John Pitman Review: Andrew Brownell’s ‘Shades of Night’
Andrew Brownell is a pianist and former Portlander who, in the mid-1990s would occasionally stop by the All Classical studios for an interview with John Pitman. Often, Andrew would play something on the piano, or accompany violinist Nicholas Crosa (now part of Pink Martini), for an upcoming recital.
Brownell recently stopped by for a chat with John about his latest album, “Shades of Night,” available now on Divine Art. The pianist explores a time when the night was an antithesis to the clarity of an illumined day. In the especially fertile imaginations of the 19th- century Romantic composers, this was a time when the world gave itself over to mystery and magic. Brownell shares insight into his choices of repertoire, and the careful arrangement of them on the album, and how the pairings reveal secrets otherwise hidden, as though shielded from the light of the moon or campfire.
Hear their conversation below:
“Shades of Night” is available now on Divine Art.
