Yu Kosuge - Four Elements - Wind 3 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

Giovanni Paisiello - L'osteria Di Marechiaro [COMPACT DISCS] date 01/01/1991

Japanese pianist Yu Kosuge concludes her series of Orchid Classics albums related to the four elements with the final of the set Earth. Kosuge was inspired to create this series by the music of Beethoven, who was fascinated by Greek legends, prompting her to explore the Greek concept of the four elements in these albums. For Yu Kosuge, the preceding albums - Water, Fire and Wind - focus on the elements most necessary to a human being's survival, but with Earth, Inchwe get close to the human being itself and our own struggles in lifeInch. We come from earth and to earth we return; this album acknowledges the pain and loss of human existence as well as the life-giving properties of earth. The opens with Schubert's powerful Wanderer-Fantasie, evoking a solitary figure wandering the mountains, while Janácek's Piano Sonata No. 1 pays tribute to a Czech labourer, a casualty of military intervention at a demonstration. Contemporary composer Dai Fujikura's Akiko's Diary is on a similar theme, recalling a girl who became a victim of Hiroshima bomb radiation Akiko Kawamoto. The piece ends looking heavenward, a perspective it shares with Chopin's Piano Sonata No. 3, which ultimately faces human frailty with a sense of hope. InchApart from technical perfection, which is not that unusual today, she possesses a stunning palette of expression and an exquisite and pearly touch.Inch Piano News on Yu Kosuge Album Tracks 1. Fantasy in C Major InchWanderer-FantasieInch, D.760 2. Sonata 1. X 3. Akiko's Diary 4. Piano Sonata No.3 in B minor, Op.58

Celebrated Japanese pianist Yu Kosuge embarks on an exciting project four releases inspired by the Greek concept of the four elements, Water, Fire, Air, Earth. Many composers have been drawn to the properties of these elements when seeking inspiration for their music, but Kosuge's theme goes deeper, dating back to her successful Beethoven cycle InchWhen you understand that Shakespeare's plays, read ardently by Beethoven, refer to Greek mythology, or that Beethoven himself composed some works based on the Prometheus myth, you would know that an artist who is searching for human nature would surely look to Greek mythology or philosophy...Inch In Water, Yu Kosuge interprets a rich array of repertoire, from Liszt and Wagner to acclaimed contemporary composer Dai Fujikura. The 'barcarolle' takes it's rocking rhythms from the motion of a boat we hear examples by Chopin and Fauré, as well as Venetian Gondola 'Songs Without Words' by Mendelssohn. Album Tracks 1. Songs Without Words Op. 30 No. 6 in F Sharp minor (Venetian Gondola Song No. 2) 2. Barcarolle No. 5 in F Sharp minor, Op. 66 3. Songs Without Words Op. 30 No. 5 in a Minor (Venetian Gondola Song No. 3) 4. Barcarolle No. 10 in a Minor, Op. 104 No. 2 5. Songs Without Words Op. 19 No. 6 in G minor (Venetian Gondola Song No. 1) 6. Barcarolle No. 11, Op. 105 in G minor 7. Jeux D'eau 8. Waves 9. Barcarolle in F Sharp Major, Op. 60 10. Rain Tree Sketch I 11. Rain Tree Sketch II In Memoriam Oliver Messiaen 12. Les Jeux D'eau a la Villa D' Este from InchAnnées de Pèlerinage IiiInch, S. 163-4 13. Ballade No. 2 in B minor, S171 14. Isoldes Liebestod from InchTristan Und IsoldeInch