【Piano and Cello Duet】Brian Crain with YuJeong Lee

Brian Crain出生在加利福尼亞好萊塢，10歲開始學鋼琴，但不久又對鋼琴練習產生厭倦。19歲時，他建立了一個錄音工作室。在這個期間，Brian Crain偶爾會坐到被遺忘很久的鋼琴前，他會即興演奏一段，正象他以前用口哨即興演奏一樣，直到這些音符聽起來很好聽為止。不知不覺中，他就這樣自學了鋼琴。 Brian Crain演奏的鋼琴曲唯美純淨，輕柔深情，“就好像漫天輕柔雪花在舞蹈，它們來自天堂，純潔無瑕的籠罩著周圍的世界。” 聽著他的音樂，會想喝一杯熱熱的咖啡，放下所有的事，讓自己的心緒靜靜的在音樂的撫慰下旋轉和跳躍…… 以下對這張專輯的評價來自BrianCrain.com 【After years of performing solo, with string quartets and with orchestras, Brian has distilled the beauty of his melodies into his new duet album. With many new titles and some of his most requested melodies, this album is a beautiful dance between piano and cello.】 【Brian Crain's latest album, "Piano and Cello Duet', is a real charmer and, in my estimation, his best CD to date. What sets it apart, aside from a more mature approach to each composition and performance, is the pairing with cello. This is the perfect music for a romantic dinner by candlelight...or a contemplative hour by the window on a rainy day. I have always loved the soulful sound of piano and cello duets, and Idaho pianist/composer Brian Crain has created a full album of duets - what a treat! This is Crain’s twelfth album to date, and is certainly one of his very best. All fifteen tracks are distinctive, but the mood of the album is consistently one of quiet reflection and warm contentment. Several of the tracks are new arrangements of pieces that were featured on Crain’s previous albums. Ms Lee has studied with cello masters around the world and is obviously at one with her instrument. She and Crain have a shared sensibility about the music that communicates as a sensuous musical dialogue. The CD opens with the gentle and wistful “Spring Waltz,” a lovely piece full of hope and renewal. “Across the Bay” is dreamy and slightly bittersweet, wondering what it’s like on the other side. “Rolling Clouds” sounds a bit ominous, but these are definitely the white fluffy kind. Mostly a piano solo, this piece reminds me of some of Robin Spielberg’s lighthearted music. “One Morning in June” is a knock-out! Darker and more melancholy, this piece is a perfect blending of both instruments, and if it doesn’t tug at your heart, something is definitely out of whack! “Song For Sienna” is one of the older pieces, composed in honor of Crain’s little daughter (at the time). Warm and full of love, this is another beauty! “Butterfly Waltz” is a carefree ode to springtime and innocence. I love “Early Light,” which more than suggests Erik Satie’s influence. Also a piano solo, Crain really pours his soul into this piece - very haunting and elegant. “Northern Sky” was the title track from Crain’s 2000 release. Gorgeous as a piano solo, the cello makes the gentle melody even more poignant. “Lavender Hills” is also exceptionally nice with a wonderful counterpoint between the two instruments - very peaceful! The closing track is a solo “Tribute to Dax Johnson,” an incredibly talented and charismatic artist who died much too young last fall. Dax was a friend of mine, too, and this piece reflects the sense of loss that all of us who knew him and his work felt and will always feel. The piece is a touching and memorable tribute.】 【For those of you still not familiar with pianist Brian Crain, he has been recording quality material since the mid 1990’s. His past recordings have been largely tantalizing piano work embellished by synthesized based string arrangements. Recently, Crain has gone organic which has included 2005’s fully orchestrated epic Spring Symphonies and prior to that the retrospective Brian Crain and the BC String Ensemble. Though Crain has continued the more warm and organic approach he decided to present his listeners with another retrospective recording along with a few surprises up his sleeve. Unlike the Brian Crain and the BC String Ensemble which featured a quartet, Piano and Cello Duets features the elegant and classical cello renditions alongside Brian’s piano performances. Of the fifteen tracks listed five of them are brand new compositions heard for the first time and that includes the opening track “Spring Waltz”. The surreal and classical integration of the twosome appear to be a match made in heaven which replays itself via “One Morning In June”. In contrast, there is the more optimistic and buoyant piano work on “Rolling Clouds”. This time around Brian goes it alone with a melody that is uplifting and hopeful. It is not only the album’s most memorable moment but one of Brian’s better compositions that overflows with joy and elation. Brian also performs solo by concluding the album with a tribute to fellow pianist Dax Johnson who died less than two years ago. Needless to say, the song is more reflective and tender paying a loving tribute to his fallen comrade. The remaining balance of the tracks allows Brian to revisit his past with his new found musical friend. The most successful arrangements can be found on “Across The Bay”, “A Walk In The Forest” and “Lavender Hills”. The only minor glitch is that five of the ten retrospective tracks have already been revisited on the Brian Crain and the BC String Ensemble. Though some of these repetitions are some of Brian’s finer moments, exploring alternative compositions that had not yet received a makeover would have made this stellar album even stronger.】 【專輯曲目】 01. Andante Affettuoso 02. Butterfly Waltz 03. Northern Sky 04. Across the Bay 05. Andante Cantabile 06. Rolling Clouds 07. A Walk In the Forest 08. Song for Sienna 09. Spring Waltz 10. One Morning In June 11. Kindred Spirits 12. Early Light 13. Moonrise 14. Lavender Hills 15. Tribute to Dax Johnson