Sketches of Venasque: Six Pieces for Piano, by Thomas Cabaniss & Michael Shinn

Sketches of Venasque: Six Pieces for Piano

by Thomas Cabaniss & Michael Shinn

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1.	Bells of St. Siffrein 01:03	buy track
2.	Jean and Vincent 01:03	buy track
3.	The Blue Hour 02:23	buy track
4.	The Abbey of Senanque 01:07	buy track
5.	The Mistral/Mont Ventoux 02:27	buy track

about

SKETCHES OF VENASQUE
six pieces for piano
by Thomas Cabaniss
Michael Shinn, piano

Recorded at Schroeder Hall at the Green Music Center at Sonoma State University, 2019.

Venasque is a beautiful hilltop village in the south of France, just east of the Rhone. It was the nearby summer home to the Popes of Avignon during their reign in the 14th and 15th centuries; it overlooks groves of olive and cherry trees and the vineyards and villages of the southern valley of Mont Ventoux. These pieces were composed in a hilltop studio there, inspired by the daily rhythms of the village and the surrounding vistas.

I. Bells of St. Siffrein - The single church bell of Venasque signals evening vespers. It is echoed by bells from distant villages at dusk.

II. Jean and Vincent - Two boys use a large pot and its lid for a drum, singing as they explore the town's winding streets.

III. The Blue Hour - There is a moment, called “l'heure bleue” by the French, when the night sounds of bats and crickets stop, and just before the first morning bird erupts in song, when there is an absolute and eerie silence. This piece doesn't end after its brief andante; the silence is l'heure bleue.

IV. The Abbey of Senanque - A meditation inspired by a nearby Cistercian abbey.

V. The Mistral - The relentless and sometimes dangerous wind of Provence, which is said to "purify the heavens."

VI. Mont Ventoux - The mountain whose white-capped peak is forever coming in and out of sight, sometimes hiding for weeks, and other times dominating the valley with strength and brilliance. Petrarch scaled its summit to proclaim his love for Laura.

credits

released March 19, 2021

Thomas Cabaniss, composer
Michael Shinn, piano
Engineered by Anthony Barfield and Mixed/Mastered by Velocity Music, Inc.
Album Art by Michelle Parkos

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Thomas Cabaniss New York, New York

Thomas Cabaniss, Michael Shinn, and Jessica Chow Shinn have been collaborating since 2011.

thomascabaniss.com

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