French Orientalism in Reynaldo Hahn's series "Orient"

Pianist Norito Irei makes his debut as an academic writer through publication of his doctoral thesis, "French Orientalism in Reynaldo Hahn's Series 'Orient' from Le Rossignol Eperdu." The pianist analyzes six selected works from the 53-piece piano suite composed by the naturalized French composer who is Venezuelan by birth. Focusing on the set which the composer has grouped together and cataloged under their collective name 'Orient', Irei first reinstates Orientalism in French piano music, apart from its sociological significance, by re-introducing formalized music theories and score excerpts from piano music of Debussy and Saint-Saens. He, then, goes on to highlight, within the selections, Hahn's musical gestures eliciting non-occidental exoticism by matching them with the theoretical framework of formally proven Orientalism in French piano music. The pianist responds brilliantly to mysterious sound of French Orientalism in this well-structured book.