Peter Scott LEWIS – Pacific Triptych
Pacific Triptych (21:25)
1. Following the Sunrise 8:16
2. Travelling Music 6:17
3. Toccata 6:52
Seven Nuggets (20:53)
1. Fire Opal 2:49
2. Carved Jade 2:28
3. Gleaming Chrysocolla 2:41
4. Rough Diamond 3:05
5. Raw Sapphire 3:16
6. Emerald, Uncut 2:58
7. Lapis, with Gold Crystals 3:36
An American Travelogue, Book 1 (14:00)
1. Chief Seattle Walks the Pike Place Market 6:14
2. Dancing in New Orleans 2:11
3. Austin Sun 2:44
4. Beyond the Golden Gate 2:51
TT: 56:21
Peter Scott Lewis, composer
Blair McMillen, piano
Publisher: Lapis Island Press (Subito Distribution)
Producers: Sono Luminus and Peter Scott Lewis
Recorded at Oktaven Audio, Mount Vernon, NY - May 19-20, 2024
Ryan Streber, recording engineer
Daniel Shores, mastering engineer
Brigitte Sims, piano technician
Josh Frey and Collin Rae, cover art
Photo of PSL: Thomas Heinser © 2023
Instrument: 1987 Hamburg Steinway D 9' concert grand. Rebuilt by Klavierhaus and Arlan Harris in 2009.
© 2025
Pacific Triptych for piano was completed in August of 2019. It is based on an earlier unperformed version for full orchestra completed in 2006. So, the piano version recorded here acts as a premiere. As implied by the title, it’s a three-movement score based on contrasting sections that reflect the majesty of the Pacific Coast, especially the drama of the ocean and the endless sky above.
Seven Nuggets was completed on April 25, 2023. It was inspired by a group of uncut, yet brilliant gemstones. Each “nugget” or movement ends with a low bass note. Those same notes are then played in sequence - at mid-range - at the end of the seventh nugget before being resolved into a sixth chord in the final nine bars.
An American Travelogue (Book 1) was completed on May 3, 2023. This four-movement piano suite was inspired by various American locations in the western, southwestern, and Gulf Coast of the United States. (Book 2 continues this exploration in locations in the rest of the country.) PSL
Reviews:
Composer Peter Scott Lewis writes music in a rigorous but accessible contemporary language, of which this 2025 release offers an excellent example. His subject matter here is one of the most common in U.S. classical music, namely American scenery and imagery. Yet this material is conveyed by small gestures in a concise keyboard language. Lewis is often known for vocal music, but here, he achieves strong pictorial effects without benefit of text. One might not guess the subject matter of "Chief Seattle Walks the Pike Place Market" from An American Travelogue, Book 1, but consider the Seven Nuggets, each representing a particular stone. These are ideal musical inspirations, with each one carrying qualities of reflectiveness that translate clearly enough to the musical medium. Sample the final "Lapis, with Gold Crystals" for an idea. These are all short pieces; of the Seven Nuggets, just one is slightly longer than three and a half minutes. There is no room for Coplandian imagery; everything is reduced to concise suggestion. Pianist Blair McMillen has championed Lewis' music in the past, and his readings of the music, with fine sound from Oktaven Audio outside New York, may be taken as definitive. A fresh new take on one of the oldest American themes.
Re: https://www.allmusic.com/album/peter-scott-lewis-pacific-triptych-mw0004529385
Rondo Magazine - Germany:
Peter Scott Lewis, born in San Rafael, California in 1953, is one of those US composers who subtly combine observation of nature and sound art. His musical language oscillates between impressionistic color and pointed modernity – always with an ear for the landscapes of the American West. The new album "Pacific Triptych,"recorded by New York pianist Blair McMillen, revolves around the vast spaces of the Pacific. In the title cycle, a three-movement work originally intended for orchestra, here in the 2019 piano version, spray, fog, and light spread out in a vibrant sonic discourse.
Alongside these are miniatures: the "Seven Nuggets" sparkle as brief snapshots – meditative, playful, eruptive. Even more narrative is "An American Travelogue (Book 1)," a four-part travelogue that musically guides you through the American Southwest – rhythmically striking, melodically interspersed with Latin American influences.
Blair McMillen, trained at Juilliard and Harvard, among others, and a distinguished interpreter of contemporary music for years, brings these pieces to life with astonishing technique and sonic imagination. A recording that not only illustrates Lewis's world of natural sound, but also brings it to life in a suggestive way.
Re: https://www-rondomagazin-de.translate.goog/cd_zum_sonntag.php?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc
