Pianist Mishka Rushdie Momen plays a varied repertoire that includes pillars of classical music such as Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Liszt, and new works commissioned from Nico Muhly and Vijay Iyer. In her second album, entitled Reformation, Momen further expands her repertoire to include some of the most important composers of Tudor England: William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, and John Bull.
Reformation's roots stretch back to the pandemic, when Momen stumbled upon Byrd's A minor Fantasia. This discovery led her to dive deep into Parthenia, an early 17th century collection of keyboard music, and the first to be printed in England. The pieces within were written by the three composers who would later appear in Momen's album.
Unlike other performers of Renaissance keyboard music, however, Momen did not record Reformation on harpsichord, virginal, or organ. Instead, she opted for her own instrument, the piano. She said: "For me, playing keyboard music of the Renaissance in a re-formed guise on the modern piano has never felt anachronistic."
That statement, found on the album's booklet, gives a clue to the title of Reformation: instead of giving period performances of 16th century works, she unabashedly recasts them for her modern instrument. Momen said that she "aimed to convey the spirit and vividness of the music in a way which feels natural and true to composer and instrument alike."
She adds that musical training in the Renaissance would have started with vocal writing, and that Byrd's music stems from a vocal tradition. "To my ear, the rich and resonant sonorities of the modern piano beautifully represent the inflections and timbre of the human voice, and in this way resonate faithfully with Byrd's sensibilities."
Another reason for the title-and for the album in general-is the destruction of Roman Catholic artworks in post-Reformation England. Momen "re-forms" the music of Roman Catholic composers (Bull and Gibbons were suspected and accused of popery, respectively), who faced difficulties in a Protestant kingdom.
Besides English composers, Dutchman Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck also makes an appearance with his Ut, re, mi, fa, sol, la Fantasia.
Reformation marks Momen's debut album with Hyperion, and will be released on June 28.
