Solos and Duos

Aki Takahashi (piano), Rae Imamura (piano), Aeri Ji (kayagum), John Sackett (bass clarinet), Jean-Michel Fonteneau (cello)

Catalog #: TROY1048
Release Date: September 1, 2008
Format: Digital
Instrumental

This memorial disc of solos and duos by Andrew Welsh Imbrie (1921-2007) and one of his most distinguished pupils, Hi Kyung Kim (b.1954), boasts performances largely by the musicians who commissioned and premiered them. Two of Imbrie's last pieces, To My Son and Melody for Gayageum, written while he was fighting with his illness are included on this disc. Imbrie first studied with pianist-composer Leo Ornstein between 1930 and 1942, with an eye to becoming a virtuoso pianist as well as a composer. He spent most of World War II in the Army Signal Corps. He studied with Roger Sessions at Princeton and then at the University of California, Berkley. He was appointed professor of music at UC Berkeley in 1949, a post he held until he retired in 1991.

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Track Listing

Title Composer Performer
To My Son Andrew Imbrie Aki Takahashi, piano
Crystal Drops Hi Kyung Kim Aki Takahashi, piano, Rae Imamura, piano
Melody for Gayageum Andrew Imbrie Aeri Ji, gayageum
A Story Hi Kyung Kim Aeri Ji, gayageum
Duet for Two Friends Andrew Imbrie John Sackett, bass clarinet, Jean-Michel Fonteneau, cello
Two Years with the Seine Hi Kyung Kim John Sackett, bass clarinet, Jean-Michel Fonteneau, cello
Mukashi Mukashi (Once upon a time) Andrew Imbrie Rae Imamura, piano, Aki Takahashi, piano

Reviews

  • "With the death of Andrew Imbrie in 2007, ...America lost one of its finest composers of the generation that came to maturity in the 1940s. ...Everything he wrote is well worth seeking out...should be heard by anyone who cares about American music."

    – American Record Guide

  • "This disc is not only a compilation of fine and striking new music but also a touching double portrait...of a teacher and student."

    – San Francisco Chronicle

*Album cover provided for Editorial use only. ©Albany Records. The Albany Imprint is a registered trademark of PARMA Recordings LLC. The views and opinions expressed in this media are those of the artist and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views and opinions held by PARMA Recordings LLC and its label imprints, subsidiaries, and affiliates.