The man who as W.D. Munn published papers on that branch of mathematics known as semigroup theory had another side to his personality: Douglas Munn (1929–2008), professor of mathematics at the University of Stirling, was also a fine pianist and a gifted composer. His piano music has its origins in Chopin, Brahms and Bartók but is clearly also inflected by Scottish folksong – much of it has a sense of the hills and the open spaces – and is written by someone with an intimate knowledge of the instrument. The Latvian pianist Arta Arnicane knew Douglas Munn and this album is the fulfilment of an unspoken promise to record his piano music.

Supported by numerous scholarship awards and eminent artists such as John Lill and Homero Francesch, Arta Arnicane studied in several countries and graduated with distinction from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (2004), the Latvian Academy of Music (2008), and Zurich University of the Arts (2010 and 2012). She has an extensive solo repertoire and her interpretations of the Mozart piano concertos as well as impressionistic music have always won special appreciation. She is also an enthusiastic chamber musician and performs regularly in a duo with her husband, the German cellist Florian Arnicans.

“Her totally secure, innate authority is matched by her deeply considered and often profound approach during her performances, far removed from much of the more shallow and superficial playing that abounds nowadays. She totally lacks any form of affectation and has an innate but rarely found sense of structure. Needless to say, these qualities are matched by a formidable technique.” – John Lill