Esperançoso ("Enquanto houver música, há esperança.")
Hopeful (“As long as there is music there is hope.”)

With the arrival of the brandnew virtual classic guitar by Modartt's Pianoteq, I was eager to test the sound of the available guitars. Also, we live in Portugal now and I got totally smitten with their traditional fado.

Of course, this piece could be much improved and tightened, but it is probably better to leave it as imperfect as it is. I hope you enjoy it!

Images from my childhood / A children's drawing

For all 7-year olds in the world, big and small.

From the familiy archives my brother Ernie recently dug up this photo taken in 1955. It evokes in me a strong childhood memory and it reminds me of the drawing I made at the time (forever lost) of the kittens in the tree.

I was 7 and we had just moved into a big new house with a sprawling backyard and even our own tiny forest. I remember that pathetic apple tree behind the house very well. Looking at it I can still remember the thrill of having started a new life in our little paradise. Capturing that in music is next to impossible but nevertheless worth trying: redrawing the scene so to speak, this time in notes and me being ten times older now.

The first part with its simple theme is reminiscent of a nursery song expressing the ignorance of these furry softballs, oblivious of any peril. I titled it ironically, "Life in the apple tree is not complicated". In the second movement the kittens are experiencing rain for the first time, from drops to downpour. And the third movement, "The kittens have no fear at all", reflects actually on myself as an easily excited naive youngster at that age. - Anyway, enjoy this preview!

This duet starts out with a classic theme in B-flat minor, - after about two minutes transitioning into the main segment: a slightly atonal and a mostly dissonant back-and-forth between the two players followed by a brief variation on the opening theme leading up to the Ennio Morricone tribute starting at around 5:50 minutes.

The beloved Italian composer Ennio Morricone wrote over 400 film scores in a vast variety of styles in addition to 100+ classical works. Most impressive and memorable for me as a young man were the soundtracks for the so-called "spaghetti-westerns" evoking so effectively and suspenseful the loneliness of the desert.

Morricone passed away July 7, 2020 and I listened to a few of his most famous compositions once again with great joy!

Just a short study for piano in classical style, and as the title suggests: suited for ballet.

The six movements are loosely related and most of them (especially III, IV and V) could be played on their own outside of the suite. VI should be fun as an encore; as the finale, it is a lighthearted scherzo kind of thing. However the order in which they appear in this suite is quite deliberate. In general the pieces have a percussive feel to them and rarely venture into the realm of romanticism. They are not per sé modern music either, even though dissonants occur regularly. "Carré" reminds of pop and it swings a little; part IV builds unmistakably on a classic foundation. This piece, "Sur tes orteils" ("On your toes") is a bit of an outlier and, as the title suggests, rather suited for ballet (see music video on YouTube).

I. Chambre Sans Berceau (Room without crib)

II. Éclats Des Vieilles Tempêtes (Shards of old storms)

III. Je t'aime Encore, Tu Sais, Je t'aime (I still love you, you know, I love you)