Neil Crossland

Friedrich Kuhlau (1786-1832)

Sonatina in A minor Op. 88 No 3 (Kuhlau)

i Allegro con affetto (A minor)
ii Andantino (F major)
iii Allegro burlesco (A minor)

Kuhlau was a Danish pianist and composer during the late Classical and early Romantic periods. He was a central figure of the Danish Golden Age and is immortalized in Danish cultural history through his music for Elves’ Hill, the first true work of Danish National Romanticism and a concealed tribute to the absolute monarchy. To this day it is his version of this melody which is the definitive arrangement.

Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827)

Sonata No 4 in E flat major, Op. 7 (Beethoven)

i Allegro molto e con brio
ii Largo con gran espressione
iii Allegro
iv Rondo: Poco allegretto e grazioso

Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 4, in E♭ major, Op. 7, sometimes nicknamed the Grand Sonata, was written in November 1796 and dedicated to his student Babette, the Countess Keglević. The sonata was composed during Beethoven’s visit to the Keglevich Palace. Beethoven named it Great Sonata, because it was published alone, which was unusual for the time.

Neil Crossland

Piano Suite Op. 1 (Crossland)

i A
ii B
iii C
iv D

Written in my first year at the Royal College of Music (1988) Piano Suite Op 1 is in Four short movements. First premiered at College by Julian Saphier. My composition teacher Edwin Roxburgh wanted me to change my style from pastiche to more contemporary and this was my first attempt at writing modern music. At the time I was learning Bartok’s Piano Suite Op 14 with my piano professor Peter Wallfisch, I used this piece as a roll model to help me get started. When writing the third movement I felt as if I was writing something that I’d heard before. It was a few days later that realised that my thematic idea was from a song called Umpa, Umpa (Stick it up Your Jumper)

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Nocturne No. 1 in F major, Op. 15 (Chopin)

The Nocturnes, Op. 15 are a set of three nocturnes for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin between 1830 and 1833. The work was published in January 1834, and was dedicated to Ferdinand Hiller. These nocturnes display a more personal approach to the nocturne form than that of the earlier Opus 9. The melodies and emotional depth of these nocturnes have thus been thought of as more "Chopinesque."

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Nocturne No. 1, Op 48 (Chopin)

The Nocturnes, Op. 48 are a set of two nocturnes for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin in 1841 and published the following year in 1842. They are dedicated to Mlle. Laure Duperré.

Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

Nocturne No. 1 in F minor, Op. 55 (Chopin)

The Nocturnes, Op. 55 are a set of two nocturnes for solo piano written by Frédéric Chopin. They are his fifteenth and sixteenth installations in the genre, and were composed between 1842 and 1844, and published in August 1844. Chopin dedicated them to his pupil and admirer Mademoiselle Jane Stirling.

Performers

Neil Crossland - Piano

Neil Crossland is a distinguished British pianist and composer from Yorkshire. His musical journey began at age six, leading him to the Royal College of Music in London, where he earned top prizes in piano and composition. Crossland has performed in prestigious venues such as the Barbican, Queen Elizabeth Hall, and Wigmore Hall, and is particularly noted for his complete performances of Beethoven's 32 piano sonatas at St James' Piccadilly.