Kerber, Yann Tiersen.
Yann Tiersen’s new collection comprises seven works inspired by the spectacular landscape that surrounds his Breton island home in Ushant, 30 kilometres off the West Coast of Brittany in the Celtic Sea. In keeping with his trademark style, Tiersen’s music is spacious and meditative; quiet chordal introductions inevitably give way to cascading harp-like figurations only to return to a more reflective mood.
Significant performance challenges in this volume include complex key signatures (four out of the seven pieces have a key signature of five or more flats) and large stretches (minimum reach of an octave is necessary for most pieces). This compilation would suit an experienced pianist at AMEB Grade 5 standard and above. For less-experienced players, most pieces can be easily shortened and could also be used as improvisatory prompts.
Piano Sheet Music Collection, Brian Crain.
This collection comprises 17 soothing solos, including many well-known tunes, arranged by Brian Crain. Pachelbel’s Canon in D is beautifully arranged in the key of C (Crain retains the original title which is slightly confusing when approaching his score for the first time).
Students could transpose the Canon back into the original key of D major or perhaps even venture a little further! Another attractive piece is Dream of Flying- a gentle left hand ostinato coupled with a mostly static right hand melody makes this piece the perfect introduction to playing in five flats. Crain’s music caters for a wide range of musical tastes and abilities (approximately AMEB Grade 4 and above). Other potential teaching points include the exploration of irregular time signatures and harmonic analysis.
Piano Sheet Music Collection, David Nevue.
David Nevue’s most popular works are contained in this self-curated collection of 25 piano solos suitable for early-intermediate to advanced pianists. Teenagers looking for a musical escape will enjoy the diverse range of emotions explored within this anthology.
Nevue’s works are relatively straightforward to learn thanks to uncomplicated textures and plenty of repetition throughout. Whilst some rhythms look more complicated than they sound, students can easily access and listen to his extensive catalogue of recordings on platforms including YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music/iTunes.
JANE FERDINANDS
Jane has been playing the piano ever since she could sit up. Since moving from Perth to Melbourne in 2000, she completed three degrees at The University of Melbourne and is currently undertaking what she hopes will be her last, a PhD in Music Performance. Between performing as soloist and collaborative artist, giving masterclasses and writing concert reviews, Jane enjoys teaching budding young musicians in her dynamic private studio.
