In an album of world-premiere recordings, Steinway Artist Nicolas Costantinou performs 12 Préludes for solo piano by Constantinos Y. Stylianou, each inspired by a different work of art.
In 2008, as part of a series of events to mark the French Presidency of the EU, Stylianou was asked to compose a piece of music for solo piano to be performed at the Great Hall of the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. This resulted in two préludes, each one inspired by a work of art (painting or sculpture); the choice of form was also influenced by Debussy’s two Books of Préludes. Following those two initial piano works, Stylianou decided to continue composing préludes until a cycle of 12 was completed. The last prelude was composed in 2014, with final revisions made in 2018.
