94 Results for : syncopations

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    Dancing in Latin America
    NOTES Dancing in Latin America expresses Awilda Villarini's love and admiration for Latin American music and culture. As part of her heritage, Ms. Villarini performs this music with passion and poetry. The complex rhythms and syncopations are second nature to her. At times, it sounds like two pianists interpreting the difficult technical passages. In the lyrical passages, the piano sings with a beautiful warm sound. It is the work of a virtuoso and a romantic pianist who understands and feels this music. ABOUT THE MUSIC This recording includes five tangos by Piazzolla, two of the popular Afro-Cuban Dances by Lecuona and a collage of Puerto Rican Danzas by Morel Campos, Misl&aacute,n, Pedreira and Otero. As a bonus track, she includes a preview of the repertoire to be included in the second volume, the Bomba from her Suite Portoricinses. ABOUT AWILDA VILLARINI Following the tradition of pianists - composers such as Rachmaninoff and Lecuona, Awilda Villarini has excelled both as concert pianist and composer. As a concert pianist, she has mastered the traditional piano repertoire and has received rave reviews from major newspapers such as The London Times, Z&uuml,rcher Nachrichten, Washington Post, and The New York Times. Villarini has performed in some of Europe's most prestigious venues: Salle Gaveau in Paris, Wigmore Hall in London, Kammermusiksaal in Zurich, Brahms Saal in Vienna, among others. In the United States, she has performed at Carnegie Hall, Abraham Goodman House, The Organization of American States as well as colleges and universities throughout the States. The late music critic Harold Sch&ouml,enberg said about her playing: 'I have heard Liszt's Transcendental Etude in F minor by hundreds of young pianists in different piano competitions. Ms. Villarini's technique and interpretation proved to be superior to all of them. She is an exciting romantic pianist.' As a composer, she has written works for piano, voice and piano, chorus, chamber music, theater and orchestra. She has received very enthusiastic reviews and received commissions from the National Endowment for the Arts, Louis Vogelstein Foundation, M&uacute,sica Para Instituciones, and The Institute of Culture in Puerto Rico. After the premiere of her Symphonic Poem The Legend of the Indian, Sylvia Lamoutte from El Nuevo D&iacute,a wrote: ' The Legend of the Indian proved that Villarini has imagination, knows how to create a musical ambience, can capture the listener's fantasy, handles well the orchestra's texture with interesting dynamic contrasts and balance between the different sections of the orchestra.' REVIEWS AS A PIANIST 'An exceptionally well-schooled artist with dependable fingers and an assertive style.' New York Times - Donal Henahan 'Bold, romantic style of playing.' London Times 'Awilda Villarini regaled her audience with doubled barreled power. She is a pianist of considerable vigor.' Washington Post 'Ms. Villarini is a talented, intelligent, technically versatile and also physically robust musician.' Neue Z&uuml,rcher Zeitung 'She played with a beautiful sound and with well achieved contrasts.' Le Nouveau Journal, Paris 'Awilda Villarini performed brilliantly the difficult concerto in A minor by F. Liszt. We enjoyed her great musicianship and poetry, as well as her virtuoso technique.' El Mundo, Puerto Rico 'Her performance of Beethoven's Prometheus variations was bone strong. Quite a Pianist, Quite a composer.' Joanne Hoover Washington Post 'In Chopin's Sonata Op. 35, the artist showed that she is a full-blooded musician.' Hans J&ouml,rg M&uuml,ller Z&uuml,richsee-Zeitung 'In the Pictures of an Exhibition by Modest Moussorgsky, the pianist showed her security, imagination and musical talent.' Bartolom&eacute, Bover, El Mundo 'Ms. Villarini played Chopin's second sonata with a weight and depth of tone that would banish any lingering doubt of a woman's capacity for sustained power in comparison with a man's. It was sonority fed by youthful ardor.' Eric Warr, London Reviews 'A new star in the musical heavens.' Neue Z&uuml,rcher Nachtrichten REVIEWS AS A COMPOSER 'She showed herself to be a highly resourceful composer who handles with ease the high voltage rhythms of her native Puerto Rico. Villarini's composition is a stylish, sophisticated work literary bursting with vitality.' Washington Post 'Ms. Villarini's Suite Portoricinses, based on four Puerto Rican dances, was couched in a moderately acerbic and fairly conservative idiom... striking sparks of real imagination.' New York Times 'Her composition is a multicolored panorama, where each element has a purpose and character.' Maxime Belliard, Le Nouveau Journal 'In her composition, which does not lack temperament, harshness and daredevilness, she often uses dissonances for the sake of expression. She also uses some bitonal elements, which are used with much artistry and sureness of effects. Simple themes were repeated with rhythmic variations, resulting in charming effects.' Neue Z&uuml,rcher Zeitung 'I was especially impressed by the Two Love Songs by Awilda Villarini on texts by Julia de Burgos and Pablo Neruda. I believe the composer's experience resulted in not hurrying the text, in taking time for the phrases to breathe, in not gambling it all on a couple of special effects. The Villarini's songs are also kind to the singer. Also, for this reason, I think they are completely successful.' Donald Thompson, San Juan Star 'Dialogue, by Awilda Villarini (poem by Pat Parker), is a dramatic song that impacts the listener.' Peter Bloch, New York Impacto 'Her Suite Portoricinses consist of four pieces full of variety which reminds us of Prokofieff.' Neue Z&uuml,rcher Nachtrichten 'The world premiere of Awilda Villarini's composition for orchestra, Cinquillo Dram&aacute,tico, was an important and successful event. This fascinating, captivating composition was received with great enthusiasm by the audience.' La Raz&oacute,n.
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    Chopin 24 Etudes at 13
    * Rich and colourful sound of a Bösendorfer Imperial 290 * Recorded in the Tibor Varga Foundation Studio in Switzerland * Made & Printed in Germany * 'Favorite CD' (Coup de coeur du disquaire) of Le Ménestrel, the historic record store of Geneva, as per it's recommendation appeared in the Geneva Tribune on Jan 9, 2009. ___________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ LATEST EVENTS Nov 15-22, 2010 - 7-concert Migros Culture Percentage Classics Tour with Shanghai Philharmonic in the top concert halls in Switzerland, Bratislava and Budapest. ***** Oct 14, 2010 Chopin Concerto No.2 with Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, Métropôle Hall Lausanne. Broadcast on Swiss French Radio - Espace 2 on Oct 26, 2010 as well as on Swiss French TV on Dec 27, 2010 and Jan 4, 2011. A reportage of 50' with interviews of Mélodie Zhao and the Orchestra was show on TSR2. ***** March 2, 2010 - Victoria Hall Geneva, Switzerland. Recital of all 27 of Chopin's Etudes, to celebrate his 200th birthday. ***** October 18, 2009 On Radio Suisse Romande's Espace 2 Station, Mélodie Zhao gave a live piano recital on the two-hour 'La Tribune des Jeunes Musiciens' program. ***** August 30, 2009, Jinan, Shandong Province, China. Mélodie Zhao's piano recital earned enthusiastic response from the audience and very positive press review. ***** June 21, 2009, live recital on Espace 2 channel of the Swiss French Radio. ***** In April 2009, the Music Faculty of the Petroleum University of China in Dongying, Shandong Province invited Mélodie Zhao to give a seminar and master-class. Following the successful event, she is engaged as a guest professor of the University. ___________________________________________________________ THE STORY of this CD The 24 Caprices of Paganini are considered as the summit of the art of violin playing, in the same way, the 24 Etudes of Chopin are considered as the acme of piano performance. In April 2006, whilst giving a master class in Switzerland, the eminent violin professor Yaoji Lin discovered Mélodie Zhao, then aged 11. Impressed by her marvellous execution on the piano, he affirmed, "Whether in terms of ability or musicality, Mélodie is absolutely a remarkable talent." At the same time, he handed a gift to her: a CD of Paganini's 24 Caprices recorded by one of his students, Tianwa Yang, when she was 13. He encouraged Mélodie to record Chopin's 24 Etudes also at the age of 13, convinced that she would be capable of realizing such a project, unique for anyone so young. Tianwa Yang's CD was an inspiration for Mélodie as proof that the art of music and the zenith of interpretation are not only for adults, but can also be mastered by teenagers who pursue the ideal of musical perfection. During 2006, Mélodie somewhat extended her repertoire with baroque, classic, romantic, impressionist and contemporary works. In parallel, guided by her violin teacher father, Mélodie added to her muscular training regime with The Pianist Virtuoso in 60 Exercises by Hanon, amongst others. This led to a rapid progress in her technical capacity and laid a solid foundation for her to master the 24 Etudes relatively quickly. In January 2007, Mélodie started to work systematically on the 12 Etudes op.10 of Chopin, in addition to and without hindering her normal studies at the Geneva Conservatory. By the end of June, she had already mastered the 12 etudes. In July, she attended a thorough master class on op.10 with Jean-Jacques Balet. Mid-August 2007, at 12 years old, Mélodie Zhao included the 12 Etudes op.10 in her recital program in the Festival Les Sommets du Classique in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and played them again in her Easter recital the following year. Starting in February 2008, Mélodie began to work on op.25 under the instruction of Pascal Devoyon. By May, she was proficient in all 12 etudes. During these months, Prof. Devoyon provided many very detailed and enlivening lessons on each of the 24 Etudes, which allowed Melodie to make radical and substantial further progress in technique as well as in musicality. On the 29th June 2008, she gave a recital of Chopin's 24 Etudes in the Kammersaal at the Berlin University of Arts, organized by Prof. Devoyon. The recording of this CD, realized by award-winning sound engineer Jean-Claude Gaberel, has taken 18 hours over 3 days, from the 22nd to the 24th July 2008, at the Studio Tibor Varga in the Valais, Switzerland. The commentary in the booklet is written in French by Mélodie Zhao herself. It is an exercise based on her profound study of the two opus. She combines her personal experiences with her own point of view on the Chopin etudes, whilst recording concisely their musical essence and the main technical problems posed in these works. Chopin's 24 Etudes performed and analysed by a 13-year-old - this is by it's very nature significant. "It is not my intention to create a miracle" Mélodie Zhao said. "I would simply like to show how these studies can be played and put into words by a teenager." One has to say that she has succeeded. Ying Wu (N.B. The writer is pianist, professor and the Dean of Piano Faculty of the Central Conservatory of Music of China) Translated from Chinese by Howe Yin Zhao Proofread by Christopher Watts ___________________________________________________________________ EXTRACT of the COMMENTARY on the Etudes by Mélodie Zhao Frederick Chopin - 24 Etudes Chopin composed his two series of etudes op.10 and op.25 between 1829 and 1836, during his first prolific creative period. Every one of these 24 etudes deals with one or several technical difficulties, but it is widely recognised that Chopin's etudes not only include a large range of pianistic virtuosity, but they are all endowed with a poetry, natural, delicate and lyrical at the same time. Etudes op.10 Nr. 1, C Major (Allegro) Autumn 1830 This majestic opening piece aims to stretch the right hand in a relaxed fashion with large broken chords covering the whole keyboard. The left hand supports and completes the harmonies of the right hand with long octaves built of a chorus harmony. According to Chopin, the only way to achieve a good execution of this etude is through slow and sustained exercises of the arpeggio. However, one must bear in mind that slow exercise is merely for practice, while the aim is to achieve a clear and fast technique with a perfectly flowing musical result. Attention should be paid to the rapid positioning of the fingers preparing the connection of each note, and to the ascending and descending movements of the arpeggios which should create the impression, to both the pianist and the listener, of "rising and falling". Nr. 2, A minor (Allegro) 1830 Also called "Chromatic" and considered by many pianists as the most difficult one of all Chopin's etudes, it aims to strengthen the three weak fingers (3-4-5) of the right hand through sempre legato and overlapping scales as well as ascending and descending chromatic phrasings, which run across the whole keyboard without using the thumb and the forefinger. The difficulty here is to play all the notes in a light, equal fashion and in particular with an even tempo. But, being careful, for the hands must stay relaxed during the exercise, and one should not work on it for too long each day or injury can be the result! Nr. 9, F minor (Allegro molto agitato) 1829 One day my professor, Pascal Devoyon, told me a story which could well have inspired Chopin when he created this piece : "A couple had to swim across a strait in the darkness in a terrifying storm, in fear of being engulfed. In the fight against the waves, the wind and the lightning, the young man disappeared in the act of saving his beloved." Thus the short undulations of the left hand, working at full stretch, depict the rough sea caused by the wind and the storm, the 'breathless' syncopations and the violent dynamic contrasts of the right hand convey the breath
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    Diamonds Uncovered
    Well-known American composer David Diamond received many accolades for his compositions, which include works in such diverse genres such as symphonies, concerti, chamber works, and vocal compositions. This sonata was written for Jean-Pierre Rampal (1922-2000) on the occasion of his 65th birthday and remains unpublished today. Frequently changing meters and a lyrical dissonance are elements of the characteristic compositional style that permeate the work. The caption for the fourth movement both illustrates Diamond's sense of humor and acknowledges the moments of disjunction between the two instruments, the piano and flute do eventually reunite to complete the work with a resounding flourish. A student of Nadia Boulanger and Vittorio Giannini, Thomas Pasatieri received the first doctorate awarded by the Julliard School of Music at age nineteen. Best known for his vocal and operatic compositions, Pasatieri writes in a musical style highlighted by lyrical and tonal melodies. A 1986 commission by the Verdehr Trio led to the composition of a number of instrumental works, including this work for flute and piano, written in honor of the fiftieth anniversary of the Music Academy of the West. The use of whole tone scales and gentle chromaticism in the first movement, a lullaby-like rocking triple meter in the second, and a romantic, atmospheric flute melody in the Allegro vivace all combine to create a wholly enjoyable soundworld not unrelated to the many film scores on which Pasatieri has worked. Emma Lou Diemer wrote her flute sonata in 1958, while studying for her Ph.D. in composition under Bernard Rogers. Diemer acknowledges a specific connection to Johann Sebastian Bach's flute sonata in E-flat major (BWV 1031, 1730-34), which also features a Siciliano as the second of it's three movements. Diemer writes, "The Bachian interplay and equality of the writing for flute and keyboard was uppermost in my mind, and also a lyricism and tonally uncomplicated style - though moving quickly through changing tonalities." The first two movements have neoclassic ternary formal structures, while the third is in sonata form with a fughetta in the development section. It was dedicated to Mark Thomas, for whom Diemer also wrote a flute concerto. This is the first recording of this work. Denis Bédard, an actively performing French Canadian composer and organist, wrote this flute and piano work while teaching at the Conservatoire de musique de Québec. The work was premiered by Barbara Todd-Simard, who also performed it on CBC radio. Bédard describes the work as having been written in his "usual chamber music style, which is very 'French'." Compositionally, the work is at times influenced by the style of Francis Poulenc, and the third movement pays an unmistakable debt to the first Gymnopedie (1888) by Erik Satie. The formal structures are clearly articulated and the harmonies are at times quite adventurous. Bédard acknowledges a "concern for immediate communication with as vast a public as possible" as one of his principal aesthetic goals, this enjoyable and challenging piece undoubtedly fulfills that ambition. Julliard faculty member Samuel Zyman is one of the leading Mexican composers today, with an extensive catalogue of works including symphonies, concerti, chamber works, and the film score to The Other Conquest. This sonata, regarded as a major repertory piece and frequently performed worldwide, features technically demanding writing with particularly appealing rhythmic power and drive. Composed at the bequest of Mexican flutist Marisa Canales who premiered the work in 1993 with Argentinian pianist Ana Maria Tradatti, the work was published four years later. Zyman's aesthetic concept for this piece was that it be "exciting, intense, and emotional," he pairs a contemporary sound with formal structures that bow to the western tradition and a true partnership between the two instruments. With jazz-inspired syncopations, imitative counterpoint between the flute and piano, and an urgently-paced third movement he envisions as "reckless and insane," Zyman's energetic composition is a favorite for many flutists. - Laura Moore Pruett, Ph.D.
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    Ragtime Lullabies: Gershwin Joplin Debussy Billy J
    With 'The Real American Folk Song is a Rag' the Gershwin brothers began their history making song writing collaboration. How appropriate that their very first song together not only makes the case for ragtime, but the piano accompaniment is filled with self-propelling rhythms, unique syncopations and Gershwin's trademark harmonic surprises. Although not written for solo piano, Gershwin's original solo piano accompaniment to this song is quite suitable as a solo piano piece. Ragtime is perhaps the first uniquely American contribution to world music. In 1994 I was the first person to record a CD containing all Gershwin's solo piano music. ('Rhapsody in Blue, Gershwin's Complete Solo Piano Music') In 1995 Warner Brothers published a new volume of sheet music containing previously unavailable 'new' Preludes by Gershwin, which made me want to go back to the recording studio immediately. It just so happened that these Preludes all seemed to fit into the category of ragtime and lullabies. At the same time, the solo piano version of Gershwin's 'Lullaby' finally appeared in print and I felt that the combination of rags and lullabies would compliment each other nicely. Hence this new CD which is both an addendum to my first Gershwin CD and a rather subjective and personal investigation of ragtime and lullabies from the end of the nineteenth century to the present. 'Rialto Ripples Rag' was published in 1917 and written the previous year. It is George Gershwin's first published instrumental. It has all the hallmarks of Gershwin's tricky piano style merging ragtime with the piano novelty number. Gershwin was hoping for a hit with the publication of this piece. It didn't happen. Ragtime's heyday was really at the turn of the century, and by 1917 the ragtime era had ended with the death that year of Scott Joplin. Gershwin's 'Lullaby' is a true ragtime lullaby, sweet, full now of faded memories, and filled with slow motion ragtime syncopations, comparable in many ways to Scott Joplin's 'Solace'. It seems to have been written first as a piano piece around 1919, then transcribed by Gershwin for a string quartet. A portion of the original piano version still survives. Using that and the string quartet version, Alicia Zizzo reconstructed the original solo piano version. Gershwin had the idea of writing 24 Preludes - not unlike Chopin - and calling his series 'The Melting Pot'. He never completed the series, but several charming Preludes from the series still exist. The original 3 Preludes which I have recorded on my previous Gershwin CD are well known, loved by all pianists, and certainly have been a staple of the piano repertoire for decades. The 'new' preludes recorded here, were performed by Gershwin himself in a concert on December 4, 1926. Richard Stokes reviewing Gershwin's performance in the Evening World, called them 'brief and glowing little vignettes of New York life.' The 'Prelude January 1925' was clearly used as the basis for the finale of his piano concerto. 'Rubato' and 'Sleepless Night' are both wistful jazz studies and the 'Novelette in Fourths' is a charming raggy period piece. This Gershwin set ends with 'Summertime' from 'Porgy and Bess' - surely Gershwin's most well know Lullaby. Scott Joplin was the central and prime creative spirit of ragtime. A large segment of twentieth century American music including jazz, bebop, and the American popular song received it's shape and spirit from him. 'Maple Leaf Rag' (1899) is Joplin's keystone work. To play it gives a feeling of irresistible exhilaration and joy. It contrasts wonderfully with 'Solace,' a slow sweet ragtime lullaby. I mentioned earlier the comparison to Gershwin's 'Lullaby.' It is important to be aware of tempo in Joplin's music. In many of his scores he wrote that ragtime is never to be played fast. He wrote this as a horrified reaction to many musicians who would mindlessly bang this music out as fast as they could. Joplin's admonition however, resulted in much confusion since the music actually needs to find it's own tempo. The ragtime in this album has a variety of tempi and texture. Accorsing to Robert Haven Schauffler in 'The Unknown Brahms,' just before his death Brahms invisioned a ragtime project. Sadly we don't have that music, but we do have from Brahm what is probably the best know lullaby in the world - a tune that has been used for everything from quaint music boxes to Bugs Bunny cartoons. At the turn of the century American's cakewalked to ragtime. So did the French, thought they called it 'le temp du chiffon.' Every concert pianist knows 'Golliwog's Cakewalk' from Debussy's 'Children's Corner.' Gershwin certainly knew this music too, since he made a point of obtaining all the music of Debussy while visiting Paris. But even more striking is the similarity that 'Golliwog' has to Gershwin's third Prelude including the same chords in the opening bars. It's a wonderful example of the cross pollination of ragtime from America to Europe and back again via Gershwin to America. Debussy's Jimbo's Lullaby also from 'Children's Corner' is actually a reflection of his own rather individual brand of English. He insisted thst his daughter Chouchou's toy elephant was Jimbo - not Jumbo. The elephant is being told a bedtime story, and surely this is the most gravity defying of all elephantine music. 'Spaghetti Rag' is a favorite of mine. Written in 1910, I can't help but think of Charlie Chaplin twirling his cane to the circular tune of this music. From there we move to the other end of the twentieth century and what may strike some as a surprising choice of music to be recorded by a concert pianist. 'Root Beer Rag' was written at the beginning of Billy Joel's career and I can only guess was used by him as his own virtuoso showpiece which allowed him to stand out from the crowd. 'Good Night My Angel' written in 1993, is a touching gift by Joel (as is Debussy's Lullaby) to his daughter. I decided to end this album with a piece I occassionally use as an encore at my own concerts - 'Send in the Clowns' by Stephen Sondheim. It's a wonderful way to end a concert and say goodnight and pleasant dreams! Paul Bisaccia Provincetown MA pianowithpaul.com Portions of Mr. Bisaccia's film and television work can be viewed on youtube.com Critical acclaim for Bisaccia: 'A magical evening which just got better and better... completely passionate in his performance.' The Barrie Examiner Ontario 'Delivered with power, poignancy, authority and aplomb' Worcester Telegram Gazette 'His fabulous encore with plenty of scintillating, puckish fingerwork on the ivories.' The Straits Times, Singapore 'Bisaccia brought the audience to their feet with genuine spontaneous cheers erupting out of sheer joy.' Steinway Society of the Bay Area (CA) 'Bisaccia is a serious artist with a compelling presence at the piano.' Connecticut Life 'For Gershwin interpretations Bisaccia wins hands down.' American Record Guide 'You really must hear him!' Brasilia Super Radio FM Brazil 'Earnest vivacity and sparkling virtuosity... infectious excitement.' Union-News Springfield (MA) 'George Gershwin would have joined the audience in the standing ovation at the conclusion of 'Rhapsody in Blue'. ' The Hartford Courant (CT) 'Prepare to be dazzled!' OnCenter Arts Quarterly, Hilton Head SC 'It just proves that talent always prevails in these times of mediocrity.Consummate musicianship. ' Michael Feinstein.
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