Cowie: 24 Preludes for Piano / Mead

$10.49
Label
Metier
Release Date
May 13, 2022
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      Edward Cowie
    • PERFORMER
      Philip Mead
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      May 13, 2022
    • UPC
      809730862526
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      MSV28625
    • LABEL
      Metier
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Piano
    Works ⌄

    1. Book 1, Water: I. O Brook in C Major (Devon, England)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    2. Book 1, Water: II. Kiama Blowhole in C Minor (NSW, Australia)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    3. Book 1, Water: III. Cancleve in G Major (Cornwall, England, sea mist)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    4. Book 1, Water: IV. River Dronne in G Minor (Dordogne, France)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    5. Book 1, Water: V. St. Maxime Beach in D Major (Provence, France)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    6. Book 1, Water: VI. Tennessee River in D Minor (Tennessee, USA)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    7. Book 2, Air: I. Boscastle in A Major (Cornwall, England, gale)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    8. Book 2, Air: II. Hay Plains Twisters in A Minor (NSW, Australia)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    9. Book 2, Air: III. 35,000 feet in E Major (Straits of Java)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    10. Book 2, Air: IV. Tapada in E Minor (Portugal, thermal raptors)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    11. Book 2, Air: V. Lake Eacham in B Major (Queensland, Australia, night breezes)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    12. Book 2, Air: VI. Dartington Gardens in B Minor (Devon, England, autumn leaf-fall)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    13. Book 3, Earth: I. Uluru in F-Sharp Major (Australia)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    14. Book 3, Earth: II. Crackington Haven in F-Sharp Minor (Cornwall, England)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    15. Book 3, Earth: III. Rosedale in C-Sharp Major (Yorkshire, England)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    16. Book 3, Earth: IV. Glencoe in C-Sharp Minor (Scotland)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    17. Book 3, Earth: V. Brecon Beacons in A-Flat Major (Wales)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    18. Book 3, Earth: VI. Shenandoah Valley in A-Flat Minor) (Virginia, USA)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    19. Book 4, Fire: I. Sunrise in E-Flat Major (Loch Carron, Scotland)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    20. Book 4, Fire: II. Bush Fires in E-Flat Minor (Bluewater, N. Queensland, Australia)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    21. Book 4, Fire: III. Home Fire in B-Flat Major (Garlinge Green, Kent, England)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    22. Book 4, Fire: IV. Blast Furnaces at Port Kembla Steel Works in B-Flat Minor (Australia)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    23. Book 4, Fire: V. New Year Fireworks in F Major (Kassel, Germany)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead

    24. Book 4, Fire: VI. Sunset in F Minor (Dartmoor, Devon, England)

      Composer: Edward Cowie

      Performer: Philip Mead


Edward Cowie is considered by many to be the greatest living composer directly inspired by the Natural World. His post-impressionist works, from the gigantic orchestral Leviathan (his first Proms commission) to his cycles of Bird Portraits and other chamber and instrumental pieces are drawing gasps of admiration from critics and audiences alike. Originally recorded for the University of Hertfordshire’s UHR label, this recording has been restored to the catalogue as part of the quickly-growing Cowie collection on Métier Records. The composer feels strongly that the individual works in the Bach ‘48’ and Debussy’s Préludes(for example) were a series of linked parts creating a greater whole. In his own ‘24’ Cowie has taken that principle but expressed it in his unique way – music that is impressionist, pictorial, descriptive and above all evocative… of place, time, flora and fauna” experiences of both natural and man-made phenomena. The Preludes follow the ‘Bach cycle of keys’ but at the same time are grouped into four books representing the ancient ‘Four Elements’.

Philip Mead studied at the Royal Academy of Music and has had a widely successful career, performing and broadcasting internationally. He had his own series on BBC Radio 3 exploring hidden pathways in piano music. A champion of contemporary composers, he founded the British Contemporary Piano Competition in 1988. He has been awarded honorary doctorates at the London College of Music and the Royal Academy and is a visiting professor of the University of Hertfordshire.