Paul Reale’s composing career blossomed in the last years of his life, but he was long held in high esteem as a renowned educator, and as a “mighty maestro with a unique expressive voice”. The New Hampshire state motto “Live Free or Die”, provided the impetus for Reale to finally complete his Cello Concerto in a mere 17 days, spurred on by a diagnosis of terminal illness. This work and the First Piano Concerto gestated over many decades, and both share Reale’s signature toolbox of expressive melody, Baroque counterpoint, references to many types of jazz, and extensions of tonality. The programme concludes with the Sixth Piano Sonata, each movement of which ties in with T.S. Eliot’s poem The Waste Land but within a cinematic structure that departs from any traditional form.

Kim Cook has performed to critical acclaim as a soloist in 30 countries in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, where she toured as Artistic Ambassador for the US State Department. Cook received enthusiastic reviews for her recordings, including the solo sonatas by Kodály, Crumb and Hindemith, and concertos by Dvořák, Haydn, Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saëns, Lalo and Shostakovich. Her recording of concertos by Schumann, Elgar and Strauss (Don Quixote) with the St Petersburg State Symphony was released in 2018, as well as a recording of premieres of works by Paul Reale for Naxos, which received Fanfare’s Top 5 Award for the year.

Pianist John Jensen has worked with acclaimed orchestras such as the Minnesota Orchestra and St Paul Chamber Orchestra, and he is in great demand as a chamber musician. The music of Paul Reale has been a constant in his pianistic life and Jensen has recorded solo piano music by Reale on both the Music & Arts and Naxos labels.