GENRE; Classical
RELEASE DATE; 11 July, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Peter Scott Lewis’s Pacific Triptych, rendered here in its 2025 premiere piano recording by Blair McMillen, is a hauntingly beautiful portrait of American landscapes — both geographical and emotional. McMillen, a veteran interpreter of contemporary repertoire, delivers with compelling clarity and depth.
The album opens with the eponymous Pacific Triptych, a three-movement suite originally conceived for orchestra but here distilled into a potent solo piano work. “Following the Sunrise” unfolds slowly yet with purpose, evoking a pale coastal dawn through gentle arpeggios and shimmering harmonies. “Travelling Music” offers a quieter, more introspective middle movement, while “Toccata,” dramatic and restless, conjures the ocean’s motion—spray, fog, and sky—in vivid sonic strokes. The piano version may lack orchestral grandeur, but McMillen’s touch brings out the work’s spaciousness and subtle power.
The second part, Seven Nuggets, is a suite of seven short, jewel-like miniatures inspired by uncut gemstones. Each piece (from “Fire Opal” to “Lapis, with Gold Crystals”) glitters with its own character, flickering briefly then dissolving into silence. It’s a fascinating exercise in musical economy: in under three minutes, each nugget distills a mood — contemplative, playful, or eruptive. McMillen nails the dramatic contrasts and draws nuanced colors from the piano.
Closing the program is An American Travelogue – Book 1, a four-part suite mapping a journey across varied American locales: from “Chief Seattle Walks the Pike Place Market” to “Beyond the Golden Gate.” The music shifts between rhythmic vitality and melodic introspection, with occasional nods to Latin American and Southwestern influences. It’s evocative without painting in broad strokes —more an impressionistic travel journal than a travelogue in strict programmatic terms.
In all, Pacific Triptych is a compelling showcase of both Lewis’s compositional voice and McMillen’s pianistic artistry. The album balances accessibility and sophistication — atmospheric and evocative, without ever veering into the overly sentimental. For listeners open to contemporary classical piano, it offers a quietly immersive, richly textured sonic experience.
