Outside the Window (December 11)

Michael Houstoun

RELEASE DATE: December 11

On this beautifully produced album, Michael Houstoun performs a selection of works by the renowned composer, Gao Ping. The two central four-movement works, Outside the Window and Wanderings, are complemented by three delicate miniature waltzes, Little Waltz, A Summer Song, and Farewell, Waltz, to round off a programme of piano music that is as delightful to the ear as it is to the heart. This is top-quality music from a top-quality team of artists deeply committed to music excellence.

Produced by Kenneth Young
Recorded by John Jungseok Kim and Steve Garden
Mixed and mastered by Steve Garden
Design by UnkleFranc
Printing by Studio Q

Released: 11 December 2025
Catalogue: RAT-D160

Michael Houstoun is one of the most well-known and admired classical musicians in New Zealand, a reputation he has enjoyed for the last five decades. Since his return to New Zealand in 1981 after working abroad for several years, Michael has performed a diverse repertoire that spans from J.S. Bach to the present day. He is a particularly enthusiastic advocate of New Zealand music, with works from Douglas Lilburn to John Psathas regularly featuring in his programmes and recordings.

Born in 1970 in Chengdu, Sichuan province of China, Gao Ping studied in the USA in the 1990s. He is in demand as a composer and is frequently commissioned to write for musicians across the globe. In recent years, works such as Four Not-Alike, a concerto for a multifunction pianist and Chamber Orchestra, significantly informed Gao’s approach to combining Western and Chinese instruments.