I owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the celebrated pianist Nicolas Horvath for enthusiastically
bringing my Debussy works to public attention in their solo piano formats, both through his recent
recitals across France and through this Naxos Grand Piano release (GP822). In some cases these are
true piano pieces (like Toomai des �l�phants), in others they are piano reductions of orchestral scores
(like F�tes galantes), while in others they are piano solos in their own right that also exist in orchestral
versions (as in the incidental music for Le Roi Lear). Needless to say, most of these tracks are world
premi�re recordings, and this is certainly true of A Night in the House of Usher and its companion piece Un Jour affreux avec Le Diable dans le beffroi (?A Dreadful Day with the Devil in the Belfry?) which I arranged specially for Nicolas in November 2018 as a virtuosic, almost Lisztian paraphrase-fantasy. To remind us of the plot as the dramatic scenes unfold, Un Jour affreux avec le Diable dans le beffroi, like the start of No-ja-li) has a narrator (spoken in French by Florient Azoulay on the Grand Piano recording):

[After an overture rising from the underworld, with a polka and a citation of a chldren?s folksong Savez vous plantez les choux?, a carillon rings out]: Hearing it, the Dutch villagers start to count, with the bells of the belfry / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, 8, 9, 11, and 12 / Perfect! / 13!?!/ The bell rang 13 times / 13! / The Devil is here where the clock should be! / Damn! / The bells are cracked. / The Devil laughs fit to burst / He pulls from the pocket of his coat, a small dancing master?s violin / ?My God!? says the devil ? and he tunes his violin slowly / The Devil leads the villagers in a fantastic and relentless jig [making jokes at the expense of concertos by Beethoven, Brahms and Tchaikovsky] / The Devil directs the villagers towards the canal ? where he jumps to the other side, laughing all the time / The villagers try to imitate him, but they fall into the water. / [In Part 2] the villagers are transported to a hedonistic and lively Italian village. They are similarly transformed: the men have crooked hats ? the women have wide open bodices! They dance a mad Tarantella / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 and 13 / shouting ?Hey there! (Hola?) / Jean, the young hero, makes a fervent prayer to God against the Devil / The prayer is answered and the bell again rings normally! / The expression of the Devil changes: he shudders! / Everything goes black / The devil disappears in a brief red glow ? / And the carillon and the bells chime as usual / 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12 / Perfect! / But the Devil?s grinning face ap-
pears once again where the clock should be ? briefly

This collection includes 10 spooky, famous classical works in minor keys--perfect for Halloween, or for any time of year! These pieces are appropriate for students in levels 1-2 of most piano method books. The accompanying video contains a sheet music sample and audio sample of each piece in the collection.

Selections include: Theme from the Fifth Symphony (Beethoven), In the Hall of the Mountain King (Grieg), Theme from Symphony No. 1 (Mahler), Egyptian Dance (Saint-Saens), Toccata in D Minor (J.S. Bach), Slavonic March (Tchaikovsky), Finale (Dvorak), Funeral March (Chopin), Fur Elise (Beethoven), and Funeral March of a Marionette (Gounod).

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Chrissy Ricker is a Nationally Certified Teacher of Music (NCTM) with a Master's degree in piano performance and pedagogy. Chrissy enjoys composing and arranging music to motivate and challenge students of all ages. In addition to the works she publishes through SMP Press, Chrissy's piano music is also published by Kjos Music Company and Piano Pronto Publishing. Her music has appeared on the piano contest lists of many state and national teaching associations, including the National Federation of Music Clubs. Visit Chrissy's website at www.chrissyricker.com

Carols of Christmas is a collection of 10 sophisticated sounding but easy holiday solos for the early intermediate pianist. This is a great book for teens, adults, and others who enjoy Christmas music but don't want (or have already learned) the usual Christmas pieces. Contains: The Birthday of a King; I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day; What Child Is This; In the Bleak Midwinter; Silent Night; Sing We Now of Christmas; How Great Our Joy; Carol of the Bells; O Holy Night; Still, Still, Still. Connect with Pam at www.pamturnerpiano.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pamturnerpremierpiano.

Scripture Meditations is a collection of 10 original contemporary Christian piano solos. Each song is a musical expression of a verse from the Bible. This unique songbook is useful for personal meditation, reflection, and worship, and can add a meaningful component to Christian services and programs. These pieces make wonderful offertories, preludes, postludes, and background music. Also nice for weddings. Intermediate level.