http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDcHnKh2Ouc

Lowell Liebermann is a modern pianist-composer from New York. His music, a blend of traditional structure and profound invention, has made him one of the most popular and most often-played of modern-day classical composers. As a pianist, a good chunk of Liebermann's works have been for or include the piano, including three Sonatas, eleven Nocturnes, and his most famous piece, the epic Gargoyles.

His fourth Nocturne is one of my favorites - although it takes a good while to build up, the dreamy (and polytonal) opening motifs give way to the luscious harmonies and textures of the surprisingly violent middle section (building up to a crashing fortissississimo). One of my favorite musical moments occurs at this transition, which occurs around 2:38 in the video.