Richard Fountain - American Ivory (2021)

For Richard Fountain, piano music is as American as apple pie and baseball. On AMERICAN IVORY, his debut album on Navona Records, the well-versed pianist celebrates the variety and vitality of American art music by performing a decades-spanning collection of works by time-honored and contemporary composers alike.

Not just a chronological account, the album carefully pairs pieces to create conversational back-and-forths between contemporary composers, highlighting the similarities—and differences—in their musical styles.

Alongside works by Fountain’s collaborator Gary D. Belshaw, AMERICAN IVORY features works by Edward MacDowell, Aaron Copland, and Samuel Barber, each of which serves to highlight the variety and vitality of American art music.

Tracklist
01. First Modern Suite, Op. 10: I. Praeludium
02. First Modern Suite, Op. 10: II. Presto
03. First Modern Suite, Op. 10: III. Andantino ed allegretto
04. First Modern Suite, Op. 10: IV. Intermezzo
05. First Modern Suite, Op. 10: V. Rhapsodie
06. First Modern Suite, Op. 10: VI. Fugue
07. Camp Springs
08. Guide to Holiday Shopping (Version for Piano)
09. Gratitude (Version for Piano)
10. Passacaglia for Piano (1)
11. Passacaglia for Piano (2)
12. Nocturne for Piano
13. Nocturne for Piano, Op. 33
14. Rodeo (Excerpts Arr. for Piano): IV. Saturday Night Waltz
15. Rodeo (Excerpts Arr. for Piano): V. Hoedown
16. Meditation on "Savior, More Than Life to Me" (After Doane)