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Ian Munro
Dreams
Laureate of the Queen Elisabeth International Competition
for Composers 2002/2003
Born in Melbourne, Ian Munro completed his early piano studies
under the guidance of Roy Shepherd, a pupil of Alfred Cortot.
Having continued his studies in Vienna, London and Italy with
Noretta Conci, Guido Agosti and Michele Campanella, he subsequently
won several major prizes in international piano competitions
in Spain (Canals), Italy (Busoni), Portugal (da Motta) and
the UK, where his second prize at the Leeds International
Piano Competition in 1987 firmly established his solo career.
Since then he has performed in over forty countries in Europe,
Asia, North America and Australasia, as soloist and as chamber
musician. He has also taught piano masterclasses all over
the world. Ian Munro has recorded CDs for Hyperion, Cala,
Naxos, Marco Polo, ABC Classics and the new UK label Warehouse.
Ian Munro has composed since childhood and retains an interest
in music that speaks to young performers, professionals and
amateurs alike. His Children’s Concerto for child pianist
and orchestra (2000) has been widely performed in Australia.
A series of ironic “portraits” of living Australian
politicians includes the Keating Tangos for clarinet and piano
(1999) and the Whitlam Rags (2002), depicting both flattering
and not-so-flattering views of the two colourful ex-Prime
Ministers. Other recent works include 13 Ways of Looking at
a Blackbird for voice, harp and string quartet and Aus tiefer
Not for viola and piano.
Dreams is the first of three related symphonic poems
featuring a solo piano. It seeks to explore the dream world
of child and adult, particularly the episodic evolution of
sleeping thoughts, peaceful and disturbed. Together with the
second and third poems, Forests and Passacaglias, it also
gains inspiration from and pays tribute to the Australian
poet Judith Wright, who died in 2001. Dreams is dedicated
to my mother, Bev.
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