The character pieces of Carter Pann for piano

This recording project consists of two contemporary collections of character pieces for piano by the American composer Carter Pann (b.1972): The Piano's 12 Sides (2011-12) and Five Serious Pieces (2016). The two collections comprise seventeen individual pieces. This is the first recording of the latter collection.

Pann is a versatile composer, and in these seventeen pieces he incorporates a wide variety of musical influences into his idiom, from modern-day pop to Renaissance French dance. On top of these stylistic inspirations, he builds webs of intricate contrapuntal complexity. His rich textures; his eclectic juxtaposition of musical elements; and his propensity towards quotation are such that call to mind an American tradition pioneered by the great Charles Ives. This layered and imaginative music is infused throughout with beautiful lyricism. Finally, with his careful approach to detail, Pann has constructed and ordered the movements in these collections in such a way that each of the two suites possesses its own internal coherence, so that, while a listener may certainly choose to listen to a particular piece that fits their mood, they can also listen from front to back and appreciate the careful ordering and subtle links that hold each set together.