s Suite comprises a trio of three-movement works for piano I composed for my children Remi, Kenza and Tijani in the respective years of their birth. All nine movements are written in diatonic C major/A minor. The cycle opens and closes with fast movements, otherwise the music is slow to moderate. Forms and structures are… Continue reading Children’s Suite
Tijani, for piano: Young Afro Future
This is the last movement from my piano work Tijani, and the closing part in a cycle of three, three-movement works for piano I’ve composed for my children (which include Remi and Kenza). All nine movements are written in diatonic C major/A minor. Like the opening movement of the cycle, “Oh Seven,” this is a fast piece. The title… Continue reading Tijani, for piano: Young Afro Future
Tijani, for piano
Today marks one year on earth for my youngest, our son Tijani. In the year of his birth I wrote a three-movement work for piano. The second and third movements are presented here. As with the pieces written for Tijani’s older sisters Remi and Kenza, the music here is diatonic, in the key of C… Continue reading Tijani, for piano
Best of 2014
John Adams, The Gospel According to the Other Mary – Los Angeles Philharmonic, LA Master Chorale, Gustavo Dudamel John Luther Adams, Become Ocean – Seattle Symphony, Ludovic Morlot D’Angelo and The Vanguard, Black Messiah Morton Feldman, String Quartet No. 1 – FLUX Quartet Flying Lotus, You’re Dead! Philip Glass, The Complete Piano Etudes – Maki… Continue reading Best of 2014
Like It’s 1994/95: Uhuru
A recurring introspective retrospective of my music as it sounded twenty years earlier. In early 1994, I took my first trip to Europe, spending a week in Lyon where my music was heard at a university dance festival as well as in the subway for a pop up freestyle contemporary dance event. I spent the… Continue reading Like It’s 1994/95: Uhuru
Kenza, for piano
Today is the second birthday of my second child Kenza, firstborn to my wife Nehal El-Hadi. Just before her birth, I wrote a short three-movement work for piano dedicated to her. I have posted the first movement here. Like the work written for her older sister Remi, the music here is diatonic, in the key… Continue reading Kenza, for piano
Radio Rewrite Is ‘Everything’ and Then Some
An excerpt of my review of the Nonesuch album for I Care If You Listen; full version available with a subscription.
I Care If You Listen – Hamelin performs Feldman
I’m delighted to share my debut piece for the excellent contemporary classical magazine I Care If You Listen. It’s a review of Marc-André Hamelin’s performance of Morton Feldman’s For Bunita Marcus at the 21C Music Festival in May. Have a look and let me know what you think!
Anni
Anni is for solo piano in three movements; the first and last a prelude and postlude, respectively, to the longer and more developed middle. I have posted the audio for this movement only. The key of the second movement is ambiguous during the opening chorale, then settles into A major/F-sharp minor. It is based around… Continue reading Anni
EL MAHBOOB 