Composer(s): Beach, Amy
Artist(s): Spluga, Katia
Label: Stradivarius
Genre: Instrumental
Period: 20th Century
Catalogue No: STR37321
Barcode: 8011570630223
Release Date: 04/2025

BEACH, A.: Piano Works - Scottish Legend / Gavotte fantastique / 5 Improvisations (Present Reflections) (Spluga)

The album “Present Reflections” offers an anthology of Amy Beach’s piano works, showcasing her re- markable compositional talent and stylistic range–from expressive virtuosity to deep interpretative intimacy. This distinctive quality is due not only to her extraordinary gift but also to several factors: the profound cultural shifts she experienced between the late 19th and early 20th centuries–bridging late Romanticism, the emergence of the avant-garde, and the advent of jazz–and her unmistakable emo- tional expressiveness. Despite the strict, self-imposed discipline of her compositional process (she was entirely self-taught), her style remains deeply personal and authentic in every work. Looking back in time, beginning with her later compositions, one can observe a radical evolution in her writing. These works are not only a significant contribution to American piano literature but also a testament to the transformation of an era–one that slips away from the present to become almost immediately part of the past. In this way, Present Reflections becomes a mirror of today’s world, reflecting the epo- chal changes of which we are all a part. Mrs. Beach’s incredible talent, which enabled her to emerge as one of the greatest composers of her time, tells the story of both women and men–transcending the limitations imposed by society and leaving behind a musical legacy that deserves not only redi- scovery but celebration. Katia Spluga

Tracklist

Beach, Amy
Spluga, Katia (piano)
1Scottish Legend, Op. 54, No. 104:41
Spluga, Katia (piano)
Spluga, Katia (piano)
2Gavotte fantastique, Op. 54, No. 203:32
Spluga, Katia (piano)
Spluga, Katia (piano)
3Prelude and Fugue, Op. 8110:59
Spluga, Katia (piano)
Spluga, Katia (piano)
4Fantasia fugata, Op. 8705:51
Spluga, Katia (piano)
Spluga, Katia (piano)
5Hermit Thrush at Eve, Op. 92, No. 105:59
Spluga, Katia (piano)
Spluga, Katia (piano)
6Hermit Thrush at Morn, Op. 92, No. 204:41
Spluga, Katia (piano)
Spluga, Katia (piano)
7A Cradle Song of the Lonely Mother, Op. 10804:05
Spluga, Katia (piano)
Spluga, Katia (piano)
8By the Still Waters, Op. 11402:56
Spluga, Katia (piano)
Spluga, Katia (piano)
9No. 1 in A Major02:16
Spluga, Katia (piano)
10No. 2 in A Major01:26
Spluga, Katia (piano)
11No. 3 in G Major01:11
Spluga, Katia (piano)
12No. 4 in G-Flat Major02:33
Spluga, Katia (piano)
13No. 5 in E-Flat Minor02:37
Spluga, Katia (piano)

Total Playing Time: 52:47