Sixteen Contemporary Love Songs for Piano

William Howard’s idea to commission 14 composers to write short love songs for solo piano has resulted in a beautifully touching album. Each composer celebrates the feeling in a very different, very personal way—as do the two winners of Howard’s Love Song Composing Competition, whose pieces complete this collection. Joby Talbot describes his affection for his baby daughter with dreamlike flurries punctuated with a beautiful, bell-like melody, while Robert Saxton bases his piece on the letters of his wife’s name and Beethoven’s own love song, “Für Elise”. Nico Muhly, meanwhile, explores the idea of lovers moving closer and further apart, and Cheryl Frances-Hoad ends the album with an unashamedly romantic, big-hearted homage to Dusty Springfield. A collection to fall in love with again and again…