ISBN 9783750256606, 8.3 x 11.7 inches, English, German.

Music essences were inspired by the idea of developinga piano book that is not a piano school but offers new pieces next to the oldclassics. So you can expand your repertoire for every occasion.

The title describes the pieces as very compressedmusic ideas, or even impressions. They can be musically developed and expandedin mind. Even extended interpretations are conceivable, both in playing and interms of instrumental arrangement.

Waltz No. 1

This Piano Sonata in G major has a light, liltingmelody and a midsection that underscores the style of a waltz. It is a verylively and dynamic piece. The mood is enhanced by a few diffuse moments, whichsupports the arc of suspense.

Impromptu

Based on Franz Schubert, this impromptu is inspired bythe trio of the fourth part of Opus 90 from 1827. The style has been expandedand reinterpreted with modern elements. The theme increases to the upperoctaves and culminates in a new theme in the midsection. It ends with a solemnmood.

Summer

Originally it is the theme of my first symphony forchorus and orchestra, third Movement. In this arrangement for piano, it is themelody that is intensively underlined and expressed.

2nd Intermezzo

In the beginning this piece is like a nocturne byFrederic Chopin, But the midsection is based on the midsection of the secondintermezzo, opus 118 by Johannes Brahms from 1893. Mood, harmony and style ofthe midsection are also inspired by the soundtrack from "PearlHarbor" by Hans Zimmer.

German.

The series &apos.Get to Know Composers&apos. presents works of famous masters in easy arrangements as well as original compositions for piano. A brief biographical sketch with contemporary colour illustrations as well as a list of the most important works provide easy access to the respective composer. Thus, amateur pianists and young piano pupils can embark on a vivid excursion into the life and work of important composers.
Tchaikovsky was the first Russian composer who gained worldwide fame. His symphonies, concertos and ballets are part of the standard repertoire of the musical scene. In addition to original piano works, this volume contains excerpts from Tchaikovsky&apos.s best-known compositions: the Violin Concerto and his Piano Concerto No. 1, Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6, the ballets &apos.SwanLake&apos., &apos.The Sleeping Beauty&apos. and &apos.Nutcracker&apos., as well as &apos.Capriccio Italien&apos. and other works.

German.

The series &apos.Get to Know Composers&apos. presents works of famous masters in easy arrangements as well as original compositions for piano. A brief biographical sketch with contemporary colour illustrations as well as a list of the most important works provide easy access to the respective composer. Thus, amateur pianists and young piano pupils can embark on a vivid excursion into the life and work of important composers.

German.

The series &apos.Get to Know Composers&apos. presents works of famous masters in easy arrangements as well as original compositions for piano. A brief biographical sketch with contemporary colour illustrations as well as a list of the most important works provide easy access to the respective composer. Thus, amateur pianists and young piano pupils can embark on a vivid excursion into the life and work of important composers.

Peteris Vasks occupies a special position in the circle of Baltic composers. He is not only the most significant and popular composer ever to come out of Latvia. he always speaks to his listeners with a fervent intensity that seems to point to something higher. This higher aspect is without a doubt something that stands above the world of humanity but is also present within each person: divine nature.

"I am deeply rooted in nature, in the nature of the North. It influences all of my music. The nature we know is also quite various. we have four very distinct seasons. The winter is very long, the summer very short and therefore all the more beautiful and longed for. The seasons in between are quite dramatic."

The first of Peteris Vasks's Seasons pieces was not written with the intention of forming a complete cycle. For his friend, Talivaldis Deksnis, he composed in 1980 Balta ainava - White Landscape (Winter), in 1981 Rudens muzika - Autumn Music, and in 1995 the Pavasara muzika - Spring Music. In 2008, Zala ainava - Green Landscape (Summer) came into being, the piece which completed the cycle.

In 2009, as a kind of "encore", Vasks wrote Vasaras vakara muzika - Music for a Summer Evening based on old sketches. this, of all the pieces, is the one most anchored in tradition. Only the two newest pieces - both of which have to do with summer - have a fixed metrical structure. The three earlier works are metrically free, notated without bar lines, which gives them an improvisatory character.

Vasks says of the individual pieces in the cycle: "In Balta ainava everything is white. A new year begins. It is a quiet meditation, a new beginning, with only two themes.

Pavasara muzika. Quasi una Sonata - the most demanding piece in this cycle - is intense, an impressive development. Spring comes slowly, with much drama. It is like a battle, until it is simply there. This multi-faceted piece, with its bird songs, lives from conflicts and dramatic intensification and ends in ecstatic rapture. Zala ainava is based on two themes. Our summer is very brief and offers a respite after the battles. And it is so beautiful! The music reflects joy and contentment. The first theme brings a kind of pure energy. the second is more devoted to tone painting. At the end, a five-note quotation from a well-known Latvian folksong about a drunkard is heard.

Rudens muzika begins pianissimo on a quiet September day, in a peaceful, sunny atmosphere. Now the autumn storms sweep over the land. a gentle sadness settles on the people and on nature, which surrenders its splendor. After a last great storm, the snow comes again as a symbol of purified conclusion and a new beginning. Vasaras vakara muzika takes place at the quiet end of a summer day. The sun sets. Slowness. Memories of previous experiences surface. With the memories' appearance comes an increase in intensity. Towards the end, a kind of folksong is heard: 'We have survived the time of tyranny and retained our identity'. The ending is quiet, everything is asleep."

Christoph Schluren

Translation: John Patrick Thomas and W. Richard Rieves