IMPRESSIONS is a collection of solo piano works by four brilliant composers who use the keyboard to transport the listener to a particular place or to a particular moment in time, to introduce the listener to the charm or quirk of a particular friend or colleague, or simply to evoke in the listener a feeling or a mood. Improvisations pour le piano FRANCIS POULENC, 1899–1963 Among Francis Poulenc’s vast output are 15 Improvisations – musical impressions of friends and colleagues ­– that he wrote for the piano over a period of 25 years. Benjamin Burrell has included four of these Improvisations on his CD Impressions. Escenas Românticas ENRIQUE GRANADOS, 1867–1916 Enrique Granados opens his Escenas Românticas (Romantic Scenes) with a mazurka that reflects the composer’s extreme and many-changing moods. Granados then uses a brief recitativo to lead us to a simple, yet lush berceuse. In the lento, we again hear his many moods, characterized by beautiful melodies and dramatic flourishes. After the lovely allegretto movement, the brilliant, dynamic allegro appassionato movement bursts to life. “Epilogo”, the closing section, is an enchanting finale. Impresiones Intimas FEDERICO MOMPOU, 1893–1987 Intimate Impressions is a collection of nine short pieces, each of which in an intimate manner shares a feeling, a thought, a mood, an impression. These impressions range from melancholy and subdued to gentle and dark; from playful and sunny to fast and anxious; from dark and sinister with bolts of lightning to gentle caresses. Années de Pèlerinage: Première Année—Suisse Les Cloches de Genève: Nocturne (The Bells of Geneva: Nocturne) FRANZ LISZT, 1811–1886 Les Cloches de Genève: Nocturne (The Bells of Geneva: Nocturne) originally appeared in “Impressions et Poésies”, the first volume of Liszt’s first major piano cycle, Album d’un voyageur, which he later revised to form the basis of his Premiere Année: Suisse (The First “Swiss” Year) of Années de pelèrinage (Years of Pilgrimage). Les Cloches de Genève: Nocturne has been labeled a character piece; that is, a work that expresses either a single mood or a specific idea defined by its title. From the opening phrase to the final diminuendo, Liszt shares with us his impression of the pealing of the bells of Geneva. ABOUT BENJAMIN BURRELL Hailed as ‘a true poet,’ ‘so musical that it’s uncanny,’ Benjamin Burrell has performed solo piano recitals and chamber music in Europe, Asia, and throughout the United States. The concert he gave as part of the Sunday Classical Salon Series in Cambridge, Massachusetts, was selected by The Boston Globe as a “Sunday Best.” In 2008, Mr. Burrell gave recitals in Spain and France and performed a solo piano recital at the invitation of the President of the Association Eurocultures in Corbières, France. Mr. Burrell began studying the piano when he was four years old. Initially performing at his church and school, Burrell—then a young teen—accepted a professional position playing for the church’s services. He graduated magna cum laude from Emory University with a Bachelor of Music degree and earned his Master’s degree in Music from Northwestern University’s School of Music in Evanston, Illinois. He has studied with Lenore Engdahl, Leonard Shure, Anthony di Bonaventura, and Edna Golandsky. He credits the most significant influence to be his work with Edna Golandsky in New York City. His studies with the renown classical piano pedagogue Edna Golandsky began in 2000 and will continue. ”One does not ever stop learning from Edna Golandsky! She is brilliant and has enriched my life immensely as a pianist. I can never thank her enough.”