Roy Hamlin Johnson, piano
John Powell (1882, Richmond, Virginia --1963, Charlottesville), was a major pianist and a respected composer of, along with many smaller works, a symphony, a violin concerto, a piano concerto, an orchestral suite, two string quartets, two violin and piano sonatas, two collections of folk-song settings for voice and piano, four piano sonatas, three piano suites, and one widely-known work, Rhapsodie Negre (1918) for piano and orchestra.
Powell's father was headmaster at a private school for girls; his mother, a staff member there. His sister, Elizabeth Powell Brockenbrough, became his first piano teacher. He later studied with a Liszt pupil, Frederic Charles Hahr, and then, in Vienna, with Theodor Leschetizky, having meanwhile graduated from the University of Virginia in two years as a Phi Beta Kappa.
During the years preceding World War I he centered his career in London, where he numbered many distinguished persons among his friends, including the Lord and Lady Plymouth, the Hon. Arthur Balfour, the Virginia-born Lady Nancy Astor, and the novelist Joseph Conrad.
After the war broke out, Powell returned to the United States to continue his concertizing and composing. Inspired by Conrad's Heart of Darkness, he completed Rhapsodie Negre, which was an instant success, and with which he toured Europe as soloist with the New York Symphony under Walter Damrosch.
In 1936, he and his wife retired to an estate near Charlottesville, where he finished the folksong-based Symphony in A (1945). His numerous friends in Richmond purchased for him his former home, so that he could return there and give lecture-recitals and master classes for the musical community.
This title, originally issued on the CRI label, is now available as a burn-on-demand CD (CD-R) or download in MP3/320, FLAC or WAV formats. CD-Rs come in a protective sleeve; no print booklet or jewel case included. Liner notes are accessible via the link above.
Music of John Powell
| MP3/320 | $9.99 | |
| FLAC | $9.99 | |
| WAV | $9.99 | |
| CD-R | $9.99 |
A *.pdf of the notes may be accessed here free of charge.
Track Listing
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Sonata Teutonica, Op. 24: I. Allegro, molto sostenuto
John Powell
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Sonata Teutonica, Op. 24: II. Andante sostenuto - Scherzo - Andante quasi Trio - Tempo di Scherzo - Tempo del Thema
John Powell
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Sonata Teutonica, Op. 24: III. Tempo di marcia - Meno mosso - Tempo I - Adagio molto con espressione - Tempo I - Molto maestoso
John Powell
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Sonate Psychologique, Op. 15: I. Kampf: Grave - Allegro agitato
John Powell
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Sonate Psychologique, Op. 15: II. Nocturne, Hingebung: Andante - Allegro brioso
John Powell
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Sonate Psychologique, Op. 15: III. Scherzo diabolique, "In den Klauen"
John Powell
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Sonate Psychologique, Op. 15: IV. Thanatopsis: Tempo di Marcia Funebre, un poco meno mosso
John Powell
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