HerStories Unsung, Vol.2 is a collection of 15 piano pieces progressing from beginner to moderately advanced performance level. Each piece tells of an achievement made by a woman, often using theatrical or dramatic movement by the pianist to express the story more clearly than with just music. Some of the stories include how a man took credit for the woman's achievement.
The stories are of women from Ukraine, Britain, Russia, Austria, Iran, China, Philippines, France, and the United States of African, European and Native descent across 250 years. These stories were chosen from two years of research into hundreds of women's experiences. They were selected for how effectively each story could be told through playing the piano with added gestures.
HerStories Unsung, Vol.1 is the first collection consisting of five virtuosic pieces, also relating stories of women's achievements and oppression. It was first performed by the Argentinian pianist Diana Lopszyc in Manchester, U.K. in 2016. A woman in the audience asked for more pieces to be written especially for developing pianists, since gender equality should be part of all stages of learning, including life-long learning by male adults like myself. I am indebted to this woman, whoever she is, and to my collaborative pianist Lana Bode to whom this volume is dedicated for providing dozens of new ideas and improvements as these pieces took shape.
Performances of all 15 pieces performed by Lana Bode are available to listen and watch in this Youtube playlist:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLY7v6iJq57dBdtdZljHXFLakku6Td2Lmx&si=xeG6zEliGGta4Lhd
- ISMN: 9790570684267 (M570684267)
