Michael Stephen Brown’s bona fides as a classical pianist were well-accounted for by his 2021 release Noctuelles and its Medtner and Ravel content. The NYC-based Brown (b. 1987) now demonstrates his prowess as a composer with this debut collection of all-original works. The seven presented speak to the versatility and imagination of their creator in featuring solo piano pieces, chamber works, and art songs. Whereas the piano setting Four Lakes for Children (2024) nods in the direction of Impressionism, the vocal-and-piano work Love’s Lives Lost (2023) flirts with the theatricality of a flamboyant Broadway score. There is variety aplenty in the material, and variety too in the arrangements, with the composer appearing as a solo pianist and accompanist to soprano…
