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  Undulating Waves of Rainbiotic Iridescence

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  Monhegan Suite & Other Musical Journeys

  This CD contains three different musical journeys through time. We hope that listeners will feel they have spent that day on Monhegan Island, experienced the brief but passionate relationship of the Apache lovers and traced the evolution of the Tango over the course of a century. Monhegan Suite by John Kusiak was commissioned by Jill Dreeben to depict the moods and tones of different places on Monhegan Island in the course of a summer day. The rest of this booklet will be devoted to the thoughts of the composer. Katherine Hoover described Canyon Echoes as the story of two young Apaches from a large canyon "where the streams ripple and the wind sings in the cottonwoods." In Dance they meet and have eyes only for each other. Serenade marks the growth in their friendship. She Mourns when her young lover leaves for the hunt. When He Returns he is stricken to learn she has fallen ill and died. In Histoire du Tango, Astor Piazzolla traces the evolution of the Tango from it's origins in Buenos Aires in Bordel 1900 to Cafe 1930 then to Club 1960. Prelude - 12 Nautical Miles - This movement opens with the guitar emulating the sound of distant bell buoys that gradually come closer. An introduction leads to a dreamy anticipation of the day, the main theme with it's Lydian mode character is stated by the flute. Excitement over returning to Monhegan builds as I imagine the Laura B ferry making the 12- mile trip from Port Clyde over open sea, a trip sometimes accompanied by harbor porpoises, whales, and seals. Sunrise at Burnt Head - The summer day begins with a sunrise that can be best experienced by rising a half-hour before dawn, walking a half mile across the island to the eastern cliffs (in this case, Burnt Head) and waiting for the sun to appear over the ocean. The dawn is shared with seagulls and scrub pine. The flute gradually climbs as the sun ascends and the mood is serene and reverent, finishing with a chorale-like section in Eb. Lobster Cove - Lobster Cove is on the southern tip of the island and is mostly flat and rocky. It sports a wreck of the D.T. Sheridan rusting peacefully by the surf. In the music, I have tried to create a feeling of the rolling waves with guitar arpeggios and odd meters. The flute melodies contain and develop some of the bird songs that I recorded while walking to the cove. Day Trippers - This is a fun movement for mid-day that illustrates the chaotic and sometimes humorous activity found on the dock, Main Street and the beaches when tourists converge on Monhegan for a few hours. The Trails to the Headlands - Monhegan is famous for it's trails. This movement evokes the haunting beauty of the forest. It is quiet and dark with shafts of light illuminating green moss. In foul weather, these trails can be treacherous, but in August they are magical. The trail ultimately leads to the Headlands, opening onto bright sunlight and dramatic cliffs. Waves crashing against the rocks below are suggested by cascading flute arpeggios and dramatic guitar strumming. Few who fall in on this side of the island have been rescued. The danger is real for the reckless and the unlucky. The Library/Jackie and Edward - Jackie Barstow and Edward Vaughan were two of the unlucky ones. In 1926, Edward was supervising Jackie's eleventh birthday party picnic on a flat rock at the base of Black Head when she was swept out to sea by a rogue wave. Edward jumped in to save her. Both were lost. The Monhegan Memorial Library was dedicated to them and provides a quiet place to read and reflect. Here the main theme is stated and developed by both instruments in turn, a simple meditation on the tragic loss of two innocents. Sunset at the Lighthouse - One of the great pleasures of Monhegan is viewing the sunset from lighthouse hill. This movement is related in tone and tempo to the Sunrise movement, building in intensity with the setting sun through quiet expectation, dramatic light and clouds, and vibrant colors. It reprises the reverent chorale of the Sunrise music as the sun descends into the horizon, ending with a promise of return through the use of unsettled seventh-chord harmony. Evening: Friends and Family - Here, the theme loses it's Lydian character as it is set to a simple accompaniment in B Major expressing the warmth of family, friends and laughter. Music that describes the boat journey to the island is recapitulated in portraying the journey back to the mainland. Epilogue -Dream: Winter on the Island - Back home on the mainland - "inshore" as year-rounders call it - the island is still with me in my imagination. Dreaming about what the island is like in winter is reflected musically in a new theme played by solo guitar. When the flute enters, hints of previous themes return in an extended quasi-improvised section. As the movement concludes, guitar themes from the prelude are repeated. The bell buoy sounds a positive chord as it fades away beneath undulating flute arpeggios. Jill Dreeben has performed in numerous solo flute and chamber music concerts throughout New England. She is a founding member of Solar Winds Woodwind Quintet and a member of Kaleidoscope Chamber Ensemble. She has played with the Lumen Contemporary Ensemble, Composers in Red Sneakers and has been a soloist with The Boston Secession. She premiered music written for her by composer John Kusiak and recorded some of his commercial works as well as works by local composers Pasquale Tassone, Armand Qualliotine, Betsy Schramm and James Ricci. Jill Dreeben plays with the New England Orchestra in Lowell and she has performed with Emmanuel Music of Boston. Ms. Dreeben studied with Craig Goodman, Louis Moyse and Lois Schaefer. She earned a BA in Music from Cornell University (1983) and an MM in Flute Performance from New England Conservatory (1987). Currently Ms. Dreeben teaches flute at Brandeis University and maintains a private studio in Arlington, MA. Peter Clemente has performed solo and chamber music throughout New England and has completed successful concert tours in California and in the southwestern United States. He has been featured live in concert/interview radio broadcasts on WGBH, Boston, and KPFK, Los Angeles, and in 1990 made his New York debut at Weil Hall with soprano Katherine Emory. A native of Massachusetts, Mr. Clemente studied the guitar with Richard Provost at the Hartt School of Music, where he is the only guitarist to have received the prestigious Applied Music Award for outstanding musical performance. Later training was with David Leisner at New England Conservatory and with Neil Anderson at the Boston Conservatory. He was the firstprize winner in both the Guitar Foundation of America's International Solo Competition in 1986 and the Ovation Classical Guitar Competition in 1981. He is currently a Lecturer in Music at Assumption College in Worcester, MA. John Kusiak composes music for film, television and live performance. He has scored hundreds of projects, including television documentaries (HBO, IFC, PBS and Sundance), large-screen exhibitions (Yellowstone National Park and the Smithsonian) and feature films (Tabloid, Secrecy, The Singing Revolution and additional music for the 2004 Academy Award winning documentary The Fog of War). His score for Errol Morris' "Tabloid" won the 2012 Cinema Eye Honors Award for Outstanding Achievement in Original Music.

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  Pride Before the Fall

  Ryan Lee's contemplative, straightforward lyrics speak of intense emotions and scarring experiences. His powerful and expressive voice draws you into the jagged landscape of his imagination, and his undulating melodies suspend you there. As mature as his songwriting is, Lee came late to music. Originally from Janesville, Wisconsin, the 29-year-old songwriter and musician moved to Saint Paul, MN, and studied drama for a couple of years in college before dropping out 'to do the whole starving actor thing,' as he puts it. Lee says it was the creative constraints he experienced with theater that eventually led him to songwriting. 'Songwriting just came along and hit me so hard, so unexpectedly. It was more of a release for me than taking directions from a director. I could write whatever I wanted to and sing whatever I wanted to, completely free from rules or judgment' he says. 'It was unlike anything I had ever experienced before, and I have been hooked ever since.' In the spring of 2005, Lee released his first full-length album, 'The Pride Before the Fall'. Full of folky electronica, trip-hop, rock balladry and touches of world music, 'Pride' offers technology-enhanced melodiousness and song structures that have been opened up and allowed to breathe. Some of modern rock's bravest innovators lurk below the surface of this album. Neil Finn looms large in the loyalty-themed lyrics, circular acoustic riffs and soaring vocal melodies of 'Unconditional.' Lou Barlow prowls through the vocal doubling and melancholy glockenspiel of 'What's Worse.' A young Thom Yorke haunts the rough-hewn distortion and sparse arrangement of 'Too Little Too Late.' But Lee's lyrical technique sets him apart from his influences. He shuns the norms of meter and rhyme in favor of lucid narrative honesty, a technique that makes some tracks seem more like stories set to music rather than plain, old, run-of-the-mill songs. He examines traditional themes of love and loneliness articulately and contemplatively, then tackles parental conflict, the drug addiction of a loved-one, and his experience being mugged on a beach in Brazil with equal grace. Since the release of 'Pride', Lee and his bandmates have been busy playing shows around the Midwest. Radio airplay and a great collection of local press in the Twin Cities has also helped create a buzz around this beautiful album. The pleasingly eclectic group of songs on 'Pride' speaks of a strong talent growing stronger, and Lee has begun his steadfast journey as an artist of substance and quality.

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  Sculptures Made of Air

  Award winning singer-songwriter-guitarist, Jackie Carlyle has made a positive change in her life and is finding solace in creating music with an ethereal glow and a modern-pop compass. Stepping away from the traditional sounding folk and alternative country prototypes which were the blueprints for her albums Into The Light and Souls In The Breeze, Carlyle has found her stride in welding a synth pop-wand with an ambient folk-sheen in her new songs, "The Friendship" and "The Sound Of Angles Singing". Collaborating with composer/arranger Alexsey Zahkarenko AKA Origen and opera singer Tanya Lubimenko of Kiev /Ukraine, Carlyle's songs show her mettle for making inspirational material, and her desire to experiment with various sonic textures like glistening chime-like embers and undulating vibrations which produce a trance-like effect that holds the listener in a spellbinding grip. The music moves with a smooth eloquence that bodes well with Carlyle's vocals, and engulfs her in an angelic lighting.

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  51 Strings

  'It is a glorious and almost unfathomable truth that it only takes 51 strings (four on the violin and 47 on the harp) to produce immensely beautiful music. While violin soloists often have a piano or an entire orchestra to serve as accompanist, the lone harp in the Kent / Shulman Duo does a fantastic job of uplifting and supporting her counterpart in a more sonically unique fashion. Violinist Peter Kent and harpist Amy Shulman have played extensively apart and as a duo worldwide for a number of years. Both imbibe a true appreciation for the music they play and that sensitivity is evident in each piece. Throughout '51 Strings' the violin takes the lead melody with it's resonance and sustain qualities while the harp becomes the delicate percussive instrument keeping each piece flowing while hopefully getting a brief shining moment to run through a glissando. The opening number is Camille Saint-Saëns' "Fantaisie," which runs seamlessly through a series of different moods with each episode ebbing with the violin rubatto and then urged along by the harp. Both instruments have exquisite tone and sound most impressive in the higher registers at quiet dynamic levels. Kent and Shulman form an excellent musical team by intertwining their respective strings in a matched timbre. Continuing in the impressionist style with a more ethnomusicology flair, the duo performs Manuel de Falla's "Spanish Dance No. 1" from the opera La Vide Breve. After expertly plucking along the Latin countryside, the duo journey to the English moors with a masterful arrangement of Ralph Vaughan Williams' "The Lark Ascending." The succulent, passionate tune captures the air of rural life in the British Isles, similar to the composer's "Six Studies in English Folksong" for cello and piano, however the combination of violin and harp is sweeter. Jumping back to the European mainland is French composer Jules Massenet's sensual "Méditation" from the opera Thaïs displaying beautiful harmonics. In classical music there is no one more perfect than Johánn Sebastian Bach. These two stellar musicians perform the third and fourth movements from his Violin Sonata in E Major, the "Adagio" and "Allegro" respectively. The final selections on this wonderfully diverse album are from the 20th century Russian composer Dmitri Shostakovich. Two preludes are featured originally written for piano from his 24 Preludes, Op. 34. The first is a jumpy, humorous piece in A-flat Major with the harp carrying the left hand piano part adroitly as the violin jovially takes the melody. In the second, a musically inclined ear may pick up a snippet of the main theme from Gustav Mahler's Fifth Symphony in C-sharp minor. Lastly, rich in traditional Soviet drama and melancholy is "Romance" from the film The Gadfly. '51 Strings' not only demonstrates a more unique and aurally pleasing pairing of instruments but it also boasts a diverse assortment of musical styles sure to please any classical music lovers palette.' Review by: Kelly O'Neil Rating: 5 stars (out of 5) 'Peter Kent and Amy Shulman are each accomplished artists unto themselves. Harpist Amy Shulman, a graduate of Juilliard, has performed with numerous orchestral, chamber and contemporary music groups. She has also been heard in motion pictures, on television and on recordings by such greats as Frank Sinatra, Placido Domingo and Aretha Franklin. Violinist Peter Kent is a concertmaster in several orchestras in the Los Angeles area, and has performed on recordings by artists such as Michael Feinstein, Fiona Apple, Mariah Carey, Cracker and Shirley Horn. Beginning in 1982, the pair formed the Kent/Shulman duo, and has toured nationally to critical and popular praise. In 2012, the Kent/Shulman duo released their debut album 51 Strings. 51 Strings strikes it's first chord with Camille Saint-Saens' 'Fantaisie', a beautiful marriage of harp and violin that is subtly cast and sublime. Kent creates a beautiful framework from through which Kent's violin may dance. 'Spanish Dance No. 1' (Manuel de Falla) is a delightful turn, full of amazing energy and brilliant rhythmic counterpoints between Kent and Shulman. In contrast, the lyric beauty of Ralph Vaughan Williams' 'The Lark Ascending' is absolutely breathtaking, with Shulman providing subtle textures to highlight Kent's soaring melody lines. Johann Sebastian Bach gets fair time with "Adagio" and "Allegro". 'Adagio' mixes texture and lyricism, with each player carving out their own musical geography. There are moments of simple grace blending into sublime beauty here that captivate the listener's attention. Kent and Shulman build their resolutions slowly, leaving listeners on the very edges if their seats. 'Allegro' is a much more manic experience, with Kent bowing his way through undulating lines. 'Thais Meditation' (Jules Massenet) is contemplative and sweet, with a quiet vibrancy running underneath. The violin lines here are nothing short of gorgeous, most especially the high resolution with about 30 seconds to go. 'Berceuse' (Gabriel Fauré) finds Shulman as the perpetual 'yes, and' in a vibrant story told on four strings. It's a moment of beauty almost perfect in it's nature and mien. ?? Kent and Shulman close things out with three numbers from Dmitri Shostakovich. 'Prelude No. 1' plays off a vaguely Middle Eastern theme but quickly moves to a more classic Italian sound. The violin is vibrant here, while the harp is the glue that holds everything together. 'Prelude No. 2' is 93 seconds of quiet grace in song, with a subtle melody line that dances and lilts as if it were the air itself. Kent and Shulman close with 'Romance', with the harp marking off time as Kent tells a love story on violin. Peter Kent and Amy Shulman don't have much to prove at this point. As musicians they are acknowledged as some of the finest in their respective crafts. Yet on 51 Strings they find a way to move together beyond simple mastery into fine art. The ability to play notes with precision and a certain amount of grace is the mark of a master. The ability to breathe life through your instrument into a composition and bring it to life is the mark of an artisan. Both Kent and Shulman exhibit that ability in significant measure on 51 Strings. This is pure chamber music, much too expressive and full of life to ever be relegated to the background.' Review by: Wildy Haskell Rating: 4.5 Stars (Out of 5)? An excellent album this. Violinist Peter Kent and harpist Amy Shulman have put together a varied and colorful program that plays to the strengths of their unusual combination of instruments. Musical variety is achieved through subtle gradations of dynamics, and through a wide range of tone colors. Peter Kent is clearly a versatile violinist, and he knows exactly the tone to go for to complement the harp. Amy Shulman is also capable of varying her timbre as the music demands, through differing percussive levels in her attack, and by allowing the reverberation of the strings to overlap and mix into each other's harmonics. Most of the works on the program are arrangements, but the first piece, Saint-Saëns' Fantaisie, is a violin and harp original. And what a wonderful piece it is. The composer makes adventurous use of the harp, employing it as a full duo partner and never as mere accompaniment. His use of repeated note effects is particularly effective, as are his endlessly varied broken chords. And most importantly of all, he conjures some magical melodies, ideally suited to both instruments. In Manuel de Falla's Spanish Dance No. 1, the harp takes the role of the flamenco guitar, providing the ideal Iberian flavor and gentle propulsion throughout. The Lark Ascending is well-known in a wide range of settings and transcriptions, but the advantage of the harp here is that the violin does not have to compete to be heard. Even in it's original orchestral form, the piece presents a paradox: how can the soloist float on the breeze when the orchestral backing dem

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  Piano Recital I

  PARTITA No. 2 in C minor, BWV 826 JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1770) Bach's six Partitas date from the ripe period following his move to Leipzig (1723). His first published instrumental works, they appeared individually in the years 1726-31 (the present C minor Partita in 1727) and were assembled as his 'Opus One' in 1731, collectively titled Clavierübung (keyboard Practice or Exercise). According to Bach's first biographer, Johann Nicolaus Forkel, the partitas made 'a great noise in the musical world. Such excellent compositions for the clavier had never been heard before. Anyone who had learnt to perform well some pieces out of them could make his fortune in the world thereby,... they are so brilliant, well sounding, expressive, and always new.' Forkel was correct in his appraisal, and these creations do indeed unfailingly renew themselves. They are effectively playable on piano, harpsichord and clavichord, and lend themselves to a multitude of interpretations. The Partitas (known also as German Suites, as Bach announced, consisted of 'Preludes, Allemandes, Courantes, Sarabandes, Gigues, Minuets, and other Galanteries.' The Partita in C minor opens with a Sinfonia rather than a Preludium which is in effect a three-stage Italian Ouverture beginning with a clarion call to order. The proscribed Allemande, Courante and Sarabande are filled out with a Rondeau (replacing the Menuet} and a vigorous, driving Capriccio in lieu of the concluding Giga. VARIATIONS in F minor, Hob. XVII : 6 SONATA No. 53 in E minor Hob. XVI : 34 JOSEPH HAYDN (1732-1809) The F minor Variations (sometimes commonly known as 'Andante con Variazioni') were composed in 1793, and exemplify the mastery and tremendous emotional breadth of some other late Haydn symphonies. As a matter of fact, one can draw a striking analogy between the Tema of this masterpiece and one of the so-called 'Drumroll' Symphony's second movement: Both of these are double themes consisting of a first part minore, it's sequel in answering maggiore. Of course each variant becomes increasingly more embellished until the coda where a climax of astonishing intensity and subdued drama is joltingly introduced. When young Beethoven was sent to Vienna with a stipend from Count von Waldstein so that the burgeoning composer could study with Haydn and 'regain the soul of Mozart' (who had just died), I daresay that Beethoven did indeed inherit much from Mozart, but Haydn probably had the biggest influence on his young charge. These sublime Theme and Variations offer evidence for this writer's assertion. The Sonata in E minor was first published in July 1773 by Beardmore & Birchall of London but almost certainly, Haydn had composed it considerably earlier. In any event, this E minor Sonata is one of the finest and most popular of the master's 'middle period.' It's first movement, Presto's engaging, disjunctive style is for me reminiscent of C.P.E. Bach innovative mood. One noteworthy feature is the way the music keeps breaking up into small paragraphs and then resuming it's forward course. Such drama and imagination! In contrast, the Adagio slow movement sings with a long, ruminative line. As the movement reaches it's apex, the pulse begins to quicken and, almost without resolution we find ourselves face to face with a sprightly Finale, Vivace molto innocentemente. This linking of these two movements is very much a harbinger of the familiar device used by Beethoven in so many of his mature compositions (e.g. The Fourth and Fifth Piano Concertos, the Violin and Triple Concertos, the Waldstein, Appassionata and Lebewohl Sonatas and the Serioso String quartet). DREI KLAVIERSTÜCKE, Op. 117 JOHANNES B HMS (1833-1897) During the Summer of 1890, Brahms completed his String Quintet in G major, Op. 111 and, in September, sent the manuscript to Fritz Simrock, his publisher. Simrock had hoped Brahms would oblige with a Fifth Symphony and indeed, the composer had begun work on such a score. But, alas, along with the Quintet's manuscript, came a note: ' The time has come for you to say goodbye to any further compositions of mine.' A new symphony was out of the question and Brahms facetiously added further that he had thrown his leftover manuscript paper in the river at the end of his vacation at Bad Ischl. Incentive was restored by a visit to Meiningen in March 1891. The rejuvenating catalyst was an evidently superb musician named Richard Mühfeld and posterity owes to him a substantial debt for causing Brahms' change of heart. Having come forth with two works inspired by Mühlfeld, the Trio for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, Op. 114 and the Quintet for Clarinet and Strings Op. 115, and with his creative juices restored, the 'retired' master, as an extra bounty, penned a superb collection of short piano pieces, Op. 116-119, his two sonatas Op. 120, the Ernste Gesang, Op. 121 and the Chorale Preludes for Organ, Op. 122. The three Intermezzi Op. 117 were published in 1892, the same year as Op. 116. No. 1 in E Flat, an Andante in 6/8 metre with a second section, piu adagio--un poco andante, is a German version of a Scottish cradle song 'Lady Anne Rothwell's Lament' and Brahms follows it so closely that in one section the words can actually be fitted to his melody. The second Intermezzo in B flat minor is likewise, another song without words. It's mood of bittersweet nostalgia is very much akin to the poco Allegretto third movement of the Third Symphony, Op. 90 (Brahms tempo indication for Op.117/2 is Andante non troppo--piu adagio). The triptych is completed by the Intermezzo in C sharp minor (Andante con motto--poco piu lento moto ed espressivo, again inspired by an old ballad. SONATINA (1957) Edino Krieger (1928) Edino Krieger was born in Brusque, Santa Catarina on March 17, 1928. He studied music with his father, a conductor, composer, and founder of the local Conservatory, and later studied the violin with Edith Reis (1943) and composition with Hans-Joachim Koellreutter (1944-48) at the Rio de Janeiro Conservatory, and subsequently had lessons with Aaron Copland at the Berkshire Music Center in Tanglewood and with Peter Mennin (1948-49) at the Juilliard School. His early works were in late Romantic and Impressionist style, but after a brief dodecaphonic period (1947-53), he turned toward neo-Classicism with nationalistic allusions, and fused the latter two styles from 1966. The composer has given his own text for the Sonatina here recorded: 'Composed in 1957, the piano Sonatina belongs to Krieger's neoclassical period. In 1952 the composer abandoned avant-garde experiments in order to heighten his command of traditional forms, with classical and pre-classical styles within a free tonal-modal idiom and incorporating Brazilian thematic elements. The neoclassical phase includes teaching pieces, designed for developing young instrumentalists. Among these works are the Suite for Strings, the Prelude and Fugue and the Sonatina for piano. The Sonatina is in two movements. The first, marked Moderato, begins with a binary Alberti bass, below a ternary melodic line with a cantabile, lyric character. The contrasting marcato second theme appears in the left hand and both themes are worked in a long and dynamic development. The brief recapitulation brings the return of the initial lyric material. The second, Allegro, has a moto perpetuo character and is built upon a wild, undulating melodic figure in the low register. Above this appears an affirmative theme of episodic character, though the initial undulating material predominates throughout.' Music Notes by Harris Goldsmith.

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  When Music Sounds

  The UUlations is a female a capella group that performs a variety of music, including ballads, classical, folk, devotional works and jazz. Director Jennifer Kobayashi and member Diane Taraz have created many arrangements for the group, which performs at such community venues as Red Cross blood drives, galleries, and senior centers. The name UUlations alludes to the words celebration and elation while expressing the group's connection to the Unitarian Universalist Church. All the members attend First Parish UU of Arlington, Massachusetts, and the UUlations originally formed to participate in church activities. The name also references ululation, which is an undulating cry of celebration or lament performed usually by women in Arabic and African cultures. The UUlations are Meg Candilore, Lorraine Cooley, Laurie Francis, Carolyn Hodges, Dorothy May, Wendy Page, Carol Seitz, Diane Taraz, and director Jennifer Kobayashi. The CD was recorded at Saint Anne Chapel at the Bethany House of Prayer in Arlington, an amazing space of stone and wood built in the 1920s.

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  Todo Transito

  THE LIST **** [4 stars] 'Coca Tenorio's vibrant, serenading voice moves from celebration to yearning, through melodies Andean, Latin and South American. Grounded in undulating Afro-Latin rhythms, her songs tell stories of life and love with zingy undercurrents. The musicianship is stunning and Coca Tenorio is a real find.' THE SCOTSMAN **** [4 stars] 'Coca Tenorio's self-produced solo album is another very accomplished piece of work. She may be based as a clothes designer in Inverness, and some of the instrumental accompaniments have a Portuguese colouring, but her versatile voice evokes her Latin-American roots with assurance'. TODO TRANSITO LINER NOTES Producido por / produced by Coca Tenorio [voz y coro] Todas las canciones - escritas y compuestas por: All songs written and composed by: Coca Tenorio. Guitarras, bajo acústico y todas las canciones arregladas por: Guitars, acoustic bass and all songs arranged by: Jaime E. Velásquez Villa Toda la percusión / all percusion Gino Castillo Teclados / keyboards Luis E. Franco Contrabajo / double bass Esteban Portugal Requinto y guitarra. Sebastián Cabezas Toyos, quenacho y bombo / Andean instruments. César Bustos Toyos, flauta de pan y palo de lluvia, zampoñas / Andean instruments. Rubén Bustos Charango Fernando Bustos ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Estudios de grabación / Recording studios Grabado y editado por / recorded and edited by: Salomon Fabara, Salo Audio, Quito, Ecuador Guitarras, bajo e instrumentos andinos Jaime E Velásquez Villa, Horeb Musica, Cayambe, Ecuador Percusión Gino Castillo estudio, Quito, Ecuador Mesclado y masterizado por / mixed and mastered by Nick Turner, Watercolour music, Ardgour, Scotland Fotógrafo/Photographer: John Paul Diseño/Artwork: Syd Emery.

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  Music of Russian Composers

  Piano Synergy Duo. Husband-and-wife team Ruslan Sviridov and Irina Khovanskaya created the Piano Synergy Duo in 1996. Using their unique musical potential, the duo designs concert programs in which they perform together as well as individually. The results have been a constantly heavy demand and continuing success. For the past 14 years, the duo has toured extensively throughout Russia, Europe, and the Unites States. Now, for the first time, listeners have an opportunity to hear them on a CD. Irina Khovanskaya was born to a musician's family in Russia's Moscow Region in 1972. She began piano lessons at age 4 and gave her first recital about two years later in Kiev. Ten years of formal musical training followed at the Moscow Central Special Music College, during which time she also concertized extensively as a recitalist and with orchestras. Several of these events took place at the Moscow Conservatory's Small Hall, but she also played as far afield as the Russian Space Center (Moscow Region) and on USSR TV. Receiving a Bachelor's Degree in 1990, Khovanskaya's studies and performing career continued as she entered the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory, where her teacher was Victor Merzhanov. Now her performances become international. Besides appearances with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra and in many Russian cities, she performed in Zurich, Munich, Brussels, and Warsaw. Contests in Russia, Germany, and Belgium were capped by Khovanskaya's winning First Prize in the Texas Steinway Society Piano Competition in Dallas, Texas in 1999. With her Conservatory Diploma (1996) and post-graduate work behind her, Dr. Khovanskaya now resides in San Antonio, Texas. In addition to performance engagements, she teaches piano at the University of the Incarnate Word and adjudicates in piano competitions. Ruslan Sviridov was born in 1973 in Tambov, Russia. He began to study music at age 7 and gave his first public performance at the age of 8. His years of study at the Tambov Music School and later at the Rachmaninov Music College in Tambov were marked by many competition triumphs and literally hundreds of concerts and recitals throughout Russia's Central Region. First prizes came from the Tchaikovsky Regional Piano Contest (1989), the Bartok Regional Contest (1989), and the Kabalevsky Regional Competition for Young Pianists (1990), to name only a few. Sviridov went on to enter the Moscow State Conservatory, studying with Victor Merzhanov. Concerts and competitions continued, now at a higher level. He played with symphony orchestras in several Russian cities, including Moscow, Ulyanovsk, and Tambov, and at the Glinka Music Festival in Smolensk. During 1994-96, he took Grand Prize or First Prize (or both) or a Special Jury Prize at competitions in Italy at Tortona, Alassio, San Bartolomeo al Mare, and Caltanissetta, Sicily. His first U.S. triumph was a Special Jury Prize in Kingsville, Texas (1995). In addition to an international list of recitals, Sviridov's career is distinguished by a substantial body of television tapes and live appearances, starting in Russia and extending through Italy, Switzerland, Portugal, and the United States (NBC). During his studies in Moscow, culminating in a Doctoral Degree (1998), he taught piano and music theory. Leaving Russia in 1998, Dr. Sviridov again picked up his teaching activity in San Antonio, Texas, also his base for concertizing and contest adjudication. ______________________________________________________________________________________________ Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker Suite As charming and entertaining as The Nutcracker ballet turned out, one would hardly imagine that Peter I. Tchaikovsky (1840-1893) did not care much for the score himself. The composer had been a little reluctant to compose this music on a subject that was prescribed for him and for which the choreographer had given him an over-detailed scenario. He completed the score in 1891, and some months before the premiere of the full ballet the following year he extracted a concert suite. The scenario of The Nutcracker ballet was taken from a story by E.T.A. Hoffmann as adapted by Alexander Dumas, Sr. It has to do with Clara, a young girl who receives a grotesque looking nutcracker for Christmas, only to have it magically transformed into a prince who carries her off on fantastic adventures. The movements of the Suite do not follow the progress of the story exactly, but are ordered to form a good musical sequence. The "March" has a toy quality, reminding us that the only military operations that Clara witnesses are imaginary ones between mice and gingerbread soldiers. The "Dance of the Sugar- Plum Fairy " was composed originally for the celesta, a bell-like keyboard instrument that personifies this character perfectly. This was the first time a composer had written for the instrument. In the second act of The Nutcracker, Clara and her Nutcracker are treated to an international divertissement of dances at the court of the Sugar-Plum Fairy. One part of this is the "Trepak," a wild Russian dance and one of the nationalistic elements in the ballet. More exotic is the Chinese "Dance of the Reed Flutes," originally featuring shrill flutes and piccolos and mumbling bassoons. When we think of waltzes, we usually think of Johann Strauss. But Tchaikovsky was also one of the great waltz composers of his century. Waltzes from Eugene Onegin and the Serenade for Strings bear witness. The "Waltz of the Flowers" is the finale to The Nutcracker Suite and one of the most graceful movements ever penned by Tchaikovsky. Stravinsky, Five Easy Pieces for Piano Duet The years of World War I (1914-1918) were years of small pieces for Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971). Self-sequestered in Switzerland for most of the duration, the composer found few opportunities for performances or publication. Stravinsky occupied himself chiefly with small- scale stage works, songs, and short instrumental pieces. At that time, his oldest children, Theodore and Mika, had become good enough pianists for him to write music for each of them to play with their father. So originated the series of Five Easy Pieces for piano duet. The child's part was usually a melody played in octaves, while the father's part filled out the texture and contained any complicated passage work. Stravinsky later orchestrated four of the duets to produce his Suite No. 1 for small orchestra. Stravinsky's musical sense of humor is, of course, famous. In these miniature character pieces, we can hear the same wry satire that charms us in much of his other music from this period. The Five Easy Pieces touch on various "national" musical characteristics. Following a relatively serious "Andante" comes an "Española" composed after a trip to Spain in 1916. The "Balalaika" celebrates the Russian folk instrument. "Napolitana" was another travel souvenir, this time to Naples in 1917. The concluding "Galop" is a spoof on the archetypical endings of French ballets of the 19th century. It's high spirits and satirical jabs sum up the flavor of the Five Easy Pieces. Rachmaninov, Six Pieces for Piano Duet, Op. 11 Like his mentor Tchaikovsky, Sergei Rachmaninov (1873-1943) did not enjoy teaching. He did so only when he needed money. Rachmaninov found himself in that financial position in 1893, the year Tchaikovsky died. Taking on more private lessons, he also taught music theory at a girls' academy. Rachmaninov's publisher, knowing his need and also knowing the market for his piano music, convinced him to write something for piano four-hands. The result was the Six Pieces for Piano Duet published in 1894, which turned out to be the longest work Rachmaninov ever created for piano duet. The movements are "character" pieces in the best romantic salon tradition, and they contrast with one another effectively. The opening "Barcarolle" floats along on the undulating lilt of a gondola song, yet Rachmaninov infuses it with his own characteristic melancholy. Cas

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  Pure

  Every rare once in a while, we're graciously granted access through the veiled threshold that leads directly to what can only be described as "Love's Secret Domain!" Whether we simply stumbled through this once in a lifetime, mysterious portal by pure chance or were raucously recruited into it's rotationally resplendent realm, "Pure," the current awe inspiring CD just released by SoCal's very own trend setting, mind blowing, perception expanding "Love's Secret Domain," is most certainly is "a trip!" Much like previous, mythic journeys "through the looking glass" and "down the rabbit hole," LSD's "PURE" is an amazing, "audio-sensual" trek that most definitely defies distinct description. This album really delivers, seductively drawing you deeper and deeper into it's mystical meanderings of surrealistic, symbiotic sound strands, simultaneously spinning and spanning the final frontier and recalibrating the connective tissues of our culture's collective consciousness. This 4 song, "Special Limited Edition" CD, with only 1,000 units being released and then it's "Gone Forever," is truly tough to stylistically "pigeon-hole," sounding at times like the very best of everything that you've ever heard in the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 00s and well beyond. Recorded digitally and then mastered in analogue on tape, this "Collectors Edition" includes fascinating renditions of popular, publicly acclaimed tunes such as: Like A Supernova, S N' M, Dead End ( hey ... am I sensing a LSD "Title-Trend" here?) and of course, the perennial crowd pleaser, "No Substitute." Those sorry souls who have valiantly tried to clarify and classify the music, have been heard to mutter terminology like "Psychedelic, Post-Punk, Power Pop" and "Eclectically Edgy, Erotic Electronica," ... before going into massive convulsions, passing out and sinking somatically into a coma. Basically, this is a multi-dimensional, textural tapestry of sound, undulating, with "Borg-like" intensity, with a balanced, high impact "hybrid blend" of "oscillating, organics" and "existential electronics" pulsating with passionate, photosynthetic pleasure! Your ears are in for a real "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" as this project, recorded almost exclusively in "Logic" and produced by "Mix Master" Josh Pu'u, craftily throws everything from "Kaoss Pads" and "Ebows," to slide guitars and layered music and vocal tracks that metamorphose and transcend into an audibly addictive, "rhythmic hypnotica!"

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