There are so many scores with a first page that is nothing short of terrifying.
Schubert’s “Erlkonig” (The Earl King), Liszt’s “Feux Follets” (Will-o-the-wisps) and the “Opus Clavicembalisticum” by Sorabji to name just three, each with its own mesmerizing beauty and power which leaves one in awe much like experiencing a volcanic eruption or an oceanic storm.
At first glance, the first page of Stephen Prutsman’s arrangement of “All the Things You Are” appears without any hint of frenetic insistence and the optics allows for an immediate assessment of technical considerations, timing and voicing concerns all, ofcourse, in general terms.
The first 18 measures are introductory, setting the tone for what follows, acting like a host who welcomes and makes you comfortable in a beautiful setting before the melody enters but until then time (non-linear time) passes slowly. The noise of the day starts to dissipate giving way to the ticking of a grandfather clock, the awareness of one’s heartbeat while the whistling of the distant kettle sings of the imminent arrival of both tea and melody.
But there is subterfuge here, albeit subtle, in that this arrangement is written for the left hand alone.
The poor left hand all by itself to negotiate the technical and musical demands while a perfectly usable right hand rests idly on the piano bench. Like Sisyphus from Greek mythology destined to daily roll a boulder uphill only to have it roll down as it nears the summit, the left hand’s uphill exertions teach that sonic beauty is a balancing act, technical comfort is a physical experience requiring the body’s full engagement and non-linear time changes one’s perspective; it changes us!
While it’s logical to assume the exclusion of the right hand would contribute to the technical difficulty of this arrangement, it has been my experience that the exclusion affords the left hand some freedom from dependence on the other hand. One learns just how wonderfully strong and adroit the left hand can be when given the chance. In the words of Albert Camus, “One must imagine Sisyphus happy.”
Mr. Prutsman’s lovely arrangement invites personal touches especially in the execution of some grace notes. Depending on the size of the pianist’s hand, the distance of two notes the interval of a tenth apart is often played broken, that is to say the lower note is played immediately before the upper note.
However, my hand is quite large so that all tenths are easily reached affording me the privilege of choosing to play tenths as broken or simultaneously. The choice permits a melodic note to be sounded on its own or played with the lower note having a harmonic function that imbues the melody note with added warmth.
And like the choice made by pianist Leon Fleisher in his beautiful recording of this piece, I also chose to conclude the piece at measure 36 rather than measure 51 that officially concludes the work.
It isn’t because the last 15 measures are negligible. Perish the thought!
One of our considerations in releasing a series Valentine’s Day pieces was to give the listener something beautiful - but also to be respectful with regard to your time so we set parameters between 3-5 minutes duration but in future live performances, I will play the arrangement in its entirety.
For the recording “All the Things You Are” I was over the moon and so grateful to Cunningham Piano Company for the use of their Bösendorfer 280VC concert grand piano, which plays with such a marvelous and sensitive response to the touch that it’s sometimes hard to tell if I’m playing the Bösendorfer or if it’s playing me.
Its vocal range is vast and its ability to adapt to varying touches happens at the speed of thought - but what I appreciate most is its ability to vibrate sound with a characteristic shimmering quality as it hangs in the air until faded into silence. In this, the Bösendorfer is, in my opinion, second to none.
All recordings are collaborations and I find myself to be the most fortunate of musicians to have the following collaborators also as friends:
Brian Losch is a two time Grammy Award winning recording engineer whose input during sessions is not only valuable but absolutely essential.
Peter Field from Skylight Arts Productions is the wearer of too many hats to mention - which is why the title “Producer” was created. Whether it is insights into the sound of the piano or the hall’s resonant possibilities, interacting with Brian, Joshua, and myself for the best possible sound in the recording and mixing process, coaching me by giving guidance and feedback. Not only what you hear in this recording, but even what you are now reading isn’t possible without his own artistry.
Joshua Stamper co-produced this 2026 Valentine’s Day release of “All the Things You Are” and his insights into matters of phrasing from the listener’s perspective were invaluable in reminding me that I’m always playing for an actively engaged audience.
Brett Leonard was the mastering engineer for this recording and it is his alchemical brilliance that molds and shapes the sound we all agree on, which you can now listen to.
In 2025, illustrator Xiao Hua Yang created the illustration for that year’s Valentine’s Day release of Gershwin’s “Embraceable You” as arranged for piano by Earl Wild and he graciously agreed to collaborate with us again to create the artwork for “All the Things You Are.”
What you must know, reader, is that the images created by Xiao Hua are not dictated by me or anyone else but they come directly from his interaction with the music - and it never ceases to mystify me how his images are always in sync with the emotional content I resonate with in the music.
Though this was released on Valentine’s Day, I hope each day is one in which we all celebrate the capacity for the love in each of us that we can extend to others.
I invite you to Listen to All the Things You Are
On Spotify
On Apple Music
On Deezer
On YouTube Music
On Amazon Music
On Pandora