HIGHLIGHTS//
Trailer - Williams/Sauer Duo: Mirrored
Performed by Heidi Louise Williams, Piano
Gregory Sauer, Cello
Performed Live at Timucua
in Orlando, Florida, 2021
A taste of the concerts the duo played at Timucua in March 2021
in front of a small, socially distanced audience.
FSU Faculty Recital: Heidi Louise Williams and Greg Sauer
Performed by Heidi Louise Williams, Piano
Gregory Sauer, Cello
Season 2021 Episode 2 | 1h 40m 20s
recordings // AUDIO & VIDEO
CONVERSA - DUOS FOR CELLO AND PIANO
November 2021
A LOVELY PROGRAM OF DUOS FOR CELLO AND PIANO BY NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICAN COMPOSERS.
Cellist Gregory Sauer and pianist Heidi Louise Williams perform a program of works for cello and piano by North and South American composers, including world premiere recordings of works by André Mehmari and Daniel Crozier. Both performers are on the faculty at Florida State University and enjoy careers as recitalists, soloists with orchestras, and chamber ensembles. Ms. Williams appears on three previous Albany Records releases, all of which have received critical acclaim. She has also recorded for Naxos, Neos, and Centaur. Sauer's discography includes recordings with MSR and Mark Records.
CONTENTS
André Mehmari, composer | Grande Baião II for Cello and Piano
George Walker, composer | Sonata for Cello and Piano
Daniel Crozier, composer | Nocturne for Cello and Piano
Carmago Guarnieri, composer | Sonata No. 2 for Cello and Piano
Samuel Barber, composer | Sonata for Cello and Piano, Op. 6
César Guerra-Peixe, composer | Três Peças
BASS FAVORITES AND TRANSCRIPTIONS
FROM THE 18TH CENTURY
January 2023
"Speed and Williams are perfectly matched in terms of sound. Speed’s playing is dazzlingly brilliant, with an excellent sense of interpretation and phrasing. With not a note out of place, he blends well with Williams’s marvelously adept piano, which is more an equal partner than simply accompaniment. In short, this is one excellent disc, and if you want to know how the contrabass can be dashing and soloistic, not to mention hearing fine transcriptions of some of the more difficult chamber works, you need to get this disc. Top class, in all respects."
Bertil van Boer, Fanfare Magazine
CONTENTS
Dragonetti | Andante & Rondò Concerto for Double Bass and Strings
Arr. for Bass & Piano
George Speed (bass), Heidi Louise Williams (piano)
I. Andante
II. Rondo
Boccherini | Cello Sonata in F major, G9
Arr. for Bass & Piano
George Speed (bass), Heidi Louise Williams (piano)
I. Andantino
II. Adagio
III. Tempo di menuetto amoroso
Beethoven | Romance No.2 in F, Op.50
Arr. for Bass & Piano
George Speed (bass), Heidi Louise Williams (piano)
Boccherini | Cello Sonata in A Major, G. 4 (Version II)
Arr. for Bass & Piano
George Speed (bass), Heidi Louise Williams (piano)
I. Adagio
II. Allego moderato - Affetuoso
Sperger | Sonata in B minor, T. 36
Arr. for Bass & Piano
George Speed (bass), Heidi Louise Williams (piano)
I. Allegro moderato
II. Adagio
III. Allegro
October 2019
Heidi Louise Williams performs piano sonatas by American composers with the oldest work written in 1919 and the most recent in 1991. Charles Tomlinson Griffes, George Walker, Carlisle Floyd, and Samuel Barber all used their art to explore imponderable realities that could be more fully accessed within the realm of music. These artists absorbed a variety of musical languages into their own, foreshadowing, in many cases, the postmodernist aesthetic of stylistic coexistence. From Walker's inclusion of folk tunes to Barber's gripping sincerity, from Floyd's devotion to human narratives to Griffes' persuasive fusion of styles, these works rely in some way or another on the power of human empathy, nobly representing the United States as an essentially diverse nation. Praised by critics, pianist Heidi Louise Williams has appeared in solo and collaborative performances across North America and internationally, having won numerous awards. A graduate of Peabody, she is on the faculty at Florida State University. This is her second solo album for Albany Records.
CONTENTS
Charles Tomlinson Griffes, composer | Sonata for Piano, A. 85 | Heidi Louise Williams (piano)
George Walker, composer | Piano Sonata No. 1 | Heidi Louise Williams (piano)
Carlisle Floyd, composer | Sonata for Piano | Heidi Louise Williams (piano)
Samuel Barber, composer | Sonata for Piano, Op. 26 | Heidi Louise Williams (piano)
September 2018
Two performers passionate about American art song -- soprano Mary Mackenzie and pianist Heidi Louise Williams perform a program of songs by John Harbison, James Primosch, Daniel Crozier and Ned Rorem. Mary Mackenzie, who has captured the attention of audiences throughout the United States, has been described by the New York Times as "a soprano of extraordinary agility and concentration," and the Boston Globe as "sensational." She has appeared as a recitalist, a soloist with orchestras and as a chamber musician with the best known ensembles in the U.S. Her discography includes recording on the Albany and Bridge record labels. Pianist Heidi Louise Williams has appeared in solo and collaborative recitals across North America, in Europe and Asia. She has been praised by New York critic Harris Goldsmith for her "impeccable soloistic authority" and Dazzling performances." On the faculty at Florida State University College of Music, her recording for Albany Records received rave reviews from critics.
Track Listing:
1. Vocalism, A Grand Aria for Soprano & Piano: I. Con brio By John Harbison [3:12]
2. Vocalism, A Grand Aria for Soprano & Piano: II. Con moto By John Harbison [4:12]
3. Waltzing the Spheres By James Primosch [4:59]
4. Seven Poems of Lorine Niedecker By John Harbison [7:02]
5. Three Folk Hymns: I. How Can I Keep from Singing? By James Primosch [4:32]
6. Three Folk Hymns: II. Be Thou My Vision By James Primosch [4:08]
7. Three Folk Hymns: III. What Wondrous Love is This? By James Primosch [5:42]
8. Songs for the Walters: History's Lamb By Daniel Crozier [2:48]
9. Songs for the Walters: Byzantium By Daniel Crozier [1:28]
10. Shadow Memory By James Primosch [4:17]
11. Four Poems of Emily Dickinson: I. Hope Is the Thing with Feathers By Daniel Crozier [2:17]
12. Four Poems of Emily Dickinson: II. Angels in the Early Morning By Daniel Crozier [3:03]
13. Four Poems of Emily Dickinson: III. Song: Summer for Thee By Daniel Crozier [2:55]
14. Four Poems of Emily Dickinson: IV. It Can't Be Summer By Daniel Crozier [3:11]
15. Another Sleep - III: XIV. Of the Scythians By Ned Rorem [2:41]
16. Another Sleep - III: XV. Night By Ned Rorem [0:56]
17. Another Sleep - III: XVI. The Suicide By Ned Rorem [3:15]
18. Another Sleep - III: XVII. Death Stands Above Me By Ned Rorem [0:52]
19. Another Sleep - III: XVIII. Despairing to Be Happy Any More By Ned Rorem [3:44]
20. Another Sleep - III: XIX. The Waves By Ned Rorem [4:13]
21. The Rainbow Comes and Goes By Daniel Crozier [2:14]
22. And, Daylight… By Daniel Crozier [3:55]
23. After-Song ("Through Love to Light") By Daniel Crozier [1:41]
24. The Fire of a Wild White Sun By Daniel Crozier [4:31]
25. Holy the Firm: I. "…That Passeth All Understanding" By James Primosch [2:30]
26. Holy the Firm: II. Every Day is a God By James Primosch [5:27]
27. Holy the Firm: III. The Ladder of Divine Ascent By James Primosch [3:16]
28. Holy the Firm: IV. Cinder By James Primosch [2:59]
29. Holy the Firm: V. Deathbeds By James Primosch [8:31]
October 2011
A superlative program of piano music by American composers is offered by pianist Heidi Williams. The oldest work on the program dates from 1988 (William Bolcom) and the most recent was written in 2009 (Daniel Crozier), giving us a snapshot of what American composers have been writing for piano in the past 25 years.
Track Listing:
JOHN ADAMS
1. American Berserk (2001) [7:08]
JOAN TOWER
No Longer Very Clear (2000)
2. Holding a Daisy [4:34]
3. Or like a...an Engine [3:50]
4. Vast Antique Cubes [2:51]
5. Throbbing Still [8:18]
DANIEL CROZIER
6. Winter Aubade (2009) [11:41]
CHEN YI
7. Ba Ban (1999) [6:58]
AUGUSTA READ THOMAS
Traces (2007)
8. REVERIE: Like Robert Schumann (The Poet Speaks) crossed with George Crumb [2:32]
9. CAPRICE: Like Scarlatti's Baroque Ornamentation crossed with Art Tatum [2:37]
10. TANGO: Like Astor Piazzolla crossed with John Coltrane [3:17]
11. IMPROMPTU: Like Stravinsky crossed with Chopin and Thelonious Monk [6:11]
12. TOCCATA: Like J.S. Bach crossed with BeBop [2:23]
WILLIAM BOLCOM
12 New Etudes, Book IV (1988)
13. Vers le silence [7:02]
14. Hi-jinks [2:14]
15. Hymne a l'amour [6:37]
FLASHES OF LIGHT
December 2016
Neos
"Flashes of Light, composed in 2014–15, connects the classical concept of a concerto with a provocatively unusual sound, made possible by the combination of brass and percussion instruments with four pianos.
Historically, writings for multiple pianos have been very rare and always originate from the composers’ specific intent or stylistic concept. In Kubík’s work, the use of four pianos is for the multiplication of the piano’s characteristics, including the ability to produce highly sophisticated inner textures and, of course, to substantially extend all technical possibilities of the instrument.
Ladislav Kubík (born in 1946 in Prague, Czechoslovakia) studied composition and music theory at the Prague Academy of Music. For his compositions, he received many recognitions, such as the Guggenheim Fellowship, distinctions at the International Rostrum of Composers UNESCO, the Intervision Prize, the International Franz Kafka Prize and numerous other awards. Commissioned by the prestigious organizations in Europe and America, his works have been performed in nearly 30 countries."
May 2008
Formed in 2004 the trio Neoteric, made up of faculty members at Southern Illinois University, began their relationship with Bernard Hoffer through a request for works in the American Music Center newsletter. After writing two works for their ensemble, Hoffer suggested the idea of more substantial works, hence the Concerto di Camera and Divertimento included on this recording. Born in Switzerland, Hoffer is a graduate of Eastman where he studied composition with Bernard Rogers and Wayne Barlow. He has written extensively for films, television, and commercials for which he has won several Emmy nominations and Clio Awards. He scored the hit children’s cartoon series Thundercats and Silverhawks.
Track Listing:
1. Concerto di Camera
Heidi Louise Williams, pianist
2. Four Brief Episodes
3. More Brief Episodes
4. Divertimento for Octet
AUDIO & VIDEO//
Heidi Louise Williams, Piano
Tyler Tolles, Vibraphone
The Florida State University Percussion Ensemble Volume 4 (2019)
Piano Concerto in G (Maurice Ravel, 1929-31)
II. Adagio assai/Arr. Luis Rivera (2017)
Recording No. 3
'The Percustory Insectarium' (2019)
Heidi Louise Williams, Piano
University Musical Associates Hamburg Steinway Inaugural Concert
Ruby Diamond Concert Hall, Florida State University
January 2018
Nocturne in D-flat Major, Op. 27 No. 2
Scherzo No. 3 in C-sharp minor, Op. 39
Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)
Heidi Louise Williams, Piano
FSU Piano Department
Memorial Concert for Joel Hastings
October 2016
Hymne à l’amour, from 12 New Etudes (1977-86) William Bolcom (b. 1938)
NOCTURNE FOR CELLO AND PIANO (1997)
Daniel Crozier
Gregory Sauer, Cello
Heidi Louise Williams, Piano
Performed Live at The Shepherd School of Music,
Rice University Houston, Texas, 2013
MASTERWORKS FESTIVAL 2013
Winona Lake, IN
Music: "Klonos" composed by Piet Swerts
Performed by Andrew Somerville, Saxaphone
and Heidi Louise Williams, Piano
Dance: "Perilous Times" choreography by Steve Rooks
Performed by MasterWorks Festival Dance Students
MASTERWORKS FESTIVAL 2013
Winona Lake, IN
Music: "Ba Ban" composed by Chen Yi
Performed by Heidi Louise Williams, Piano
James Primosch (b. 1956)
Music: Waltzing The Spheres (2011)
Text by Susan Scott Thompson (1946 – 2007)
Performed by Heidi Louise Williams, Piano
Mary Mackenzie, Soprano