Catalog

The programmatic character of the First Sonata for Piano by Charles Ives according to John Kirkpatrick, has “the family together in the 1st and 5th movements; the boy is sowing his oats in the ragtimes (2nd and 4th movements; and there is parental anxiety in the third movement. The hymns quoted in each specific movement strengthen the programmatic aspect of the sonata and structure the composition as a large overall five-part arch form. The First Sonata is a landmark of American piano literature, although less well known than Ives’ Concord Sonata. John Noel Roberts has demonstrated his interpretive skills, technical ability, and wide-ranging piano repertoire in solo and concerto performances around the world. A graduate of Eastman and Yale, he was formerly artist in residence and head of music at the Western Australian Conservatorim of Music. He has also served on the faculties at Furman, the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Mercer University, Stephen F. Austin University, and Concordia College. He currently serves on the faculty at Our Lady of the Lake University.

Cellist Eric Kutz says that this recording had its roots in the pandemic. Facing cancellation of numerous performances, he turned to the Bach Suites, bringing to his performances of them the life experience of an adult. Eric Kutz has captivated audiences across North America, Asia, and Europe. His diverse collaborations cut across musical styles and have ranged from cellist Yo-Yo Ma to jazz great Ornette Coleman. He is active as a teacher, a chamber musician, an orchestral musician, and a concerto soloist. A graduate of The Juilliard School and Rice University, he is currently on the faculty of the University of Maryland School of Music. He performs on a cello by Raffaele Fiorini (Bologna, 1877) and a bow by Jacob Eury (Paris, 1810).

In his introduction, pianist Agustin Muriago says that “This recording showcases Argentine composers from different backgrounds and time periods whose works are rooted in folk music. Most of these composers combined a Eurocentric musical tradition with Argentine folk music, producing stylized versions of milongas, tangos, and vidalas…” Agustin Muriago has presented recitals featuring Latin-American music at festivals in Hong Kong, New York, the Sonus International Music Festival and the Latin American Music Center, among others and offered recitals, lectures, and master classes in China, Chile, Brazil, and the U.S. A graduate of The Hartt School, New York University, and Rowan University, he now serves on the faculty at the Peabody Institute of the John Hopkins University.

Pianist Rochelle Sennet says in her introduction that this third volume of Bach to Black: Suites for Piano, represents her continuing interest in performing suites and multi-movement works by Black composers in combination with the suites of Johann Sebastian Bach. This volume contains world premiere recordings of suites by Adolphus Hailstork and James Lee III as well as Black women composers Margaret Bonds, Montague Ring, Nkeiru Okoye, and Betty Jackson King, as well as a suite by William Grant Still. Dr. Sennet has established herself as a well-known performer, teacher, and scholar, with solo performances around the United States as well as in Russia. She studied at the San Francisco Conservatory, the University of Michigan, Texas Christian University, and the University of Illinois. She is on the faculty at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This recording is a collection that includes eight world premieres and is the most comprehensive and wide-ranging album of Chinese solo string works to date. Encompassing music by two generations of contemporary Chinese composers, celebrated and emerging, the featured works are inspired by global literature, the tonal Mandarin and Cantonese languages, Chinese folk culture, and the soundscape of Hong Kong. Praised for his "deeply expressive, finely nuanced playing" (The Strad), Honolulu-born violinist Patrick Yim has performed on stages around the world. His recordings appear on the Naxos, Navona, Ravello, and Acis labels. A strong advocate of contemporary music, Yim has commissioned more than 40 works to date. He is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and Stony Brook University. He is currently Assistant Professor of Violin in the Department of Music and a Faculty Fellow at the Liu Institute for Asia and Asian Studies at the University of Notre Dame.

Violinist Igor Kalnin references Emily Dickinson's poem, Hope is the thing with feathers, as capturing the spirit he wanted to express with this recording. He hopes that this collection of solo violin music will connect with other people in the same uplifting was as Dickinson's poem. There is a wide variety of musical, stylistic, and technical variety in the compositions as it features works by composers from various backgrounds and cultures. Kalnin has performed internationally as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestra leader. A native of Russia he was on the faculty at the Glinka State Conservatory and performed with the Chamber Orchestra Kremlin. After coming to the US in 2004 he taught at Yale and Luther College. He is now Artist-Teacher of Violin at Illinois State University. He is a laureate of several international and national violin and chamber music competitions in the U.S., Europe, and Russia.

Sojourn features new works for piano all written in the 21st century, six of which are newly commissioned. Pianist Jessica Johnson performs these works on a DS Standard 5.5 piano keyboard. This alternatively sized piano keyboard allows a whole new level of artistic and technical freedom for pianists with small handspans. Johnson, who serves on the piano faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, studied at the University of Michigan and East Carolina University. She is an advocate for new music, an active clinician, and has held residencies at major universities and colleges throughout North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. She is a three-time winner of American Music Teacher’s Article of the Year Award.

Pianist Jeffrey Middleton graduated from the Juilliard School and received his Doctor of Musical Arts from The Yale School of Music. His career has included chamber music, vocal coaching and accompanying, solo performances, and teaching. Since meeting Joseph Fennimore in the mid 1980's, Mr. Middleton has been studying and performing his music. In addition to Cathay and Twenty Four Romances for Solo Piano, he has directed a production of Fennimore's Eventide, a three-character opera adapted from a text by James Purdy, at the Harlem School of the Arts. He also performed Molinos de Viento, a piano trio based on Hispanic themes, and many other works. Mr. Middleton is currently on the faculty of the School of American Ballet, Lincoln Center, where he teaches music for dancers. He received the Mae Wien Award for distinguished faculty service in 2010. He also worked for more than 20 years as vocal coach/accompanist for Betty Allen's Master Voice Class at the Harlem School of the Arts. For this, his fourth recording for Albany Records, he performs two works by Joseph Fennimore and Debussy's Douze Études.

Pianist Kyra Zhao says that “Vibrant, just like the title sounds, is a colorful excursion taking the listener’s ear on a journey from the dreamy seashore to the roaring thunder and from intimate friendship encounters to triumphant marches.” The works by Rachmaninoff, Scriabin, and Schumann are essential repertoire of the Romantic to the early 20th century era. Hailed by New York Concert Review as “A born performer” pianist Kyra Xuerong Zhao has achieved an international reputation in many countries as a concert pianist. She won top prizes at the Seattle International Piano Competition, Rome Chopin International Piano Competition, and the Quebec International Music Awards, among many others. She has performed recitals, concertos, and chamber concerts in the most prestigious halls in the world. A graduate of Boston University, Yale, and the Mannes School of Music, she is currently on the faculty at the New England Conservatory of Music Pre-College.

This recording features clarinet works with an electronic or electroacoustic component. D. Edward Davis’ Raised Structures is the first work, inviting the listener into an experience where the pacing, sound world, and form may be challenging and hopefully pique the listener’s curiosity. Additional works are by Thea Musgrave, Alejandro Rutty, Doina Rotaru, and Aleks Sternfeld-Dunn. Anthony Taylor is Associate Professor of Clarinet at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He is also principal clarinet of the Winston-Salem Symphony. A graduate of Washington State University, Florida State University and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Taylor has recorded for Steinway Live Recordings, Potenza, and Centaur Records.

Frederic Rzewski is widely considered on of the most important and renowned American composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. Rzewski's musical ideas are bold, brash, and unapologetic and are inspired by deep social conscience. He is most often compared to Charles Ives for his pioneering spirit, free and complex counterpoint, and use of quotation; to Beethoven for his forward-thinking approach; and to Franz Liszt for his pianist virtuosity. Pianist Matthew Weissman performs several of Rzewski's piano compositions on this 2-CD set, including the complete North American Ballads. A graduate of the Manhattan School of Music, and Indiana University, Weissman is the recipient of many awards and prizes, including the Los Angeles Liszt Competition and the Grieg International Competition. He has taught at four colleges/universities and the Usdan Summer Camp for the Arts.

Composer Luke Dahn says that this recording has been a true collaboration from start to finish, with every piece being written especially for pianist Viktor Valkov, who provided input at each step of the compositional process. Dahn's compositions are heard throughout the United States and abroad performed by noted new music ensembles such as the Moscow Conservatory Studio for New Music, the League of Composers Chamber Players, and others. He has been the recipient of numerous awards including the J.D. Robb International Composition Competition in 2014. He studied at the University of Iowa and Western Michigan University and is now on the faculty at the University of Utah. Viktor Valkov was the winner of the 2015 Astral Artists National Auditions and gold medalist at the 2012 New Orleans International Piano Competition. He has performed as a recitalist, orchestral soloist, and chamber musician. He is on the faculty at the University of Utah.

Jonathan Borja's second recording for Albany Records continues his interest in performing music for flute by Mexican composers. Included are works by Arturo Rodríguez,José Pablo Moncayo, Juanra Urrusti, Samuel Zyman, Diana Syrse, Eduardo Gamboa, and Arturo Márquez. Borja enjoys a varied career as a performer and educator. He is on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse and is a member of the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra. He holds degrees from the UMKC Conservatory of Music, Principia College, and the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City. His collaborator, pianist Hector Landa is a prizewinner of the Edvard Grieg and the Isaias Noriega de la Vega Piano Competitions. He is on the faculty at the University of Wisconsin-Superior.

Since the Renaissance, keyboard composers have used the titles Fantasia and Fantasy to designate a work that has a relatively free form, where they could allow their imaginations to take flight without the necessity of being restricted to previously existing models. Similar in providing a vehicle for a free approach to form and imaginative exploration, the term Rhapsody also traditionally suggests an epic quality. Pianist Geoffrey Duce has chosen a program of both these forms for this recording with works spanning the Baroque to the 20th Century. Known as a concerto soloist, recitalist, and chamber music collaborator, Duce has performed in major venues in the U.S. and Europe such as the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall, and the Wigmore Hall. His awards include the Making Music Award from Britain's National Federation of Music Societies and the Prix de Piano at the American Conservatory in Fontainebleau. Duce studied at the Royal Northern College of Music, Manchester University, Universität der Künste Berlin, and the Manhattan School of Music. He is currently on the faculty at Illinois State University, has served as a resident international visiting faculty member at the University of Taipei, and has given masterclasses around the world.

With the release of this 3-CD set, Marc Peloquin has now recorded the complete piano music of David Del Tredici. The first volume was released on Naxos. The collaboration and friendship between Peloquin and Del Tredici goes back two decades and has proven fruitful for both composer and performer. David Del Tredici, known as the founder of Neo-Romanticism, is one of America's most distinguished and honored composers. Del Tredici has been on the faculties of Harvard and Boston University and was Distinguished Professor of Music at The City College of New York for more than 25 years. Marc Peloquin, known for his advocacy of new music, has recordings on CRI, Naxos, Urtext, and Albany Records. He is on the faculty at the Bloomingdale School of Music and formerly taught at the New School University. He is a graduate of Manhattan School of Music and Boston University.

Violinist Timothy Schwarz conceived of this recording as an exploration of works by living American composers who are writing in a wide range of musical styles. Some are heavily influenced by older composers; others are writing in a musical tradition they were not born into, exploring these ideas from the view of an outsider; and still others are taking well established genres and writing in a way that bridges them with the world of classical music. The works on this recording are beautiful, painful, though-provoking, and fun. Violinist Timothy Schwarz has enjoyed a brilliant career as a soloist, chamber musician, and pedagogue. He served as an Artistic Ambassador for the United States from 1996-2001, bringing American music throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Southeast Asia. He is currently on the faculty at Rowan University and a visiting professor at the London College of Music. He is joined on this recording by a stellar group of musicians including Charles Abramovic, Douglas Mapp, and Doug Hirlinger.

Influenced by Bach's magisterial Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I, composer Larry Bell's 24 Preludes and Fugues actually began as another work and it wasn't until he wrote a Prelude and Fugue in F Major for piano that he decided to complete the remaining preludes and fugues. Bell wrote the fugues first with their preludes being fashioned out of motives derived from the fugue's subject. Each is self-contained and designed to culminate in one large narrative that the listener may experience without knowing any of the specialized techniques of its composition. Larry Bell is an award-winning composer with the Rome Prize and the Charles Ives Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters to his credit, among many orders. His music has been commissioned and performed by a distinguished array of performers, chamber ensembles, and orchestras. The 24 Preludes and Fugues are performed by four outstanding pianists — Carmen Rodríguez-Peralta, Maja Tremiszewska, Jennifer Elowsky-Fox, and John McDonald — all of whom enjoy noted careers as recitalists and chamber musicians.

Composer Matt Cataldi first conceived of these 24 Preludes as live improvisations. Teaching during COVID, he used the Op. 28 Preludes as the basis for a class on improvisation. In the weeks that followed he decided to formally plan a composition and over the next two years, he arranged and recorded them. His goal was to create unique and innovative pieces that would stand on their own while still being related and inspired by Chopin's Preludes. Dr. Matthew Cataldi enjoys a versatile career as a soloist, collaborative artist, conductor, composer, and educator. He studied at Florida State University as well as Indiana University. He currently is on the faculty at Radford University, where he is the director of piano studies.

Bach to Black: Suites for Piano, Vol. II represents pianist Rochelle Sennet’s continued interest in performing suites and multi-movement works by Black composers in combination with works by Johann Sebastian Bach. In addition to works by Ulysses Kay, Harry Thacker Burleigh, and George Walker, this 3-cd volume contains works by three Black women composers: Florence Price; Montague Ring; and Joyce Solomon Moorman. Dr. Rochelle Sennet has established herself as a well-known performer, teacher, and scholar. She studied at the San Francisco Conservatory, the University of Michigan, Texas Christian University and the University of Illinois, where she currently serves on the faculty. A prize-winner of numerous competitions, she has appeared as a recitalist at concert halls across the U.S., as a soloist with ensembles and orchestras, and has presented frequent guest lectures, masterclasses, and clinics.

Lucas Richman has always considered the piano an integral part of his life. He considers his music for solo piano a creative extension of himself as an individual. The works here are piano adaptations of orchestral or chamber works but they all share the common genesis point of having evolved from sketches made originally at the piano. In addition to composing, Richman is a noted conductor and currently serves as music director of the Bangor Symphony and was formerly music director of the Knoxville Symphony. His music has been performed by more than 200 orchestras across the U.S. and he has received numerous commissions from orchestras and chamber ensembles. Pianist Vijay Venkatesh has been recognized on three continents as a pianist with profound musicianship and has been a top prizewinner in numerous competitions He is a graduate of the Colburn School, USC Thornton, and Indiana University.

Composer/pianist Allen Shawn began the improvisations on this recording during the height of the pandemic, recording and sending them to his son in Los Angeles. None of the pieces were planned. Some were recorded on his phone; some on a zoom recorder — yet taken as an entire sequence, the nineteen pieces cohere like a notated piece. This recording therefore should be received in the spirit of those old recordings created from tape recordings of musicians done in someone's living room, and never intended to be made into a record. It is an artist's sketchbook, not a finished painting, but nonetheless possibly deserving consideration in its own right.

In this collection of piano works, the composers have figuratively entered the world of a scenic painting. With the mixture of new and old, the textures, techniques, and sonic worlds of these pieces speak to one another in a unique continuum. Praised by the New York Times as a "fiery musician" whose playing is "vigorous and passionate," Qing Jiang is a versatile musician who is equally known as a performer, teacher, and as an advocate of contemporary music. She has appeared in major concert halls in the U.S. and the U.K. and collaborated with ensembles such as the Juilliard, Shanghai, and Left Bank string quartets. Born in China, she studied at Arizona State University, Juilliard, and the New England Conservatory. She is on the faculty at Bucknell University.

This recording is part of a larger project, TRIGGER: Artists Respond to Gun Violence. This concept is to bring composers and poets together to respond artistically to the epidemic of gun violence in the U.S. The other parts of the project include a book of poetry and other writings, and an electronic folio of scores for speaking percussion. Trigger reckons with the issue of gun violence from many angles: school shootings, a personal history with guns, the gun lobby, the connection of guns with fervent religiious zealotry, the psychology of violence in public spaces, and how the wake of violence leaves indelible imprints on people's minds and bodies. John Lane has appeared on stages throughout the Americas, Australia, and Japan. He is the director of percussion studies at Sam Houston State University. Allen Otte has toured for decades throughout the world performing new and experimental music created for him and his colleagues. He is a professor Emeritus at the University of Cincinnati.

The eleven pieces on this CD of piano music by Pulitzer Prize winner Tania León were composed across a span of almost fifty years, from student works (Rondó a la Criolla, Homenaje a Prokofiew, Preludes 1 and 2) written in the mid-1960s when León was doing post-graduate work at the Amadeo Roldán Conservatory in the municipio of Marianao, La Habana, to going gone, the brilliant reworking of Sondheim's "Good Things Going" she crafted in 2012. Born in La Habana, Cuba, León came to the U.S. as a young pianist in 1967 and became a founding member of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Her many honors and awards include the New York Governor's Lifetime Achievement award and honorary doctorates from Colgate, Oberlin, SUNY Purchase and The Curtis Institute. Pianist Adam Kent has performed in recital, as soloist with orchestra, and in chamber music on four continents. A professor at the State University of New York at Oneonta, Kent studied at The Juilliard School. His recordings appear on the Bridge, Claves, and Albany record labels.

Nancy Hill Elton has received critical acclaim for her performances as a solo piano recitalist, concerto soloist, and chamber musician. Elton maintains an active performing and teaching schedule and has served on the piano faculties of Georgia State University, the University of Georgia, and the University of West Georgia. A graduate of the University of Texas at Austin in both piano and vocal performance, she also received degrees at the University of South Carolina. For this, her second recording for Albany Records, Ms. Elton has chosen a program of compositions by Chopin and Rachmaninoff, including the revised version of Rachmaninoff's Sonata No. 2 in B-Flat Minor, Op. 36 with some brief interspersions of the original version in the second and third movements.

The 11 Capricci by Joseph Marie dall'Abaco (1710-1805) are quickly becoming a staple in the canon of solo cello repertoire. Born in Brussels, the composer and cellist was present and active in many of the major musical centers of 18th century Europe. This recording represents the first American contribution with a modern instrument. Cellist Erin Ellis leads a versatile career as a performer and teacher. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician across the United States as well as in Canada, Chile, Italy, and Holland. A cello professor at West Virginia University, Ellis has conducted masterclasses and workshops at many nationally recognized institutions and regularly presents at state, regional, and national conferences. She is a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music.

As pianist Jose Luis Hernandez says, "This album can bring pure musical enjoyment and also spiritual nourishment to people. The tunes and lyrical texts in these pieces have stood the test of time. Some appear as early as the 8th century, others are more modern. The selections call attention to the many seasons of life — joy, wonder, hope, and grief " A graduate of Texas Christian University, Jose Luis Hernandez pursued post-graduate studies at the Conservatori del Liceu in Barcelona. He has appeared on chamber music festivals around the United States and Puerto Rico and appeared as a concerto soloist with the Fort Worth Chamber Orchestra. He has conducted orchestras in Venezuela and Mexico and is the founder of the music education and orchestral programs Sistema Tulsa and Juventud Sinfónica Tamaulipeca.

Daniel Palkowski is a composer, pianist/synthesist, educator, audio engineer and creative designer. He studied at the Manhattan School of Music and Columbia. He has taught at both of those schools as well as at the Tisch School of the Arts and Music at New York University. He works for Ernst & Young as a creative designer, specializing in audio and video production. His music has been commissioned by organizations such as the Westchester Philharmonic, Music from China, and MacMillan Digital. The compositions on this recording were created in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Pianist ShiLing Shih has performed throughout the U.S. and in Taiwan and has collaborated with husband Daniel Palkowski on many works and performances. Recognized as the world's premier pipa virtuoso, Wu Man is a soloist, educator, and composer who has given her instrument a new role in both traditional and contemporary music. Macedonian pianist Elena Atanasovska has performed in numerous concerts in Macedonia as well as festivals in Bosnia, Portugal, Spain, Serbia, and Kosova among others.

Johannes Brahms began his musical training as a violinist and cellist, although at his core, he was a pianist. He collaborated closely with violinist Joseph Joachim, and the violin sonatas reflect their association. Violinist Limor Toren-Immerman has won numerous competitions and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras throughout the U.S., Israel, and Russia. She enjoys an international career as a recitalist and chamber musician and has received numerous awards, including the Baroness Leni Fe Bland Award, the H.I.A.S. Award, and the Jascha Heifetz Endowed Violin Scholarship, among many others. Ms. Toren-Immerman began her musical education in Russia at the Gnessin State Music College. She also has degrees from the Jerusalem Rubin Academy of Music and Dance and the University of Southern Calfornia Thornton School of Music. She is on the faculty of the California State University Fresno and was a founding member of Trio Accento. Pianist Hatem Nadim has performed extensively throughout Europe, the Middle East, Korea, and the U.S. He is recognized as one of the leading chamber music pianists of our time. Born in Egypt, he studied at the Cairo Conservatoire and the University of Frankfurt, Germany.

It is the supreme love of memorable seminal melodic ideas placed in contrapuntal settings and immersed in warm harmonies inspired from popular, blues, and jazz genres that characterize the piano pieces of Alec Wilder. His short piano works, of which this recording consists, are most often conceived in ternary, binary or rondo forms, and sets of these smaller pieces are combined in suites to create a larger musical form. Pianist John Noel Roberts has collected many of Wilder's short works for piano in this second volume of his works for solo piano. Roberts studied at Eastman and Yale and has an impressive career as an orchestral soloist and recitalist, having appeared at major venues around the world. Currently on the faculty at Our Lady of the Lake University, Roberts has served on music faculties at Furman, UNC-Charlotte, Mercer, Concordia College, Stephen F. Austin State University, and the Western Australian Conservatorium of Music.

George Rochberg's Caprice Variations were composed in 1970, and incorporated musical elements that ignited his passions. The work began to germinate in 1969, during an accidental encounter with Brahms' Opus 35 variations on Paganini's famous caprice and this led directly to his Third String Quartet. Eight variations of the Caprice are expanded and revisited elements of this string quartet. Requiring considerable musical, artistic, and technical prowess, the Caprice Variations are very rarely performed. Born in 1995, French violinist Léo Marillier studied at the New England Conservatory and the Paris Conservatory, as well as the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. The winner of numerous competitions, Marillier has performed with noted chamber musicians and ensembles in the U.S., Europe, and the U.A.E. and has appeared as a soloist with orchestras in Europe. He is the artistic director of the Inventio Festival in Paris. He is a member of the Diotima Quartet.

Clarinetists Jessica Lindsey and Christy Banks formed the Spatial Forces Duo in 2008 and since that time have toured the U.S., Canada, China, Italy, New Zealand, and Belgium. Their goal is to stretch the sonic possibilities of the traditional clarinet duo and have commissioned composers of diverse backgrounds to write works for them. Christy Banks is on the faculty at Millersville University of Pennsylvania, and has studied at the University of Nebraska and Florida State University. She is bass clarinetist for the Lincoln Symphony Orchestra. Jessica Lindsey, on the faculty at UNC Charlotte, and has studied at the University of Nebraska and the University of Colorado. She performs with the Nebraska Chamber Orchestra.