Night Thoughts
Len Vorster (piano)
During the long still nights of the Covid pandemic, pianist Len Vorster, well-known as a thoughtful accompanist, spent most of his evenings listening to a wide array of music ranging from Schumann to Copland. He also spent a lot of time thinking about the music. These ruminations developed into the wide ranging, fascinating and beautiful program of 15 deep-rooted works.
Night Thoughts evolved in 2020 during the extended Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns in Melbourne, Australia. This was a time where the curfew stillness of night provided the perfect space to listen to and be inspired by music that resonated with a range of thoughts triggered by the pandemic. Although there were many moments of frustration, fear and sadness, there was also an ongoing yearning for a silver lining.
Silberstreif by Jillian Rose Tymms, written for him in 2020, encapsulates this uncharted experience. This CD was recorded in 2022 and celebrates the centenary of 2 works composed in 1922 (just after the Spanish flu pandemic) – Bloch’s love poem In the Night and Hindemith’s Nachtstück from “1922” Suite for Piano. This elegiac tribute concludes with the tolling bells in Copland’s Night Thoughts.
This is Len Vorster's second solo piano album release. His first was Summer Waves, released in 2003.
Track Listing:
In The Night – A Love Poem (Ernest Bloch)
Nocturne in C-Sharp minor, Op. 19: No. 4 (Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky)
'Soirees Musicales', Op. 6 No. 2 Notturno in F Major (Clara Schumann)
Nocturne No. 11 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 104: No. 1 (Gabriel Fauré)
Silberstreif – Nocturne in E Major, Op. 1: No. 1 (Jillian Rose Tymms)
Nachtstück '1922' – Suite for Piano, Op. 26: No. 3 (Paul Hindemith)
Aux Etoiles (Henri Duparc)
3 Fantasy Pieces, Op. 6: No. 2 Notturno (Charles Tomlinson Griffes)
Nocturne – Seascape (Peter Sculthorpe)
Nocturne No. 1 (Erik Satie)
Nocturne No. 4, Bal fantôme (Francis Poulenc)
Sonata for Flute and Piano II. Nocturne (Michael Easton Arr: Len Vorster)
Nocturne from 'Giselle's Mania' (Leonid Desyatnikov)
Moments of Night, No. 4 (Peter Klatzow)
Night Thoughts – 'Homage to Ives' (Aaron Copland)
***
MCD 647