Alex Shapiro, composer: New American Piano Music: Sonata for Piano

Alex Shapiro, composer

New American Piano Music: Sonata for Piano

New American Piano Music (innova 552) Innova Recordings featuring Alex Shapiro's Sonata for Piano recorded by pianist Teresa McCollough This CD also includes works by: David Rakowski, Henry Martin, Charles Griffin, Tomas Svoboda, Steve Heitzig and Elizabeth Pizer.
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Read about *Sonata for Piano*
Listen to Mov't 1: Moderato
Listen to Mov't 2: Lento; Andante
Listen to Mov't 3: Scherzo
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Sonata For Piano

Alex Shapiro's Sonata for Piano has been performed and broadcast in concerts around the U.S., Central America, Europe and China by pianist Teresa McCollough, who features the work on her 2001 CD for the Innova recording label, New American Piano Music. First heard in 1998 in Los Angeles in a performance by pianist Barbara Burgan, pianist Arlene Goter toured extensively with the Sonata in 2002 and gave the piece its New York premiere at Carnegie Hall in April 2002.

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Reviews

"...The scherzo closer [in Alex Shapiro's Sonata for Piano] works surprisingly well, coming off as a slam bang coda in the way the last measures of Beethoven’s first Razumovsky quartet do... a palpable level of motivic economy, confident and easy manner of melodic speech, and clear sense of crafty sophistication.

"This CD... contains an attractive clutch of recent keyboard works exhibiting various degrees of tonal focus. The harmonic languages heard range from the pop oriented clarity of Vernacular Dances (1996) by Charles Griffin and barely clouded functionality of Henry Martin’s Prelude and Fugue XIII—A Slow Drag (1996) to the jazz hued spikiness of Alex Shapiro’s Sonata for Piano (1999) and dissonant East Coast leaning etudes by David Rakowski (though this last is harmonically grounded by employment of ostinato figures and repeated notes). This wide-ranging gradation of tonal employment imparts a good bit of overall variety to the release.

"Your reviewer especially liked the Rakowski and Shapiro selections."

—David Cleary, New Music Connoisseur

"This impressive debut CD by California pianist Teresa McCollough began as a nationwide call for original piano compositions by American composers. Three hundred scores later, she picked the best 7 to include on her recital programs and national tours. The result is a solid and exciting program of contemporary music in a variety of approachable styles and of uniform high quality.

Pianists will discover a wealth of new repertoire to include in recitals while listeners will be introduced to some of the best up-and-coming talent in today's concert music. The music hints at jazz idioms, modernistic sonatas, and spacious, elegiac styles, all the while showing tremendous craft and personality.

Composers from New York, Massachusetts, Minnesota, California and Oregon are brought together under the energetic, and sensitive pianistic style of McCollough, who is Associate Professor of Music at Santa Clara University, California. She has premiered works by Lou Harrison, Frederic Rzewski, and George Crumb and tours extensively as soloist and guest artist with orchestras and chamber groups."

—Innova Recordings

Amazon.com: "*****Outstanding Collection," August 14, 2001
Reviewer Jon Burlingame writes:

"The voices of contemporary composers are so difficult to discover these days. It's one thing to read about fine new writers, but unless we seek them out and take the time to listen and tell others of our experiences, these voices will quietly fade away. Here is an opportunity to explore the music of seven such composers of modern American music. Most of this material was written within the past decade, and all of it is thrillingly performed.

I am especially fond of Alex Shapiro's piano sonata. By turns contemplative, wistful and joyous, it's a highlight on a disc filled with bright and engaging new voices."

"A Rome Prize winner, an Emmy Award winner, and a highly experienced composer (Tomas Svoboda) cross paths here, making a very beautiful recital which perfectly fits the original intent of "a solid program with diverse, accessible styles, in order to bring American music to a new audience." A pleasure to discover."

—Rejean Beaucage, La Scena Musicale

"California pianist Teresa McCollough sent out nationwide a call for new, classical piano pieces by American composers. Out of 300 scores, she chose seven for her recitals and national tours. This album is those seven selections. The pieces are exciting, daring adventures in contemporary music. The composers distilled hard jazz, delicate sonatas and Copland-esque Americana into a new and stunning voice for McCollough's playing..."

—Tom Schulte, AMG All Music Guide

Alex Shapiro, composer

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