Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation No. 18

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation No. 18. Andante cantabile (Transcr. for Piano Solo by Michael R. Loveridge)

Tears of the Dawn Version

Thirteen miniature journeys, each a complete world in ninety seconds.

In this new album, Samuel Hamish Gray continues his exploration of spontaneous composition — music created entirely in the moment, unpremeditated yet intricately formed. Each piece was conceived, performed, and completed in a single take, bound only by one strict parameter: a duration of exactly one minute and thirty seconds.

Within that constraint lies astonishing freedom. The result is thirteen concise piano works — cinematic, lyrical, sometimes fragile, sometimes dramatic — each a distilled emotional narrative. Gray’s playing moves from shimmering introspection to bold, cinematic resonance, his improvisations sculpted by instinct and refined by long experience in both classical and jazz idioms.

Listeners familiar with his Sirius Suite (2025), a meditation on loss and love, will recognize the same immediacy and tenderness, but here the focus is on compression: each piece a single breath, a fleeting vision, a self-contained journey.

Gray is known for his fully spontaneous solo piano performances in Norway, New Zealand, and beyond, and for his forthcoming long-form work Norgesvenn (2026), recorded as one continuous arc. These new miniatures reveal another side of his artistry — concise, pure, and perfectly balanced between composition and improvisation.

Perfect for reflective playlists, film and documentary use, or simply quiet listening, each piece can stand alone, loop seamlessly, or fade into thought — small universes of sound, carved from silence.

Miniatures

Impromptu à l’aveugle I

Aperture

Sergei Rachmaninoff and his work titled Rhapsody On a Theme Of Paganini are meaning of romance, love, beauty and tenderness. Please sit back and enjoy this wonderful melody.

Rhapsody On A Theme Of Paganini

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Ludwig van Beethoven - Piano Concerto No. 5 in E Flat Major, 'Emperor' - Adagio un poco mosso

Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Op. 43: Variation No. 18. Andante cantabile (Transcr. for Piano Solo by Michael R. Loveridge)

Katya Kramer-Lapin