Luke Howard - Open Heart Story (2018) [Hi-Res]

Open Heart Story is a contemplative and uplifting journey ranging from intimate solo piano pieces to emotive works for a 23-piece string orchestra interwoven with subtle electronics. It opens with a beautiful piano piece called “Prelude for a Single Voice” – an homage to the composer J.S. Bach whose music continues to inspire Howard. The track “Remembering My Childhood” was influenced by Ryuichi Sakamoto and the Yellow Magic Orchestra - music he used to listen to when he was growing up.

A central piece on the album, “Hymn”, is one of Howard’s personal favourites. It is presented both in its original improvised piano version as well as the string arrangement. The poignant harmonies are built upon a simple meditative pattern allowing the music to ebb and flow – increasing and then decreasing in density.

Open Heart Story follows a natural evolution from Howard’s previous recordings, especially the track “In Praise of Shadows” which is a companion to “A Softer World”, a piece off his 2013 album, Sun, Cloud.

Hailing from Melbourne, Luke Howard is an Australian Music Prize-nominated composer whose music has been described as “absolutely heavenly” (Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC Radio 6 Music) and “an ambient masterclass” (Musos’ Guide).

A pianist since childhood, Howard has scored films and performed with artists as diverse as Lior and Jeff Mills, capturing audiences with contemporary classical arrangements that curl and twist around the boundaries of emotions.

Luke Howard is one of Australia’s foremost practitioners of contemporary classical music. Having already accomplished so much and with more on the horizon, he is set to captivate audiences worldwide with his latest music, Open Heart Story.

Luke Howard, piano