While living in London in the years 1926–28 Yehuda Leib HaLevi Ashlag, known as Baal HaSulam, a prominent Kabbalist, composed his cycle Melodies of the Upper Worlds which are heard in this recording in piano arrangements by Mikael Ayrapetyan. Many of the melodies are composed to text fragments from Kabbalistic sources and enshrine an aspiration to sense the spiritual world in a direct appeal to the heart.

Described by Aram Khachaturian as ‘the greatest Soviet Armenian composer’, Haro Stepanian followed the pioneering efforts of composers such as Komitas in establishing a strong national voice for Armenian music. He composed three symphonies, operatic works, numerous songs, chamber pieces, and works for piano. Building on the models of Chopin, Rachmaninov and fellow Armenians such as Komitas and Tigranian, the 26 varied and sharply contrasting Preludes are exquisite folk-influenced miniatures suffused with sadness, poetic contemplation, the natural world and scenes of Armenian life.

Piano music is central to Valentin Silvestrov’s output. With its frequent allusions to lingering recollections of the past, this programme presents an overview of various creative periods. It begins with the composer’s reworkings of youthful sketches (Naive Musik), followed by Der Bote (The Messenger) with its beautiful Mozartian theme leading into a sonatina in the style of the 18th century. After recent works from Silvestrov’s self-defined ‘Bagatelle’ period, the recording concludes with the striking Kitschmusik, which engages with the music of Schumann, Chopin and Brahms. The Two Waltzes are dedicated to Elisaveta Blumina.

This volume focuses on love, one of Philip Glass’ most glorious themes. The timeless melancholy of his BAFTA award-winning music for The Hours forms an organic suite driven by the film’s three powerful characters, here complete with three unpublished movements. The breathtakingly energetic Modern Love Waltz expands the limits of minimalism by combining Glass’ style with Viennese dance tradition, while his transcription of Notes on a Scandal is a recording première. Steve Reich described the iconic Music in Fifths as being ‘like a freight train’.

Armenian pianist Mikael Ayrapetyan has become internationally recognised for performances of his country’s music all over the world with his Secrets of Armenia project. Ayrapetyan’s piano cycle A Whole in 12 is special to his artistic life, being both a deeply personal and universal story told in scenes that range from inner peace and feelings of endless space, to all-consuming creative impulses and the magic of Christmas, contrasting vibrant textural complexity with profoundly expressive lyricism.