Michael Rickelton Nocturne (2007)

[furtwaengler]

I love this nocturne by the young American composer, Michael Rickelton, his first contribution to the solo piano repertoire, written 2006-07, premiered January 2007. I first performed it in August of the same year…it is a piece that instantly gripped my attention as I‘m sure it will yours. Michael is not a pianist, and somehow I really like that…hearing the instrument through the imagination of one with a different point of view (I don’t know how to express that). He is a wonderful baritone, but really a composer he is, having composed many choral settings, song cycles, as well as chamber music for a variety of ensembles and even pieces for chamber orchestra and indeed large orchestra. He has recently written a terrifically difficult piano sonata which I hope to get in shape to perform. Pay attention to Michael Rickelton.

It pains me to say that this live performance from January 27, 2008, which is an in-house recording done on equipment greatly surpassing my own, started a few bars into the performance, thus I include the supplement of what my poor voice recorder caught during a rehearsal of it in a classroom the previous November in order to present a full picture of this piece.

Comment as you wish.

[rachfan]

Hi furtwaengler,

I believe this nocturne of Richelton is a wonderful composition, and quite a surprising effort for an non-pianist composer.  You played it very effectively too--an excellent performance, furtwaengler. Bravo!  I hope many of the other members here will listen to it.

These days it's also a joy to hear more contemporary tonal compositions tinged with distinctively beautiful dissonances and chromatics. I believe that neo-romanticism is, in fact, enjoying a renaissance.  Perhaps more composers and musicians have concluded that the Romantic and Late Romantic Ages were not "bankrupt" after all, and that the style offers many exciting new avenues for composing in new and original ways, such as the case here. Thanks for posting this music!  

[goldentone]

I enjoyed the piece very much, Furtwaengler.  Rickelton proves that it is still possible to compose 19th century style music in the 21st century.  Your playing is excellent.  And the way you play those thirds runs makes my hair want to stand up!  Thanks for sharing.

[furtwaengler]

Thanks for the views, the downloads, the listens, and the comments, guys.

And no, it's not a bad thing to use tonality in different ways...we are living in a time of ever expanding possibility in composition, for we have all of music history at our finger tips ready for application.

[manel]

A very interesting piece, really. I liked it very much.

[furtwaengler]

Thank you, Manel. I'm glad you like it.