Grand Piano (Narada Anniversary Collection)

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Grand Piano (Narada Anniversary Collection)

Compilation album by Various artists
Released	1997
Genre	Instrumental Adult contemporary (soft) Easy listening New Age
Label	Narada

Grand Piano is a 1997 compilation release by Narada.

From album liner: "In Narada's 15-year history, no single instrument has more clearly expressd our musical vision than the piano. Its vast scope and orchestral capabilities have allowed it to encompass a sweeping vista of music endowed with the beauty and spirit that characterizes our wide ranging repertoire. Over the years -- from David Lanz and Michael Jones to Bradley Joseph -- Narada's music has found its most eloquent expression in the hands of highly gifted pianists.

The piano leads the way in these far-reaching endeavors. It is the composer's instrument of choice, comprising the fundamental elements of melody, harmony, and rhythm. If music can be set to paper it can be played on the piano, expressing jazz, swing, blues, classical -- and certainly new age music, in which the very sound of the piano is a trademark.

As the artists on this album are quick to point out, the instrument itself has no personality. It is a simple physical fact that the artist animates the instrument. But the unique mystery of piano is the individuality which emanates from the same instrument in different hands. The mechanisms are constant -- keys and pedals remain the same, and behind the gleaming wood the same hammers strike the same strings. Yet with each pianist we hear different tones and timbres, and identifiably personal music.

Sylistic and technical variations offer only a partial explanation. The human element explains the rest -- no other instrument so readily accepts all that the player can bring to it".

1 Quotes from album liner
2 Track listing
3 Personnel
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Quotes from album liner

The piano exists apart from the performer. You must coax it to be a partner, and some pianos can be resistant. But there are many ways to touch a piano - and if the player invests the time, effort, and the will to love, the response of the instrument is absolutely enormous. -- Kostia
I sense that the instrument is alive - that when I listen closely for nuance and tone, the inanimate world of strings, wood, pins, and steel comes to life. When I honor the piano's vitality and complexity, I can't tell whether I am playing the piano or it is playing me. -- Michael Jones
The piano is a divinely inspired instrument, a mirror held up to its player's soul that captures the light and shadow of the performer and reflects them back to the listener. -- David Lanz
The piano has been my diary. I have gone to it to document my life experiences - whether deeply personal events or to simply record a memory in the snow, or the light on the land. It is the heartbeat of every piece I have every written. -- Michael Gettel
I have been playing piano since my childhood - and to this day I am still fascinated by the creative journeys it takes me on. Somehow I am sure the piano will remain a constant in my life. -- Wayne Gratz
The piano is always true to me. In times of despair, happiness, and joy, its mood is always my own. -- Bradley Joseph