The Piano Nocturnes; Opus 15. The Nocturnal Piano is a collection of Piano Nocturnes. Not all of them, mind you, but the gentler, more mysterious pieces. Like the preludes, I set out to compose a complete set of nocturnes for the piano. Unlike Chopin, these Nocturnes are composed in a more modern style, using more liberty in the composition. I did not want to call the album after a collection of Nocturnes, but rather wanted to set the mood of some of the nocturnes and give them the names their character evoked. This collection of piano pieces is based on loosely connected events in the night of a sleepless woman. We have all had those nights. Although the music itself is relaxing, it depicts events in one woman's night, trying to find peace... and sleep. So I thought of a woman, intent on sleep but finding none. She struggles to sleep, but old friends and memories haunt her. To top that off, an alley cat comes prowling around the house, further adding to her sleeping troubles. She watches a loved one sleeping, untroubled and she finds some peace. But only for a matter of minutes. Soon, she is up again, prowling the reality of the night. She has dark thoughts and wishes and she finds herself outside at the lake. The moon is full and bright and there is a cripsness in the air. She sees raindrops (angels) dancing across the moon and onto her face. Slowly, sleep comes and she finds herself inside on the living room sofa. She is fast asleep now, running with her childhood friends in childhood's arms. She is running, running. Her mortality will never catch up, she thinks. All performances are on the Steinway Concert Grand by the composer, Michelle Ende'. Thanks for listening and I hope you like them.