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Warming piano music to centre your mind

A drift through decades of piano music, from Romantic miniatures and impressionist colour to ambient-leaning contemporary works and genre-blurring modern voices.

Romantic piano classics give way to modern minimalism and reverb-softened contemporary vignettes, drifting across eras and genres. British contemporary voices including Coby Sey, Duval Timothy, and Jessie Hackett bring a genre-blurring sensibility to the programme, where classical tradition meets modern production and improvisatory spirit. Alongside them, earlier composers and pianists provide touchstones of lyricism and restraint.

Produced by Áine Devaney.

A Reduced Listening production for BBC Sounds MM.

27 days left to listen

2 hours

Last on

Thursday12:00
BBC Radio 3 Unwind

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Enchanting piano pieces to support you through the day

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Music Played

  • Duke Ellington

    Retrospection - Piano Reflections - 1989

    Performer: Duke Ellington.
    • Piano Reflections.
    • Capitol Records.

  • Rachel Grimes

    Egon & Wally Embrace and Say Farewell

    Performer: Rachel’s.
    • Music For Egon Schiele.
    • Quarterstick Records.

  • Takagi Masakatsu

    Marginalia #209

    Performer: Takagi Masakatsu.
    • Marginalia #209.

  • György Ligeti

    Études, Book 1: No. 2, Cordes à vide

    Performer: Pierre‐Laurent Aimard.
    • Works For Piano: Études & Musica Ricercata.
    • Sony Classical.

  • Maurice Ravel

    Miroirs: III. Une barque sur l'océan

    Composer: André Laplante. Performer: André Laplante.
    • Miroirs, Jeux D'Eau, Pavane Pour Une Infante Défunte.
    • Analekta.

  • Grace Ferguson

    Petomani

    Performer: Grace Ferguson.
    • Voler.
    • Music Company.

  • Javad Maroufi

    Prelude 5

    Performer: Amir Farid.
    • Amir Farid plays Javad Maroufi.
    • Move Records.

  • Marie Krüttli

    Transparence

    Performer: Marie Krüttli.
    • Transparence.
    • Intakt Records.

  • Jesse Hackett

    Nocturne 1: Snow Dance

    Performer: Jesse Hackett.
    • Nocturnes.
    • Hive Mind Records.

  • Claude Debussy

    Images, Livre 2, L. 111: I. Cloches à travers les feuilles

    Performer: Martin Jacoby.
    • Ambient Study and Focus.

  • Delphine Dora

    III

    Performer: Delphine Dora.
    • A Stream Of Consciousness II (for piano solo).

  • Meredith Monk

    Paris

    Composer: Ursula Oppens. Performer: Meredith Monk. Performer: Ursula Oppens.
    • Meredith Monk: Piano Songs.
    • ECM Records.

  • John Cage

    In a Landscape

    Composer: Stephen Drury. Performer: Stephen Drury.
    • In a Landscape: Piano Music of John Cage.
    • Catalyst.

  • Irena and Vojtěch Havlovi

    Piano & Violoncello 3

    Performer: Irena and Vojtěch Havlovi.
    • Like a Butterfly On Your Palm.

  • Daniel Blumberg

    Library

    Performer: Daniel Blumberg.
    • The Brutalist (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).
    • Milan Records.

  • Ylva Skog

    5 Moon Pieces: No. 5, Blood Moon 2019

    Composer: Ann-Sofi Klingberg. Performer: Ylva Skog. Performer: Ann-Sofi Klingberg.
    • Skog & Tarrodi: Piano Pieces.

  • Jonny Nash

    Processing The Negative

    Composer: Suzanne Kraft. Performer: Jonny Nash. Performer: Suzanne Kraft.
    • A Heart So White.
    • Melody As Truth.

  • Gregory Uhlmann

    Sea Anemone - Small Day - 2024

    Performer: Gregory Uhlmann.
    • Small Day.
    • Colorfield Records.

  • Jordan De La Sierra

    Music for Gymnastics (Glimpse) - Bliss Out: For Days - 2024

    Performer: Jordan De La Sierra.
    • Bliss Out: For Days.
    • Numero Group.

  • calamity

    coming to an end

    Performer: calamity.
    • cows & horses.

  • Dmitry Shostakovich

    Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Major, Op. 102: II. Andante

    Performer: I Musici de Montréal. Performer: Maxim Dmitrievich Shostakovich.
    • Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 2 / Symphony for Strings.
    • Chandos Records.

  • Coby Sey

    Face

    Performer: Coby Sey.
    • Passengers.

  • Duval Timothy

    Ball

    Performer: Duval Timothy.
    • Sen Am.
    • Carrying Colour.

  • Johann Sebastian Bach

    Prelude from Prelude & Fugue in E-fat minor, BWV 853 (Das Wohltemperierte...

    Performer: Alim Beisembayev.
    • Prelude and fugue bk.1 no. 8 in E flat minor BWV.853_Alim Beisembayev.wav.

  • Helen Ottaway

    Round Round 2 Red Violet

    Performer: Helen Ottaway.
    • Helen Ottaway - Round Round 2 Red Violet.mp3.

  • Ozzy Miyanagi

    1am Sanctuary

    Performer: Ozzy Miyanagi.
    • Ozzy Miyanagi - 1am Sanctuary.wav.

Broadcast

  • Thursday12:00
    BBC Radio 3 Unwind