Contains:
"En Face Du Miroir (Facing The Mirror)"
- taken from the Isadar solo piano complete collection, "Red" (also available on SMP)

Sounds like: Keith Jarrett, Bill Evans, Vince Guaraldi, Liz Story, George Winston, early Windham Hill solo piano artists

Transcribed by: David Shenton ( https://www.shentonmusic.com/ ) verbatim to the sound recording

Album & Songbook Review by: Kathy Parsons

Red is pianist/composer Isadar?s genre-defying tenth solo piano album and seventeenth independent release from the past twenty years. It is also the third installment in a trilogy of solo piano albums released in the past year - Reconstructed, a Will Ackerman-produced anthology of some of Isadar?s best piano pieces; O Christmas, Isadar?s second piano Christmas album; and now Red, a bittersweet love-themed album that took seven years to produce and that consists of the first new original solo piano material Isadar has released in more than ten years.

I have been reviewing and thoroughly enjoying Isadar?s releases since his second piano album, 1999?s Active Imagination, which still stands as one of my favorite recordings. Even though I have been a big fan for many years, I was still blown away by Isadar?s live performance in my house concert series in July 2010. The man has magic fingers and an extraordinary piano touch that are perfectly suited to express his imaginative, distinctive, and emotionally powerful music.

Isadar is also a singer/songwriter and an electronic musician who creates the music videos for much of his music, dramatizing the stories that inspired the songs. I will always be partial to Isadar?s piano albums because his voice and vision are unique, incorporating jazz, new age, pop, and classical stylings into a musical language all his own.

Red opens with ?Broken Valentine,? a free-flowing expression of heartbreak and the broad range of emotions that go with it, alternating between grief and confusion then shifting to perhaps anger and resignation - a great beginning. The title track conveys the freedom of an improvisation while weaving together a variety of upbeat themes. ?The Man Who Broke My Heart? is energetic and in constant swirling motion - also very free and from deep within. ?The Stairwell? is darker and much more mysterious, overflowing with Isadar?s intriguing accented rhythms and picturesque compositional style. My favorite track is the almost nine-minute ?Letting Go,? a piece that intertwines a series of musical vignettes into a powerful, colorful musical collage. I love the way Isadar seamlessly goes from flowing and smooth to a bouncy jazz style to high drama without missing a beat. Great stuff! ?En Face Du Miroir (Facing the Mirror)? is much lighter, with fingers dancing nimbly around the piano keyboard. The album closes with ?Blood ... Thicker Than Water,? again a combination of changing themes that could well be a musical family portrait - different personalities working separately and as a unit, bound together by the unseen ties that keep families together through thick and thin.

Isadar has created another piano masterpiece that should be more widely heard than his previous releases due to the success of Reconstructed. I hope so, anyway! Red is available from isadar.com, Amazon, iTunes, and CD Baby. Very highly recommended!

Isadar?s Red: Solo Piano Sheet Music Collection is a note-for-note transcription of all seven pieces from Isadar?s 2013 CD/download release by the same name. The music was transcribed by David Shenton (shentonmusic.com) with clear, concise notation that includes dynamics, pedaling and metronome settings.

Isadar is an amazing pianist with a style all his own, so this isn?t a book that most pianists will be able to just sit down and play. It will take some work and attention to detail to get this music right, but it will be well worth the effort. Having the recording for handy reference would be a big help.

Rhythms are often complex and syncopated, but are usually repeated within each piece, so once you have them, the rest will follow fairly easily. There are only a few chords with a reach of more than an octave and none of the key signatures are terribly difficult. The layout and spacing of the music is excellent, and the paper stock is a bright white 9?x12? format with a stapled binding.

If you enjoy listening to Isadar?s music, I?m sure you will enjoy playing it, too! This songbook is available from isadar.com. Recommended!

The songs with their key signatures and the number of pages is listed below:

Broken Valentine - C minor (3 flats) - 4 pages
Red - A minor (0 sharps or flats) - 5 pages
The Man Who Broke My Heart - A minor - 6 pages
The Stairwell - F# minor (3 sharps) - 7 pages
Letting Go - F minor (4 flats) / C minor (3 flats) - 8 pages
En Face Du Miroir (Facing the Mirror) - Ab (4 flats) / F minor/ Bb minor (5 flats) / Db (5 flats) - 7 pages
Blood ... Thicker Than Water - A Minor/ C (0) / F (1 flat) - 7 pages

Isadar is an artist on both Enlightened Piano Radio & Whisperings Solo Piano Radio, the latter featuring some of today's biggest names in solo piano music, including Ludovico Einaudi, David Nevue, Brian Crain, Kevin Kern, Robin Spielberg, Michele McLaughlin, Philip Wesley and over 300 more...

Also available as sheet music in physical songbooks, digital downloads, as well as software for Yamaha Disklavier player-pianos.

For more information, visit his website at: http://www.isadar.com

A gorgeous arrangement of the Moody Blues classic, "Nights in White Satin", blended with nuances of Debussy's classical masterpiece, "Clair de Lune". This "Classical Pop" cover, arranged by Kawai Artist Christine Brown, is a solo piano arrangement from the popular piano cover album"Timeless", part 2 of a collection of classic rock/pop hits that are blended "seamlessly" with classical songs, appealing to generations young and old, being introduced to the iconic classics in a new way. Christine is a distinguished Kawai Piano Artist and award-winning composer of contemporary classical solo piano. Christine?s music is a unique blend of new age, contemporary and classical sounds. With her graceful, elegant touch, Christine paints a colorful landscape with thoughtful musical interpretations of life's emotions and experiences. Since the young age of three, she has been fascinated by the piano. Christine's childhood classical training is evident in her melodic and thematic compositions, while rich harmonies reflect her background in accompanying various choral groups. From Chopin to Joplin, her influences were varied and many, and she also enjoyed creating her own arrangements of popular songs. While attending the University of Colorado, Christine was inspired by George Winston's new age genre of solo piano, yet for many years the piano remained only a hobby. Christine rediscovered her passion for the piano, immersing herself in her music after the loss of her mother in 1990. She began composing, using the piano to voice her emotions, releasing heartfelt compositions that captured listeners.

Christine has released 13 CDs, including her original works, "a mixture of passion, exceptional playing chops and an abundance of grace consistently puts her music in a category of its own. . . the pieces express a wide range of emotions and experiences with depth, sincerity and an elegant touch." MainlyPiano.com. Her original music on ?Souvenirs" (2014) won Best Solo Piano Album of the Year by Whisperings Solo Piano Radio. Christine?s unique arrangements of holiday, pop/rock and children?s music have earned numerous awards. ?A Classic Christmas II? was awarded Best Holiday Album of 2018 by SoloPiano.com. ?Seamless? (2016), a creative mashup collection, was awarded SoloPiano.com's Pop/Rock Piano Album of the Year 2016 a unique fusion of popular cover songs and classical and new age pieces, a sophisticated and seamless musical tapestry with clever medleys of timeless melodies. Original albums, ?Ascend? (2017), ?The Wishing Well" (2011) and "Promise" ( 2009), were also nominated for Piano Album of the Year. Reviewers have noted Christine?s music as ?so stunning and full flowing, with wonderfully crafted compositions and magical and emotive performances. Her care and attention to detail while creating such incredibly powerful and moving pieces will not go unnoticed."

Christine?s style of playing has a unique classical influence with a new age sensitivity that evokes strong emotions. Inspired by her life experiences and emotions, Christine creates captivating music that tells a story, with depth and sincerity. Fans write, "Her music is vibrant, colorful and full of life. Skilled at the art of blending chords and note progressions into beautiful aural tapestries, her emotions come through her music ... and through her music she is able to reach out and touch the hearts of millions of appreciative piano music fans." Christine currently resides in San Diego, California.