This edition is the second of eight companion volumes to accompany the recorded series and draws on the expertise of Dr. Robert Hoskins of Massey University and Rod Biss, formerly of Schott London, Faber Music and Price Milburn Music, who was instrumental in first publishing Lilburn's piano music in the 1970s. Having worked with Lilburn directly on these early publications, Biss has now revisited original source materials in the preparation of this series. Together, the editors have carefully considered and clarified Lilburn's manuscripts and early publications in preparing these volumes as both scholarly and practical editions for performance.
This second volume comprises Lilburn's experimental Six Short Pieces (1962-63), his early Sonata for Piano in A minor (1939) and the miniature Moths and Candles (1948). "This music is for anyone who plays the piano, in no way was it intended for professionals alone. Lilburn was a good pianist but he had no interest in unnecessary virtuosity or pianistic display. For teachers, it will be a goldmine." Rod Biss.
Douglas Liburn occupies a pre-eminent position in New Zealand music, with a legacy extending well beyond his compositional output. As a composer, a teacher, and later as a warm, generous and encouraging background presence, he presided in innumerable ways over the artistic growth of this country. His music, from the early works redolent of the influence of Sibelius and Vaughan Williams, to the electroacoustic pieces of his later years, makes up a corpus of works that has been instrumental in establishing a genuinely vernacular voice in New Zealand classical music.
