Joan Tower Piano Works is a complete collection of solo piano works by American composer Joan Tower, performed by Kara Huber. Born in 1938, Tower is probably best-known for her orchestral works and has received accolades that include a Guggenheim Fellowship as well as Grammy, Naumburg and Grawemeyer awards. The piano was Tower's first instrument, and the five works on the album were composed over a period of 30 years. Kara Huber has been a longtime champion of Tower's work and her performance on this album is dazzling. From lightning-fast runs and chords to much more delicate and intimate passages, she seems to handle them all with ease and a complete mastery of her instrument. Quoting Joan Tower: “This [project] was pretty extraordinary…Kara made it come to life in a way that worked. She kept pushing the envelope in the right direction, it was unbelievable.”

Kara Huber is an in-demand recitalist and chamber musician, a Grammy nominee, and a graduate of Interlochen Arts Academy. She earned her Master of Music at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and an Artist Diploma at the Glenn Gould School of the Royal Conservatory of Music. She completed a DMA in piano and conducting at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music and served on the faculty of the University of Louisville School of Music. She is now the Marjorie Wood Drackett Chair of Piano at Interlochen Center For The Arts in addition to doing her recordings and concerts.

The album begins with "Sixth Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman," which was composed in 2014 and dedicated to composer Tania Leon. Vibrant, turbulent and in constant motion, it's an intriguing musical portrait! "No Longer Very Clear" is a four-movement suite with the titles taken from the John Ashbury poem by the same name. The first movement, "Holding a Daisy" (1996), begins quietly with an air of mystery. It builds gradually, becoming very powerful and turbulent in the second half, quieting to stillness at the end. The second movement, "Or Like A...An Engine" (1994) is a dazzling show-stopper with runs literally all over the piano. Kara seems to take them all in stride. "Vast Antique Cubes" (3rd movement, composed in 2000) is much more open and spatial with a delicate upward movement. "Throbbing Still" was also composed in 2000 and is intended to be played as a pair with "Vast Antique Cubes." Fiery and passionate, Huber's performance is absolutely amazing! "Steps" (2011) is an homage to Debussy and especially to his Prelude, "Des pas sur la neige (Footsteps in the snow)." It's a piece that effectively mixes powerful passages of 12-tone dissonance with passages of more delicate consonance. "Love Letter" (2022) was written for Kara Huber and dedicated to Tower's late husband of fifty years. Feelings of sadness and loss flow through the piece with grace and delicacy. "Ivory and Ebony" (2009) has two themes: white keys and black keys - sometimes together and sometimes separately. A virtuosic challenge, the piece was commissioned by the 2009 San Antonio Piano Competition and dedicated to pianist Blair McMillen - an incredible ending for an awe-inspiring album!

Joan Tower Piano Works is available to download or stream from Amazon as well as streaming platforms including Spotify and Pandora. There are also several YouTube videos of Kara Huber's performance of the full album and individual pieces as well as an interview with her and Joan Tower. Prepare to be amazed!