Tobias Borsboom - Pan - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

From the Heart of Ra, a work for viola and piano, was written for violist Leslie Perna, who plays the work here. It is in six sections, each representing how ancient Egyptians thought of the soul and it's journey in the afterlife. The album also includes Six Bagatelles for String Trio, Seven Musical Portraits for Two Violas, and Three Musical Meditations for String Trio. Leslie Perna, violist, has appeared as a teacher, performer and recording artist (Albany, Aquebis, Berklee, Capstone, Centaur and CRI labels) across the Americas, Europe and Asia. After earning a Bachelor of Music degree from Baldwin-Wallace College Conservatory and a graduate degree from Boston University, she studied chamber music at the Chautauqua and Blossom music festivals, and with members of the Cleveland, Emerson, Kolisch and Muir quartets. Her performances have been broadcast internationally on radio and television in the Americas and Canada, including National Public Radio, public radio stations across the country, Brazil's Radio and TV MEC, and ABC's Nightly News with Peter Jennings.

Even little things can delight us, Even little things can be precious. The first words of the first song in Hugo Wolf's Italienisches Liederbuch are both manifesto and Credo. Wolf (1860 - 1903) felt keenly the sting of being labelled a Lieder-Komponist (song composer). He could recognize when composing his songs that Inchwhat I write now, I write for posterity too. Inch A passionate advocate of Wagner's music, he brought to song the tonal innovations of the world post-Bayreuth InchWölferl's own howl,Inch he dubbed his unique style. Wolf's textual source for his songbook was the Italienisches Liederbuch, published in Berlin in 1860 and containing translations by Paul Heyse (1830 - 1914) of Italian folk poetry. He wrote the compositions during three working phases Part I with 22 songs in autumn 1890 and in late 1891, Part II with 24 songs in spring 1896. Throughout the 46 pieces, we hear a man and a woman trace the chronicle of a love-affair, from initial ardor to rupture and ending. An encyclopedic panoply of the moods and faces of love ensues, complete with quarrels, mockery, nocturnal serenades, distress, masochism, suffering, rage, and finally, a parting of the ways. Wolf had a genius for the piano accompaniment regarding sensibility for the text and colorful, even illustrative composing commenting, caricaturing, sometimes warm-hearted, sometimes quipping and full of humor. Pianist Frank-Immo Zichner uses this as multi-layered basis for Mirella Hagen and Tobias Berndt who vividly play their parts.

Tobias Koch - Piano Music [COMPACT DISCS] date 09/29/2009