Childhood Memories
Liner Notes   Cat. No. 80590     Release Date: 2002-01-01

Music for Younger Pianists

Sahan Arzruni, piano

Introducing the young soul to music is a matter of no small consequence. It requires a delicate balance between art-the product of grown-up experience-and artlessness, the province of childhood. When a composer of note addresses his music to a young audience, he is often reflecting on his own childhood: revisiting a child's state of mind, recapturing it, and transmitting it through his adult artistic sensibility. Alternatively, the composer may portray some artifact of childhood-a toy, for example-with the kind of self-conscious simplicity that appeals to a child's natural naiveté. A third possibility is to compose pieces that the young can actually perform.

Brevity is the key to all three objectives. For despite a child's natural attraction to music and his potential technical ability, his attention span is limited. It is not always easy for a composer to reduce the scope of his compositions in this way. One might say that it is the mark of a truly great composer to be able to distill his music for the nourishment of young souls without sacrificing his own artistic personality. This recording features music by composers who have indeed struck that "delicate balance."

The works featured on this recording are rarely if ever performed in concert. Taken individually, they are short compositions, technically accessible to gifted budding pianists. Most notable composers have written in this genre. Because such compositions are short and deceptively simple, professionals deem them "unsuitable" for concert performance and do not program them.

I have chosen to circumvent the problem by performing these miniatures as sets with an overarching design, in the manner of the poetic cycles of the Romantic masters. In this way, the whole can become greater than its parts, as it were, resulting in a program that is pianistically challenging, perhaps even intellectually stimulating-but most important of all, musically satisfying.                       — Sahan Arzruni

Sahan Arzruni

Childhood Memories

WAV $16.00
CD $25.00

Track Listing

Children's Carnival: Promenade
Amy (H. H. A.) Beach
Buy
Children's Carnival: Columbine
Amy (H. H. A.) Beach
Buy
Children's Carnival: Pantalon
Amy (H. H. A.) Beach
Buy
Children's Carnival: Pierrot and Pierrette
Amy (H. H. A.) Beach
Buy
Children's Carnival: Secrets
Amy (H. H. A.) Beach
Buy
Childrens Carnival: Harlequin
Amy (H. H. A.) Beach
Buy
Sketches in Color: Purple
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Shades of Blue
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Black and White
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Bright Orange
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Grey
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Pink
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Crimson
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Maroon
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Aluminum
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Silver and Gold
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Khaki
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Pepper and Salt
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Aquamarine
Robert Starer
Buy
Sketches in Color: Chrome Yellow
Robert Starer
Buy
A Quiet Afternoon: A Quiet Afternoon
Ned Rorem
Buy
A Quiet Afternoon: A New Game
Ned Rorem
Buy
A Quiet Afternoon: The Little Boy Lost
Ned Rorem
Buy
A Quiet Afternoon: The Little Boy Found
Ned Rorem
Buy
A Quiet Afternoon: Lonsesome Waltz
Ned Rorem
Buy
A Quiet Afternoon: The Tiny Tin Dancers
Ned Rorem
Buy
A Quiet Afternoon: Near The Strange Garden
Ned Rorem
Buy
A Quiet Afternoon: A Trick
Ned Rorem
Buy
A Quiet Afternoon: Evening Rainbow
Ned Rorem
Buy
Three Toccatinas: I.
Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee
Buy
Three Toccatinas: II
Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee
Buy
Three Toccatinas: III
Dianne Goolkasian Rahbee
Buy
Lyric Piece
Ben Weber
Buy
Subway in The Sunshine and Other Memories: Bird-Cage
William Mayer
Buy
Subway in The Sunshine and Other Memories: Feeding Pigeons
William Mayer
Buy
Subway in The Sunshine and Other Memories: Rude Bird
William Mayer
Buy
Subway in The Sunshine and Other Memories: The Stream that Knew Sadness
William Mayer
Buy
Subway in The Sunshine and Other Memories: Subway in The Sunshine
William Mayer
Buy
Altered Steps to Altered States: Hesitating Seconds
Miriam Gideon
Buy
Altered Steps to Altered States: Sliding Thirds
Miriam Gideon
Buy
Altered Steps to Altered States: Insistent Fourths
Miriam Gideon
Buy
Altered Steps to Altered States: Stretching Fifths
Miriam Gideon
Buy
Altered Steps to Altered States: Everything at Sixes and at Sevens
Miriam Gideon
Buy
Altered Steps to Altered States: Wounded Octaves
Miriam Gideon
Buy
Modal Suite: I.
George Perle
Buy
Modal Suite: II
George Perle
Buy
Modal Suite: III
George Perle
Buy
Little Suite for Piano: I. Pastorale
Lou Harrison
Buy
Little Suite for Piano: II. Quadrille
Lou Harrison
Buy
Little Suite for Piano: III. Chorale
Lou Harrison
Buy
Soundshots: The Swing
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: The Pony Express
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Duck Duet
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: The Bird Says Bob White
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Quiet Time
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Follow The Leader
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Skipping
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: The Robin
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Black and White
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Circles
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Two by Two They Came
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Run, Rabbit, Run!
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Strolling
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Pitter-Patter, Pitter-Patter
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: A Heavy Load
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Whirling Pin Wheels
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Jumping High
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: End of Day
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: The Clocks
Louise Talma
Buy
Soundshots: Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep
Louise Talma
Buy
Little Piece
Roger Sessions
Buy
Waltz for Brenda
Roger Sessions
Buy
Scherzino
Roger Sessions
Buy
March
Roger Sessions
Buy