‘Fast music of individuality and wit... They should be widely taken up.’ The Musical Times
Instrumentation
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Score 0571511112 on sale
Programme Notes
Although, as the title implies, these studies are all fast, they are not in the first place studies in pianistic virtuosity – I am no pianist myself – so much as studies in various ways of composing fast music. All are short and concentrated, with few lasting more than a minute. Since the order of performance and the number of studies played (there is not obligation to play them all) is largely up to the pianist, there is not point in attempting to describe them, except to say that in a complete version one (which should be placed near the end) is a nocturne, with the only slow textures of the eleven, and the final piece is in the nature of a toccata.
Reviews
‘Fast music of individuality and wit; the fact that they may be performed in (almost) any order adds an extra dimension to their whimsical but frequently inspired play with familiar materials and textures. They should be widely taken up.’