Elena Toponogova - Fairy Tales - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Elena Bezprozvannykh - Recital [COMPACT DISCS] date 04/10/2007

Mozart is the purest of all musicians; he is music itself, affirmed Claude Debussy. And where, if not in Mozart's works for keyboard, could we find a more fitting example of utter clarity and purity in music? His keyboard output was vast, particularly in view of his short lifespan. The purity referred to by Debussy runs like a red thread through the selection of works by Mozart featured on this album. Tender, exquisite melodies are what makes each one of these pieces so special. On the other hand, stunning virtuosity and any sort of grand gestures are kept in check.

Fairy Tales, Folklore, & Fables or, Every Ogre is Unique At a time when children are bombarded with images that leave nothing to the imagination, it feels right to play a role in the centuries-old oral tradition of storytelling; listening to stories let's children make their own images. Add music to that (and let it tell it's own, parallel version of the tale) and you have the makings for something pretty interesting. The Philadelphia-based children's music and storytelling troupe Auricolae has performed for thousands of students throughout the Northeast. Audience participation and playful musical dialogue are hallmarks of the presentations and our aim is to introduce young people to the language of music through the telling of stories. The distinct palette available in music for violin, cello and narrator is quite versatile and has led composers down very different paths. In particular, the role of narrator changes depending upon the piece. Sometimes in dialogue with the instruments, other times it is completely separate and, occasionally, it even becomes an instrument in it's own right. The CD begins with Ferdinand the Bull, Munro Leaf's classic story about a peace-loving bull who, resisting the pressure of his peers, prefers to Inchsmell the flowersInch over fighting. Curiously, the story was written during the Spanish civil war and was banned in Spain after right-wing groups called it 'subversive.Inch English composer Alan Ridout's (1934-1996) musical setting demands daunting virtuosity from the violinist. Eric Sessler (b.1969) had the inspired idea to compose multiple endings for The Rascally Rogue of the Beanstalk (a.k.a. Jack and the Beanstalk). All three additional endings are included on this recording following the original version of the piece. Robert Capanna's (b. 1952) unique take on Rumpilstilskin treats the narrator as an equal partner in the music-maki