VIVID - Seann Alderking		Audio Samples
Artist: Seann Alderking Album: VIVID Price: £8.50 (ex VAT)	This thrilling contemporary solo piano album marks the logical culmination of the friendship between pianist Seann Alderking and composer Bruce Stark - it's a bond that was originally forged in 1982, when both men were students at the Juilliard School in New York: Bruce invited Seann to take part in the premiere of 'Rituals', his new piece for two pianos and four percussionists. Intensive rehearsals were amply rewarded: at the concert, Seann recalls, 'the audience went wild; New Music had made a splash at Juilliard!' In Bruce's words, 'a connection born of shared values and a common approach to music-making had been established which continues to this day'. San Diego-born Bruce Stark completed his masters degree in composition at Juilliard in 1984. His works, ranging from solo piano and chamber music to choral and orchestral pieces, and which clearly reveal the influence of his early studies in percussion, drums, and jazz piano, have been performed, recorded, and broadcast worldwide to enormous acclaim. Since 1989, Bruce has lived in Tokyo, where he is active as composer, arranger, and pianist. As a performer, Seann Alderking played regularly in his youth at music festivals across Europe, and as soloist with orchestras in Britain and America. A passion for the stage drew him towards opera and musical theatre, and he has worked internationally as music supervisor, orchestrator, and accompanist on a host of diverse shows, including a long association with Les Miserables and, more recently, Mamma Mia! - of which he currently serves as music supervisor for no less than four European productions. Sometimes, by the nature of things, serendipity takes a hand. In 2002, a chance meeting in Hong Kong brought the two together; Bruce mentioned to Seann that he was looking for a pianist to record a CD of his music. A few days later, while taking a walk together on a Welsh hilltop, Red Kite's Martin Levan asked Seann if he might consider recording a solo piano album for his new label. The timing could hardly have been better! Thus, VIVID - a stunning collaborative project between a uniquely gifted composer and a prodigious performing talent - was born. All the pieces on VIVID were composed by Bruce between 1995 and 2003. Of these, 'Suite for Piano', exclusively written for the album, together with the 'Five Preludes' and the selection from 'Songs of Innocence', receive their recording premiere here, alongside reworked versions of 'Winged' and the stunning 'Ode to "Ode to Joy"'. The CD insert includes detailed programme notes by the composer, that chart the genesis, history, and inspiration for each of the pieces, which range from shimmering pastoral reflections to uplifting celebratory jazz-informed complexity ... Seann Alderking's definitive performances of Bruce Stark's music are captured in all their intensity by the production mastery of Martin Levan, making VIVID an album that will enthral lovers of new music, in all its many forms. Audio Samples Title MP3 Samples SUITE FOR PIANO: 1. Fanfare Play 2. Fugue 3. Interlude 4. Waltz Play 5. Chorale 6. Finale Play FIVE PRELUDES: 7. Prelude No. 1 Play 8. Prelude No. 2 9. Prelude No. 3 10. Prelude No. 4 11. Prelude No. 5 Play 12. WINGED FROM 'SONGS OF INNOCENCE': 13. Forever Song 14. Daddy's Here 15. Deja vu Play 16. ODE TO 'ODE TO JOY' Play All tracks composed by Bruce Stark and performed by Seann Alderking Top