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Peter Ilich Tchaikowsky (1840-1 893)
The Dumka, Op. 59, composed in 1886, has the subtitle Scene rustique russe.
A "Dumka" is a type of Moravian or Polish folk song and two folk tunes form the
basis of this attractive composition. The dumka embraces the range of expression
that is almost symphonic in thought and is one of Tchaikowsky's most successful
works for piano solo.
Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873- 1943)
Rachmaninoff was a pianist of genius whose works for piano were composed
as vehicles for his own performances. His early influences were the classical and
Russian nationalist schools; his teachers Sverov, Arensky and Siloti; his friend
and benefactor Tchaikowsky; and, especially in his works for solo piano, Chopin
and Liszt.
Three Preludes
C minor - a perpetual motion. The music races along turbulently and
restlessly, not resolving itself until its final five measures.
G Major - Rachmaninoff is at his lyrical best. This prelude has the character
of a barcarole, with the hauntingly beautiful theme set over a gently arpeggiated
bass figure with an undulating rhythm. The sumptuous melody is ornamented
characteristically in Rachmaninoff s piano style.
The prelude in B Flat Major is a virtuosic tour-de-force, with sweeping left
hand arpeggios supporting highly dramatic chordal figures of its martial tune.
The middle section is a full of dramatic sweeping gestures and glorious melody.
Rodion Shchedrin (1932- )
Leading Russian composer whose many works for both the stage and concert
hall have earned him worldwide acclaim. His music is eclectic, charismatic,
ebullient and usually taxes both the performer and the audience with its
extravagant originality.
Exuberance, coupled with intelligent and sensitive craftsmanship. Tone clusters,
much dissonance. Astringent sonorities, virtuoso writing, taxes both performer and
audience.
Humoresque - Biting sarcasm and mischievous elegance embody this charming
miniature.
Basso Ostinato uses astringent, bare octaves in the bass which give this piece its
driving impetus. Exuberance, percussiveness, harshness, and dissonance mark this
work with forceful excitement.
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937)
The three poems comprising Mktopes were composed in 1915 and reflect
Szymanowski's movement to a highly personalized impressionistic style.
In Isle of the Sirens the musical detail comes from the mythology of Homer's
Odyssey. The lullaby theme which runs through the music reflects the double flute
and lyre associated with the sirens in the Odyssey. These patterns also suggest bird
calls which reminds the listener that the sirens were half woman and half bird.
The second of the Mktopes paints a musical portrait of Calypso the daughter of
Atlas and Tethys. Calypso kept Odysseus on the island of Ortygia for seven years
forcing him to mate with her.
Nausicaa depicts the dancing of Nausicaa and the Phaecian maidens who
discover Odysseus after his shipwreck. There are references to the lyre figurations
in Isle of the Sirens and to the white-notelblack-note passage and refrain melody
from Calypso in the closing which gives a cyclic ending to the Mitopes.
Pantscho Vladigerov (1899-1978)
Bulgarian composer-pianist with electrifying technique, dazzling energy, and
driving spirit. Vladigerov was the major teacher of Alexis Weissenberg. His music
embodies the flavors and colors of Eastern European, Arabic, and Greek music in
a highly distinctive manner that is characterized by unique, irregular, exotic Balkan
rhythms and the use of old Greek and old Slavic modes.
Nocturno reflects the mystery which is inherent in Bulgarian folksongs that are
defined by exotic chords using augmented seconds (hiatus), tritons and other
harmonic structures which are unusual to Western ears.
Perpetual Mobile is based on swirling and driving motives that galvanizes the
listener with brilliant and mercurial passagework.
The Prelude mesmerizes the listener with its incredible tonal beauty and
profoundly noble sentiment. In this piece, Vladigerov is at his apex in the use of
complex, outlandish harmonic structures and melodies.
~ e & i c hSmetana (1824-1884)
Seemingly unknown to most, the vast majority of Smetana's compositional
output was for solo piano and the Polka was a form whose limitations fascinated
and challenged the composer throughout his life. Indeed, it was Smetana's
ambition to elevate the lowly Polka into an art form and with Volume Two of the
Czech Dances (1879) he finally achieved this lifelong dream.
The thematic material for the Czech Dances fall into two categories: Five dances
are inspired by actual dances and five are based on folk melodies. The two chosen
for this recording give an example of each. Dupak(Stamping Dance) is a whirling
dance whose first episode is marked by "stamping" on the ground and contrasted
by the secondary episodes which imitate a bagpipe. The virtuosity required to bring
off this piece rivals anything found in the Hungarian Rhapsodies of Liszt.
~bkro?ak(~ircling
or Striding Dance) employs a folk melody that Haydn also used
in the final movement of Symphony No. 104.
George DeForest
Krassimira Jordan
Born in Varna, Bulgaria, of Russian and Bulgarian parents, Krassimira Jordan
studied in Sofia, Vienna and Moscow, where she was a pupil of Stanislav Neuhaus
and Emil Gilels. During her years of study, a series of prestigious international
prizes were awarded to Ms. Jordan, including the International Piano Competitions
"Alfredo Casella," the "Alessandro Casagrande," and the Mozart "Clara Haskil"
Prize. As a representative of Austria, she was the Gold Medal Winner at the 1981
Rio de Janeiro International Piano Competition.
Krassimira Jordan has performed with much acclaim as recitalist and orchestral
soloist in major European cities in Austria, Italy, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland,
Russia, Hungary, Poland, the Scandinavian countries, Mexico, South Korea,
Taiwan, Japan, China, Brazil, and the United States. She has appeared as soloist
with the Wiener Symphoniker and the Tonkiinstler-Orchester in Vienna. Highly
regarded as a teacher, her students come from all parts of the world and have won
top prizes at numerous international piano competitions in the USA, Europe, and
Asia.
Krassimira Jordan has recorded a series entitles Franz Liszt-Beriihmte
Klavierwerke (Famous Piano Works). She has also committed to disc a group of
Johann Strauss waltzes, as transcribed for piano by Leopold Godowsky, Karl
Tausig, and Gyijrgy Cziffra. Among her other recordings are piano concertos and
solo pieces by Heitor Villa Lobos and other Brazilian composers.
A naturalized citizen of Austria, Krassimira Jordan was Professor of Piano at
the world-renowned Vienna Academy of Music and Dramatic Arts from 19791989. After her Carnegie Hall debut in 1989, she joined the faculty of the Baylor
University School of Music as Artist-in-Residence and Professor of Piano.
KRASSIMIRA JORDAN
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