Fand IncWessex Press

This February, Fand presents a bumper crop of important new releases:

Thiman: Piano Sonata

Back in 2004, John Mitchell acquired the manuscript of Eric Thiman’s Sonata in One Movement for Piano. It turned out that this was a previously unknown Thiman work, and it is now being presented as an important première by Fand on the very centenary of its composition.

It is unknown whether this virtuosic work was ever performed during Thiman’s lifetime, but the work has nevertheless recently received a superb first performance by Zibo Li as part of his doctoral recital at the University of Miami. We are very fortunate to be able to present a video of that performance here on the Fand site and accompanying YouTube channel.

Mead: Qui creavit cælum

Christmas may have recently gone by… but that leaves plenty of time to find and rehearse something new and highly attractive for next Christmas! A new and very appealing (yet straightforward) piece for SATB choir is what we have here in the form of Philip Mead’s lullaby, Qui creavit cælum. Using a relatively uncommon (though far from unknown) text, this new carol setting is simple but deeply felt, and should fall well within the capabilities of most amateur choirs whilst nevertheless producing an enchanting effect on the audience. There is a simple piano or organ accompaniment.

Thompson: Suite no 12

Peter Thompson’s Autumn Sketchbook is the twelfth in a series of piano suites exploring the art of writing for the piano in fairly brief movements. Suite no 12 concentrates mainly on the reflective and colourful aspects of Autumn, rather than the stormy and winter-leaning traits, although one of the movements, Twirling Leaves, encourages a challenging briskness. The music is aimed at relatively advanced pianists of Grade 7 to 8 standard.

Lambert arr. Mitchell: Aubade Héroïque

A career in conducting the Royal Ballet had some impact on the time that Constant Lambert was able to devote to composition, and his fame as a composer has been somewhat eclipsed accordingly. His most often heard work is the jazz-influenced The Rio Grande. We are pleased to introduce this composer to our catalogue via John Mitchell’s new arrangement for piano of Lambert’s Aubade Héroïque, originally for small orchestra. This was composed in 1942, partly as a 70th birthday tribute to Ralph Vaughan Williams, but also to capture in music an experience Lambert had had two years earlier, when an idyllic morning spent in the garden of a Dutch château was set against the backdrop of the German invasion of Holland in 1940 (the blissful nature of the occasion being clouded by distance gunfire).

Lambert only published three works for solo piano during his lifetime – a substantial Piano Sonata and two shorter pieces – and the present arrangement will add a further option to those pianists wishing to play his music.

Competent pianists of Grade 6 to 7 standard should enjoy tackling this arrangement.