Building on the success of her fascinating 2013 collection One Hand Piano (EB 8646), Barbara Arens has produced an intriguing and rewarding follow-up anthology of miniatures, most of which only fill a single page.

These pieces for left or right hand alone include new compositions and arrangements, not only by Arens herself (ranging from the humourful through etude-like miniatures to more extended lyrical gems) but also from Garreth Brooke (touching simplicity in ‘Memory of a Welsh Folk Song’), Alison Mathews (a colourfully concentrated mosaic entitled ‘Below the Sea’), Clemens Christian Poetzsch (a sonorous tenor melody, ‘Left on the Wave’) and Nikolas Sideris (an intense winding study in triadic patterns).

There are also some fascinating examples of one-handed pianism from earlier eras: Late Baroque (Carlo Broschi’s E minor Solfeggio), Classical (CPE Bach) and Romantic (Max Reger, plus Eusebius Mandyczewski’s 28-bar tonally universal Prelude through All Keys).

As well as proving invaluable for pianists who have temporarily injured a hand and need appropriate repertoire to study, this collection will be useful for players seeking to build their technique in one hand over the other.

There are even several items worthy of study for players fortunate enough to have full use of both hands.