Composed in the mid-70s, these Five Studies for piano offer a fascinating insight into the early musical interests of Colin Matthews – the fifth, in particular, showing the influence of American minimalism. After the gentle sequence of chord permutations which opens the set, the second study is a furious moto perpetuo, whose speed is left to the performer. The third study alternates flowing and static seventh chords, the fourth is a study in rhythm, and the final study builds from a simple figure by a continuous process of octave displacement. The total duration of the Studies is 15 minutes.

‘Five Studies nods to minimalist routines, challenging the player with kaleidoscopic shifts of rhythm and dynamics that never settle for the merely mechanical.’
Gramophone (Arnold Whitall), June 2008