Dear Friends,

I am thrilled to announce the completion of my new album, Piano Passion, Too!. Ever since the release of my first album, Piano Passion, in 1994, I have wanted to record again with the full forces of the Sydney International Orchestra under the baton of my friend and mentor, "The Maestro" himself, Tommy Tycho. So it was with great excitement that we went into the studio in the days just prior to Christmas, December, 2006. What a joy to make music with these incredible musicians! A joy, as always, to collaborate so closely with Tommy! A more generous man of music you could not find. His passion, dedication and phenomenal musicianship are a constant and continuing inspiration to me and many, many other performers.

The selection of the four tracks for this recording was made easy by all of you! They are the numbers I have been most requested to perform by the audience members with whom I have had the chance to share my music in recent years.

A Classic Concerto was inspired by the music my mother shared with me - her love of classical music was infectious and was a profound influence on my musical life. In this number I have attempted to capture the spirit and joy of that love with the classic music of the Masters (see the detailed track listing below for the selections featured in this track).

I have always loved the elegant simplicity of the main theme from Chariots of Fire. The music conveys a sense of hope and is a source of inspiration for many people. I hope you enjoy the rhapsodic treatment in this arrangement (the middle section of the arrangement is based upon the original "side b" of the Chariots of Fire soundtrack album which melds the various themes from the movie into one grand movement).

The Classic Andrew Lloyd Webber was inspired by the many, many requests for me to present his music. Lloyd Webber's music stirs the emotions of his audience in a way that no other music does. The songs included in this track are some of the greatest selections from his pen that have become modern classics of popular music. I love performing them, because as I play I never fail to be drawn into the grand drama of the music and the moments from the shows it represents.

Rhapsody In Blue was the piece that changed my musical life as a young boy - it's dynamism, effervescence and sheer brilliance captured my musical soul in the same way it has done for millions of listeners for the last eight decades! And, it is just great fun to play! The tempi in this performance reflect the dazzling approach that Gershwin himself used to take in performing his own work.

Finally, I wanted the album to have the feel of a live concert - so it was recorded with the full orchestra present in the studio and I played together with them through the orchestral sessions. I know you will feel the "live" energy that has been captured in the recording. As you listen to the album, I hope you feel like you are there in the front row of the concert hall as the music unfolds! Below is the full track listing from the album:

1) A CLASSIC CONCERTO
Featuring excerpts from:
- Piano Concerto No 1 in Bb Minor, Op. 23, 1st movement (Tchaikovsky)
- Hungarian Rhapsody No 2 in C# Minor (Liszt)
- Waltz in Db Major, Op. 64, No. 1 ("Minute") (Chopin)
- Fantasie Impromptu, Op. 66 (Chopin)
- Etude in Ab Major, Op. 25. No.1 ("Aeolian Harp") (Chopin)
- Warsaw Concerto (Adinsell)
- Piano Concerto No.1 in Eb Major (Liszt)
- Sonata in C# Minor, Op. 27, No. 2 ("Moonlight") (Beethoven)
- 18th Variation from Rhapsody on a Theme of Pagannini, Op. 43 (Rachmaninoff)
- Prelude in C# Minor, Op. 3, No. 2 (Rachmaninoff)
- Malaguena (from Suite Espagnol "Andalucia") (Lecuona)
- Piano Concerto No 1 in Bb Minor, Op. 23, 3rd movement (Tchaikovsky)
(Arranged: Walz, Orchestrated: Tycho)
(18:19)

2) CHARIOTS OF FIRE
(Vangelis)
(Arranged: Walz, Orchestrated: Tycho)
(6:01)

3) THE CLASSIC ANDREW LLOYD WEBBER
Featuring excerpts from:
- "The Music Of The Night" from The Phantom Of The Opera (Lloyd Webber/Hart/Stilgoe)
- "The Phantom Of The Opera" from The Phantom Of The Opera (Lloyd Webber/Hart/Stilgoe/Batt)
- "I Don't Know How To Love Him" from Jesus Christ Superstar (Lloyd Webber/Rice)
- "Memory" from Cats (Lloyd Webber/Nunn)
- "Don't Cry For Me, Argentina" from Evita (Lloyd Webber/Rice)
- "Love Changes Everything" from Aspects Of Love (Webber/Black/Hart)
- "All I Ask Of You" from The Phantom Of The Opera (Webber/Hart/Stilgoe)
- "Jesus Christ Superstar" from Jesus Christ Superstar (Lloyd Webber/Rice)
(Arranged: Walz, Orchestrated: Tycho)
(13:21)

4) RHAPSODY IN BLUE
(Gershwin)
Clarinet Solo: Richard Rourke
(18:02)

Total Running Time: 55:46