Classical Improvisations

Nicholas McNair (Performer, Composer), pianist Nicholas McNair (Performer)

Product Details

• Performer: Nicholas McNair, pianist Nicholas McNair
• Composer: Nicholas McNair
• Audio CD (December 15, 1999)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Eroica Classical Recordings
• ASIN: B00000FDIB
• Average Customer Review: No customer reviews yet. Be the first.
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,260,629 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Track Listings

1. Improv 1

2. Improv 2

3. Improv 3

4. Improv 4

5. Improv 5

6. Improv 6

7. Improv 7

8. Improv 8

9. Improv 9

10. Improv 10

Editorial Reviews

The composer's son in a letter written after the performance

"Finally, but for me in no way less important than the film itself, I "drank in" that wonderful, perfect, expressive musical accompaniment in which pianist Nicholas McNair knew how not only to make use of and develop my father's themes but also to adapt them precisely to what was being portrayed on the screen. Throughout the film I sat captivated, but also profoundly moved, because in that person at the piano I was seeing and hearing my own father, imagining him living again in those films he had scored."

From the Label

An example of what you will find in these improvisations is contained in this review of Mr. McNair's improvisations in accompaniment to the film Amor de Perdicao (1921) on the 100th anniversary of the Cinema. The original score which has partially survived was by the composer Armando Leca, who himself played the piano and improvised for large sections of the film. Mr. McNair improvised for the entire 3 hours of the film, using some themes from the original score where it was practical.