Japanese pianist Maiko Mori’s new album of modern Etudes for piano blends elements of classical, jazz, rock, and techno idioms. A study in diversity, Mori’s album preserves the foundations of traditional classical music, whilst weaving in musical elements from different backgrounds, styles and regions.

The new album features music by four prominent contemporary composers with cross-over elements: Nikolai Kapustin's Eight Concert Etudes fuses classical piano tradition with jazz idioms; Japan's well-known gaming composer (best known for his work on Final Fantasy X), Masashi Hamauzu's rare classical work Etudes Op.4 combines impressionistic ideas with rhythmic and sometimes melancholic gaming music elements; Melanie Spanswick's etude, Chasm, written for Maiko Mori in 2019 reflects minimalist influences with a variety of fragments from different musical languages.

Finally, prominent Japanese composer Karen Tanaka’s Techno Etudes takes us to a dazzling, addictive world of techno, speed and rhythm.

Pianist Maiko Mori is a soloist and chamber musician held in high regard around the world. She grew up in Japan, and though born into a non-musical, began playing the piano at a very early age, developing a fascination with the instrument and the way it could be used in classical music, jazz, and beyond.

Her studies brought her to the UK in 2000, at the age of 18, and first prize at the Birmingham International Piano Competition followed two years later. Then, in 2006, her UK concerto debut proved very memorable. “It was one of the most important experiences of my life”, says Maiko of the performance of Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto at London’s Royal College of Music, with conductor Vassily Petrenko. “When I heard the clarinet solo that starts the piece, I forgot all my nerves, and I had a wonderful sense of calm through the rest of the performance.” Since then, she has performed concertos by Grieg, Brahms, Rachmaninov and Chopin.

As well as performing at halls and festivals the world over, Maiko teaches the piano at the University of Chichester, and aims to help her students develop their own approach to learning repertoire. “I hope they find the enjoyment of practice”, she says. “I want them to be confident asking their own questions about the music, and use them to find meaning, rather than having me simply tell them how to go about it.”

Maiko’s own musical education was firmly rooted in the classical tradition, but an interest in gaming expanded her understanding of what composers could do. “In role playing games, you take on a character”, she explains, “and you become connected with music in a new way.” Her admiration for the composers who helped create these experiences has stayed with her, informing her choices for her album, Chasm. Maiko plans now to explore the concert work of video game composers further, alongside performances and recordings of more conventional nineteenth and twentieth century repertoire. As she points out, “my feet remain firmly planted in classical music!”