The Music Meditations series began as a project to share my musical performances and associated thoughts and images with friends during the lockdown necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic. It documents the time and circumstances as much as the music performed. The recordings are made simply—using Voice Memos on my iPhone. Each audio clip is a complete take—there is no editing. The piano could not be tuned or voiced initially. Recorded in my NYC apartment, there are sometimes unavoidable outside noises that are intrusions (a horn, an ambulance) or delights (birds singing near an open window). The first edition came out in April of 2020. The final editions will come out in January of 2021, totaling 38 regular editions, and one ‘bonus’—marking both the New Year, as well as a new political era.
“New York Lights”—Concert paraphrase for piano William Bolcom
Poissons d’Or Claude Debussy
Prelude in D Major, Op. 23 No. 4 Sergei Rachmaninov
Aria Johann Sebastian Bach
Étude in C Minor (“Ocean”), Op. 25 No. 12 Frédéric Chopin
Music Meditations—6th Edition
Réflets dans l’eau Claude Debussy
Music Meditations—7th Edition
Variations 21 & 22 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Meditations—8th Edition
Étude-tableau in E-flat Minor, Op. 39 No. 5 Sergei Rachmaninov
Music Meditations—9th Edition
Étude in E Major, Op. 10 No. 3 Frédéric Chopin
Music Meditations—10th Edition
Animé Maurice Ravel
Music Meditations—11th Edition
Andante Florence Price
Music Meditations—12th Edition
Äußerst bewegt & Sehr rasch Robert Schumann
Music Meditations—13th Edition
Quejas ó La Maja y El Ruiseñor Enrique Granados
Music Meditations—14th Edition
Scherzo: Allegro molto & Allegro Ludwig van Beethoven
Music Meditations—15th Edition
Three Preludes for piano George Gershwin
Music Meditations—16th Edition
Menuet Maurice Ravel
Music Meditations—17th Edition
Danza de la moza donosa Alberto Ginastera
Music Meditations—18th Edition
Variations 16, 17, & 18 Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Meditations—19th Edition
Intermezzo & Capriccio Johannes Brahms
Music Meditations—20th Edition
Étude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 2 No. 1 Alexander Scriabin
Prelude in G-Sharp Minor, Op. 32 No. 12 Sergei Rachmaninov
Music Meditations—21st Edition
Prelude and Fugue in C Major Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Meditations—22nd Edition
“Widmung” paraphrase for piano Schumann/Franz Liszt
Music Meditations—23rd Edition
L’Isle Joyeuse Claude Debussy
Music Meditations—24th Edition
Impromptu in B-flat Major, Op. 142 No. 3 Franz Schubert
Music Meditations—25th Edition
Six Dances in Bulgarian Rhythm Bela Bartok
Music Meditations—26th Edition
Moderato Joseph Haydn
Music Meditations—27th Edition
Intermezzo & Capriccio Johannes Brahms
Music Meditations—28th Edition
Wedding Day at Troldhaugen Edvard Grieg
Music Meditations—29th Edition
Minuets I & II; Gigue Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Meditations—30th Edition
Waldesrauschen (“Forest Murmurs”) Franz Liszt
Music Meditations—31st Edition
Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 17 No. 4 Frédéric Chopin
Music Meditations—32nd Edition
Finale: Presto Joseph Haydn
Music Meditations—33rd Edition
Andante sostenuto Franz Schubert
Music Meditations—34th Edition
Allegro assa Wolfgang A. Mozart
Music Meditations—35th Edition
Étude in B-flat Minor, Op. 4 No. 3 Karol Szymanowski
Music Meditations—36th Edition
Movements 10-14 Robert Schumann
Music Meditations—37th Edition
“Abwesenheit”—“Das Wiedersehen” Ludwig van Beethoven
Music Meditations—38th Edition
Variations 27-30 and final Aria Johann Sebastian Bach
Music Meditations—39th Edition (‘Bonus’)
Rhapsody in Blue (abridged) George Gershwin