Ten pieces inspired by stations and lines of the London Underground.
Contents
- Circle Line — This piece has a nice feeling of momentum as well as excitement. Always inventive, always heading in unexpected but somehow inevitable directions.
- Angel — A sinuous 3/2 idea creates movement as well as an overall feeling of calm. The piece is harmonically restless (but in a good way!)
- Elephant and Castle — This starts with heavy-footed (elephant-like) left hand chords which underpin a slightly exotic right hand idea in 4ths and 5ths. The piece builds before a flowing left hand supports a lovely right hand melody. The initial idea returns and dissolves into silence.
- Metropolitan — This is in a rhythmic style, befitting its name. A positively funky main idea is contrasted with brassy chords.
- Perivale — This a is a mysterious piece in 3/4, featuring exotic harmonies and leading to maybe exotic destinations. A beautiful main melody takes centre stage before the opening chords return.
- Seven Sisters — Naturally, this piece starts in 7/8, contrasted with Latin-tinged 4/4 passages.
- White City — Bell-like chords usher in a plaintive melody underpinned by restless harmonies, creating a mysterious and slightly exotic effect.
- Stamford Brook — In a flowing 12/8, this piece has a pastoral quality, with the changing harmonies summoning up an ever-changing landscape.
- Parsons Green — Almost hymn-like (a reference to the parson) with a wonderfully varied harmonic palette. The left hand takes over melodic duties before a serene restatement.
- Mill Hill East — A long-limbed melody is featured, full of syncopations and triplets , leading to a section in 3/4-6/8 before an extended and serene restatement.
Reviews
“Rob Hall has written a set of pieces using some of London’s underground stations and lines as inspiration. They are unfailingly well-written, interesting harmonically and full of lovely melodies. Suitable for intermediate to advanced players, they will appeal to audiences because they are evocative as well as clearly structured. I heartily recommend them as delightful additions to the contemporary piano repertoire.”
— Christopher Norton (Composer of the 'MicroJazz' series)
“As you can imagine, I receive a huge amount of music to review - it would be a full-time job to get through it all. Just occasionally, you receive something which sparks curiosity. Rob Hall’s new collection of piano works, Underground, is just such a book. Front cover of Underground for Piano by Rob Hall, featuring a retro London Underground design Published by Clifton Edition, the book contains 10 pieces reflecting, as the name suggests, aspects of the London Underground, including the lines themselves and a selection of stations. It’s a quirky - surely unique - idea, and with its distinctive, eye-catching cover, deserves to grab your attention. Key Impressions The pieces, aimed at Grades 4-7 level, are mainly 2-3 pages in length, the exceptions being ’Stamford Brook’ whose lilting 12/8 time signature means the piece runs to five pages and ‘Seven Sisters’ at four pages. Composer, Christopher Norton, author of the famous Microjazz series who has contributed the notes for this publication, writes of the pieces ‘They are unfailingly well-written, interesting harmonically and full of lovely melodies.’ I couldn’t agree more. Opening page of Metropolitan from Rob Hall's Underground for Piano sheet music I particularly enjoyed ‘Angel’ whose intriguing, almost restless harmony, is particularly attractive. ‘Metropolitan’, with its jazzy groove, was great fun to play and distinctly catchy. By contrast ‘Perivale’ brings a delicate feel to this waltz, whilst ‘Seven Sisters’ has an appropriately driven and challenging 7/8 rhythm. ‘Parsons Green’ has a gentle, chorale-like feel - a measured singing line with shifting suspended chords below. Opening page of Seven Sisters from Rob Hall's Underground for Piano sheet music Just occasionally, I found the typesetting to be slightly unwieldy. There were a few places where notes felt slightly squashed and out of kilter with the note values. This is, of course, a minor personal gripe, but perhaps something to be aware of as you approach the music here. Verdict The pieces in Rob Hall’s Underground could so easily have been ridden with cliché’s - chuntering rails, train whistles and the like - but perhaps mercifully, Hall has uncovered something much more unique in the character of the London Underground lines and stations with which many of us are so familiar. Close-up of the retro London Underground artwork on the cover of Rob Hall's Underground for Piano Despite a little reticence over some of the typesetting and layout, overall these were characterful and attractive pieces. Children and adults alike will enjoy the quirky rhythms and intriguing harmonies. If you’re looking for something a little out of the ordinary - in the best possible way - then Rob Hall’s Underground is well worth a look.”
— David Barton
Listen to audio samples
A short excerpt from 2. ANGEL
A short excerpt from 4. METROPOLITAN
A short excerpt from 1. CIRCLE LINE
Sample Pages
