Steps, Volume 3: Arabesque

Bell, Michael

The third volume of Seabourne's highly acclaimed Steps series stemmed from a fascination with The Alhambra in Granada, which was explored in collaboration with his aunt, the renowned painter Ann Seabourne. “A visit to the Alhambra in Granada made a deep impression; its spell having been cast on many before me… I was of course struck by its lofty position, its architecture of fable, its opulent colors; but also by the loss of a culture and way of life, of a place once lived in so differently; also of a closed world, inhabited by those simultaneously, even paradoxically privileged and confined.” (Peter Seabourne) Michael Bell is a distinguished pianist, and a widely respected pedagogue. Having studied at the Royal Northern College of Music with Derryck Wyndham and Sulamita Aronovsky, he was awarded a Chopin Fellowship from the Polish government, enabling him to move to the State Academy in Warsaw. His solo repertoire is diverse and extensive, with recordings of solo works by Haydn, Grieg, Janacek and Tchaikovsky. He is also in demand as an acknowledged lieder accompanist and is a member of the Chamber Players of London. His playing is characterized by a vast palette of pianistic color, great attention to articulation, and always the communication of an intensely personal vision.

Price: $27.98