Memories of Graz: solo piano works of Shiqi Geng

The final product of this recording project is a high-quality recording of selected piano works by Shiqi Geng (b.1995-). The five featured pieces are Berceuse (Lullaby), Sonata in A-Moll (Sonata in A Minor), Suite de l’iris (Iris Suite), Spur vom fliessenden Schimmer (Trace of the Flowing Shimmer), and 3 Romantische Stücke für Klavier (3 Romantic Pieces for Piano). It will be the first professional recording of Geng’s solo piano music.

Geng is a young Chinese composer who is studying at the University of Music and Performing Arts of Graz, Austria. He is rapidly gaining an international reputation after winning several major competitions, including the Toru Takemitsu Composition Award (2019) and Concorso Internazionale di Composizione and Concours de Composition Pédagogique (2016). Most recently, his orchestral works were performed at prestigious concert venues such as Tokyo Opera City Concert Hall and Auditorium Sant'Antonio in Morbegno.

This album shows Geng’s compelling characteristics of combining both Eastern and Western styles. The five pieces chosen for this recording project represent his journey of compositional transitions where Berceuse and Sonata in A-Moll are examples of his early impressionist-influenced style, and Suite de l’iris and Spur vom fliessenden Schimmer reflect his explorations of Western styles. The newly-commissioned 3 Romantische Stücke für Klavier shows his aesthetic in combining different styles with Neoromanticism.

Geng’s compositions are highly atmospheric, depicting various images and sceneries. His piano works are pianistic while often lyrical and they are frequently technically brilliant, requiring virtuosic abilities from a performer.