Oh, he is my idol , that great composer , dean of Australian composers ! It was always nice to receive emails from him , like today (although I remember the good old times when we corresponded through handwritten letters ; his handwriting is so, so beautiful. Perhaps he could win the award of being the composer with the most exquisite handwriting). So, he likes my CD with his piano music which was released this Christmas. Anyway, I am pasting the first paragraph of his email below . By the way, in 2 weeks time Rohan de Saram and me will welcome Peter's perhaps greatest disciple, Barry Conyngham, to Madrid where we will perform the Spanish premiere of his "Cathedral" (we premiered it last year in Edinburgh) . Barry is a great composer as well, just a few years younger than Peter, and Madrid is honoured to have him in town. Barry is nice to gossip with, especially because he was good friends with the late composers such as Takemitsu and Aaron Copland and Benjamin Britten etc.
Here is Peter's email :
Dear Ananda,
Thank you! Thank you from the bottom of my heart! Spirits of Place is a wondrous recording. The music is so beautifully performed. The CD is also beautifully engineered & I also like the simple way in which it is packaged.I must confess that when you first told me of the works that you planned to record, I was a little uncertain about the choice. While I write in many different styles, I think that the music is always recognizably by me. All the same, I felt that perhaps too many styles were being represented. You have made them come together & breathe in a unified way. The recording presents a clear & romantic portrait of me, & even a panorama of my country.Patricia & Juan Carlos regard the CD as their best to date. etc .. etc
all the best,
Peter
