24 Preludes for Solo Piano

24 preludes for solo piano in 4 books of 6 preludes, but published as two books (ie: books 1 and 2; books 3 and 4).

Duration: 71 minutes; pub: United Music Publishers, London
ISMN M 2244 05347.

These preludes were commissioned in 2003 by pianist, Philip Mead, through funding from the Ralph Vaughan Williams Trust, and completed in 2005. Each prelude is derived from a form of 'musical memory' of my favourite landscapes across the world but grouped under four homogeneous titles, ‘Water’, ‘Earth’, ‘Air’, ‘Fire’ based on the Four Elements. Further, the formal layout for the entire set is filtered through a working out in the cycle of major and minor keys, progressing by a 5th, starting in C major and closing in F minor.

By permission of the commissioner, Daniel Becker premièred Book 1 at a Purcell Room recital in December 2003. In 2006, Book 1 was the chosen set work for finalists in the British Contemporary Piano Competition held at the University of Surrey. Prior to that event, several of the competing pianists were given permission to give performances of it in the USA, Finland and Japan.