Kernis:
Before Sleep and Dreams

Perry:
Prelude

Still:
3 Visions

Gershwin:
3 Preludes
I Got Rhythm
Rhapsody in Blue, arr. Composer for solo piano

Andrew Armstrong’s debut album for Rubicon is a fascinating recital of American piano music. The great George Gershwin is represented by his 3 Preludes, plus I Got Rhythm, and his most popular work, the sparkling Rhapsody in Blue which unbelievably is 100 years old in 2024. Two African American composers, Julia Perry and William Grant Still feature – Still’s impressive 3 Visions, and Perry’s exquisite Prelude. Aaron Jay Kernis’ s Before Sleep and Dreams is a 5-movement suite from 1990, which depicts in music the process of putting a small child to bed. Its precedents are Schumann’s Kinderszenen and Children’s Corner by Debussy. It is a delightful and touching work.