Peggy Duquesnel - Piano for My Soul (2022)

Product Description

Duquesnel’s piano emotes a hybrid of classical music and inspirational hymns. These intimate, meditative sessions spawned “Piano for My Soul,” Duquesnel’s sixteenth album on her JoySpring Music imprint. The full album has 21 tracks of moving piano arrangements by Peggy Duquesnel. She incorporates her gift for combining hymns with classical themes and composed a peaceful original titled “A Lullaby.” “Piano for My Soul” is presented in two sections clocking in at a generous 71 minutes of piano music featuring Peggy Duquesnel. The first section consists of piano orchestrations with Alan Broadbent, Billy Martin, Andre Mayeux and the late Steve Hall on works composed by Bach, Chopin and Tchaikovsky blended imaginatively with hymns and songs of faith, including several presented as duets between piano and organist Andre Mayeux (“Cristo Redentor,” “Were You There?” and “Precious Lord Take My Hand”), piano and cellist Melissa Hasin (Bach Prelude in C/“The Lord’s Prayer”), and piano duets featuring Hall (“Holy God We Praise Thy Name”/“Sous le dome epais – Delibes” and “You Are My Hiding Place”/“Swan Lake” – Tchaikovsky). The second section is comprised of solo piano numbers.

Review

“The album is a Spiritual masterpiece that combines Inspirational hymns and Classical music.” --Eunice Mosely, The Pulse of Entertainment/EUR Web

“Peggy Duquesnel escapes by sitting quietly at her piano. There, she sets her nimble fingers free to dance gracefully atop the keys, inevitably finding their way into her musical comfort zone.” --Annie Carlini, Exclusive Magazine

“Because of the break the pandemic gave everyone she used the time, like most artists and musicians, to record new music and I am glad that she did because this is an outstanding piece of work. My favorite tracks on the “Piano for My Soul” album include #1 “Be Still My Soul” because it is so angelic and masterful in arrangement and composition, I could imagine it on a soundtrack to a movie, and I also love the strings from the cello which together could evoked sweet dreams; #3 “A Lullaby” not only because she wrote it for her grandson, reminding me of the little songs I created to sing to my children and grandchildren when they were babies, but because it is so sweet for a slumber mood; #5 “O the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus” because its simply a masterpiece and made me want to waltz and do ballet all over the house and again I love the strings of the cello by Melissa Hasin; #7 “Chopin Prelude” because it was excellently done, one of my favorite Classical pieces, and I love how the strings from the cello are woven into it; #11 “Precious Lord Take My Hand” because it was outstandingly played and evoked memories of growing up in the church – because of the organ, and #12 “You Are My Hiding Place/Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky)” because it immediately made me want to waltz and modern dance all the way until the end of the track.” --Eunice Mosely, The Pulse of Entertainment/EUR Web