IMAN: ALBUM II

Price range: £8.99 through £14.99

Label:
Catalogue No: MEX 77114
EAN/UPC: 809730711428
Artists:
Composers: , ,
Release Date: July 2023
Genres:
Periods: ,
Discs: 1
Total Playing Time: 83:19

A musical journey, James W. Iman’s latest album, IMAN II, is a stunning blend of classical and contemporary piano compositions that will leave you spellbound. Four years in the making, this album is the culmination of Iman’s passion for Debussy and Donald Martino, as well as his premiere of work from composer and sound designer, Jenny Beck.

Iman’s masterful interpretations of Martino’s Fantasies and Impromptus are nothing short of awe-inspiring, and his renditions of Debussy’s works provide the perfect contrast, bringing together the past and present in a way that is both exciting and unique. But it is Beck’s electrifying compositions that truly set this album apart. Iman says, “I have played Stand Still Here more times than any other work in my repertoire. Each of the five pieces that comprise the work are brief–the longest is four minutes–but Jenny Beck achieves a depth of introspection and emotional sweep that is absolutely magnetic.”
What makes Beck’s work so remarkable is the way she achieves such depth and complexity with seemingly simple motives and harmonies. The pieces on this album hover and linger, creating a hypnotic and immersive listening experience that is nothing short of miraculous.

Iman’s passion and dedication to this project are evident in every note he plays. He has crafted a captivating album that showcases his skill as a pianist and his ability to bring together the best of the past and present in a way that is fresh, exciting, and deeply moving.

Track Listing

    Claude Debussy:

  1. Images, Book 1 - Reflets dans l'eau (6:13)
  2. Images, Book 1 - Hommage à Rameau (8:43)
  3. Images, Book 1 - Mouvement (4:36)
  4. Images, Book 2 - Cloches à travers les feuilles (5:40)
  5. Images, Book 2 - Et la lune descend sur le temple (6:29)
  6. Images, Book 2 - Poissons d'or (4:51)
  7. Jenny Beck:

  8. Stand Still Here - I (2:40)
  9. Stand Still Here - II (1:51)
  10. Stand Still Here - III (2:31)
  11. Stand Still Here - IV (3:58)
  12. Stand Still Here - V (1:40)
  13. Donald Martino:

  14. Stand Still Here - Parts I-IV (12:58)
  15. Stand Still Here - Part V (8:20)
  16. Stand Still Here - Parts VI-IX (12:05)

Reviews

Records International

The [Beck] pieces are haunting, perhaps resonant with echoes of disembodied fragments of Romantic works. Passionate, urgent dynamism, and muscular energy are characteristic of [Martino’s] music: varied and fantastical in mood, richly ‘orchestrated’ in piano texture. [Debussy’s] own very free, quasi-improvisatory approach to performing his music, and an in-depth study of the unconventional vocabulary of the Images, inform Iman’s performance of [Images].

” —Anonymous reviewer
Art Muse London

[Iman] displays a remarkable appreciation of Debussy’s music which I really enjoyed, allowing me to hear these well-known pieces afresh. Jenny Beck’s ‘Stand Still Here’ provides an extraordinary contrast. Iman is able to achieve a wonderful sense of spontaneity and improvisation: notes linger, vibrate, shimmer and fade. It’s a deeply absorbing interlude.  Iman gives a masterful performance of this collection of pieces [by Martino] which combine virtuosity and expression, improvisation and structure, making them the perfect complement to Debussy.

” —Frances Wilson