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Sacha Puttnam releases Istanbul and Love's Theme from upcoming album Spirit of Cinema on 25 September 2020

5/8/2020

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Composer Sacha Puttnam releases his symphonic orchestral versions of Giorgio Moroder's Istanbul and Love's Theme on Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer and all main digital service providers on Friday 25 September 2020, with The Classic Film Orchestra.
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Love's Theme and Istanbul anticipate the launch of Sacha Puttnam's full album, Spirit of Cinema, scheduled for 6 November 2020.

Release Details

Istanbul: UPC 5054526006225
Spotify Album URI: spotify:album:1oK63CV8kF7vi08Wq6PcoE
Spotify Album URL: http://open.spotify.com/album/1oK63CV8kF7vi08Wq6PcoE
Spotify Track URI: spotify:track:35bnyzsI5vcG53NgX0mXb5
Spotify Track URL: http://open.spotify.com/track/35bnyzsI5vcG53NgX0mXb5

iTunes URL: https://music.apple.com/us/album/istanbul-single/1527145833?ls=1&app=itunes
Apple Music URL: https://music.apple.com/us/album/istanbul-single/1527145833?ls=1

Deezer: https://deezer.page.link/jCYjpycCTz5pmLRz6
YouTube: https://youtu.be/wkUefxABUNY

Love's Theme: UPC 5054526005990
Spotify Album URI: spotify:album:6P2MgNgF19MHPNQDUIo6KC
Spotify Album URL: http://open.spotify.com/album/6P2MgNgF19MHPNQDUIo6KC
Spotify Track URI: spotify:track:5GDRi17PXH6mZpQyiLIxgG
Spotify Track URL: http://open.spotify.com/track/5GDRi17PXH6mZpQyiLIxgG

iTunes URL: https://music.apple.com/album/loves-theme-single/1527174764?ls=1&app=itunes
Apple Music URL: https://music.apple.com/album/loves-theme-single/1527174764

Deezer: https://deezer.page.link/aTTfwMKfuVxdgsSSA
Qobuz: https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/loves-theme-sacha-puttnam/covhcdhb093ba
YouTube: https://youtu.be/xJdfa1pAxmc
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Thomas Kelly Debut Releases - Liszt, Chopin and Schumann on Ulysses Arts

31/7/2020

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Ulysses Arts is delighted to release pianist Thomas Kelly's debut recordings, starting with Liszt, Rhapsodie espagnole, on 21 August 2020. Chopin Nocturne in D-flat Op. 27 No. 2 follows on 4 September, and Schumann's Toccata Op. 7 on 25 September.
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James Ross, director of Ulysses Arts, comments:

'It is a great pleasure to be launching Thomas Kelly's debut recording with Ulysses Arts on Friday 21 August, of Liszt's Rhapsodie espagnole. I first met Thomas when judging the The Purcell School's Senior Concerto Competition a few years back. He played Brahms' Second Piano Concerto. Beforehand I was sceptical about the likelihood of a 17-year old pianist being ready musically to interpret this work, however technically impressive or promising they were. I was wrong: Thomas' performance was utterly convincing and he won the first prize amongst a field of excellent finalists crowded with talent.

Since then I have had the pleasure of performing Rachmaninov PIano Concerto No. 1 with Thomas, and of hearing him continue to develop as a musician - it is therefore hugely exciting now to be releasing his work.'

Thomas is currently studying at the Royal College of Music in London with Andrew Ball. His three single releases will be followed by a full album in 2021, including music by Sibelius, Prokofiev, Reubke and Tippett.

Release Information:
Liszt, Rhapsodie espagnole
https://www.facebook.com/events/945394305932960
https://music.apple.com/album/rhapsodie-espagnole-s-254-ep/1525770489
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/7pDQ4wb98i1lx8EwXKkDNr
YouTube: https://youtu.be/KAcESj3VjcQ
Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/album/164225212
Qobuz: https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/rhapsodie-espagnole-s-254-thomas-kelly/lqra86btae4cc
UPC 5054526852310

Chopin, Nocturne in D-flat Op. 27 No. 2
Apple Music and iTunes: https://music.apple.com/album/nocturnes-op-27-ii-lento-sostenuto-in-d-flat-major-single/1525771498
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/1oidvTusUJTkVoz9Q3Pg9M
Deezer: https://deezer.page.link/JvqjX4bTefmFFWNE6
YouTube: https://youtu.be/O22MWZlMFRE
Qobuz: https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/nocturnes-op-27-ii-lento-sostenuto-in-d-flat-major-thomas-kelly/inren9m2aifgb
UPC 5054526852679

Schumann, Toccata Op. 27
Apple Music and iTunes: https://music.apple.com/album/toccata-op-7-single/1525771268
Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/album/7dUsPPgXmrDGMMZVcZV4HG
Deezer: https://deezer.page.link/M6Dg17iyvUPB3t9S8
YouTube: https://youtu.be/6v5ARQFyxr4
Qobuz: https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/toccata-op-7-thomas-kelly/b60joy8dbdhza
UPC 5054526852686

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SIGFRID'S UNBEATEN TRACKS - DISCOVERING THE WORLD OF KARG-ELERT, PERFORMED BY GRAHAM BARBER - DIGITAL ALBUM LAUNCH ON 7 AUGUST 2020

9/7/2020

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Ulysses Arts, in partnership with Fugue State Films, launches the digital version of Sigfrid's Unbeaten Tracks - music for Kunstharmonium by Karg-Elert, played on the Link-Gaida Organ of the Paulskirche, Ulm, by Graham Barber - on Friday 7 August.
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From 33 Portraits, Op.101
Quasi Concertino per Clarinetto solo - alla Weber (No. 12)
Impromptu interrompu - alla Chopin (No. 14)
Vorspiel zu einem Drama - alla Wagner (No. 18)
Frauengunst - alla Johann Strauss (No. 20)
Duetto d’amore - alla Verdi (No. 19)
Am Hardanger Fjord - alla Grieg (No. 25)

Sonata No. 2, Op. 46
(first recording for organ)

I. Enharmonic Fantasie and Double Fugue (B-A-C-H)
II. Canzona
III. Toccata


Andrew Benson-Wilson writes: ‘This is a remarkable recording project in so many ways. This is music that ... [is] impressive and deserves being heard on a full-sized pipe organ. And Graham Barber’s transcription is well-conceived, notably in his writing for the pedal line, missing entirely in the harmonium version. His amendments to the musical text are appropriate, and the performance is masterly, notably in his choice of registrations.’

Musicweb International acclaimed Graham Barker's release as 'all superb performances, technically stunning and gloriously fluid in their coloristic properties' (Marc Rochester).

Download Sigfrid's Unbeaten Tracks now, on iTunes and Amazon Music, with extensive digital book. Live streaming links are below and at www.facebook.com/events/227200648260128


DEEZER
https://www.deezer.com/en/album/159971092


QOBUZ

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/sigfrids-unbeaten-tracks-harmonium-music-transcribed-and-played-on-the-link-gaida-organ-of-st-pauluskirche-ulm-graham-barber/ghsqadxpjz86a

YOUTUBE
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k-F1fS6qun67okZpy_-G2uzR8b9C_fvT4



UPC 5054526946538
Catalogue Number FSRCD016
Tonmeister: Christian Starke
Art-work revision for digital version: Hannah Whale / Fruition Creative Concepts
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FUGUE STATE FILMS AND ULYSSES ARTS LAUNCH THE ENGLISH ORGAN VOLUME ONE WITH DANIEL MOULT ON APPLE MUSIC, ITUNES, SPOTIFY AND ALL MAJOR STREAMING SERVICES ON 26 JUNE

16/6/2020

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Ulysses Arts launched the first of six volumes of Fugue State Films' pioneering series of albums The English Organ on 26 June on Apple Music/ITunes, Spotify, Amazon Music and all major digital service providers. Performed by Daniel Moult, The English Organ is one of the largest recording projects ever made about the instrument, and has been hailed by Gramophone Magazine as ‘a dazzling showcase of both repertoire and instruments’ (Marc Rochester, June 2020).

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Stream The English Organ Volume One on Spotify: CLICK ABOVE
Volume One explores music from William Byrd in the Sixteenth Century, through Purcell, Worgan, Stanley, Green, Boyce, Samuel Wesley and Mendelssohn, played on a spectacular range of English organs. Will Fraser, director of Fugue State Films, comments:

‘Daniel Moult recorded at least one major piece of repertoire on thirty-three instruments in five countries on three continents. Each instrument exemplifies the development of English organ building across five centuries. The range and quality of instruments is extraordinary, including great church and cathedral instruments, organs in concert halls, educational establishments and even private houses. Like any cultural or technological artefact, the organ represents its time and the people who built it. Organs were affected by historical events such as the Reformation, Civil War, industrialisation, Empire, democracy and popular. Alongside these recordings are three feature-length documentaries telling this story by Fugue State Films.

Volume Two was released on 3 July (Brahms, Stanford, Parry, Elgar, Bridge, Howells); Volume Three (Stainer, Whitlock, Grace, Hollins, Howells, Vaughan Williams, Britten, Brian Cooke, Kenneth Leighton, Stephen Hough, David Matthews and Ronald Corp) on 10 July. Volumes Four and Five, released on 17 and 24 July respectively, feature Purcell, J.S. Bach, Mendelssohn, S.S. Wesley, Smart and Elgar.

The final album, including Thalben-Ball's extraordinary Paganini Variations for pedals only, music by Whitlock, Gowers, Fricker, Leighton, Joubert, and contemporary works by David Matthews, Douglas Mason and Iain Farrington was released on 31 July 2020.

In parallel with the digital audio launch, The English Organ's companion documentary series was released on Fugue State Films' new Vimeo channel on 26 June: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/theenglishorgan.

Discover more about The English Organ at https://fuguestatefilms.co.uk/product/the-english-organ
.
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Daniel Moult is a concert organist, recording artist and film presenter, described by The Organ as ‘one of the finest organists of our time’. Renowned for his virtuosic, intelligent and engaging performances, his musicianship has been praised as ‘exhilarating’ (Gramophone), ‘dazzling’ (The Organ), and ‘formidable’ (Organists’ Review). Daniel is director of the organ department at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire; as a soloist, he has performed at major venues and festivals in the UK, Europe, Asia and Australia, including recitals and concertos with orchestra, and has broadcast frequently on BBC Television and Radio.

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Daniel’s previous films include Virtuoso! Music for Organ, a film featuring some of the Twentieth Century’s most demanding organ repertoire, and The Elusive English Organ, a journey through English music from Byrd to Wesley. Recordings including the first solo performances at the newly-restored organ of Arundel Cathedral, and Handel's organ concertos with the London Early Opera Orchestra for Signum Classics' Handel at Vauxhall, and for Regent and Sony BMG.

Born in Manchester, Daniel studied at Oxford University, where he received his Fellowship diploma with three of its top prizes, and Amsterdam Conservatorium. Previous posts have included Visiting Organ Tutor at Chetham’s School of Music, Royal College of Music Junior Department, Organist & Assistant Director of Music at Coventry Cathedral and Artistic Director of The London Organ Day. A sought-after teacher, he leads master-classes, workshops and courses around the world. He is a Trustee of the Royal College of Organists, for whom he also examines. Other activities include several published editions, including the Easy Bach Album and Easy Handel Album for Bärenreiter, for whom he is now working on two new anthologies, and the Complete Church Organist, Volumes 1 and 2, with RSCM Publications. His articles on performance practice and performance-related topics have appeared in various music journals. He has also acted as producer for commercial recordings.

http://danielmoult.com

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD THE ENGLISH ORGAN ON ITUNES or STREAM on APPLE MUSIC:

VOLUME ONE
VOLUME TWO
      VOLUME THREE
          VOLUME FOUR
       VOLUME FIVE
VOLUME SIX


STREAM ON DEEZER
DOWNLOAD OR STREAM ON QOBUZ

DOWNLOAD VIA AMAZON MUSIC

STREAM ON SPOTIFY


Recording Details
Label: Fugue State Films, in association with Ulysses Arts
Catalogue ID: FSRCD017 (No.1), FSRCD018 (No.2), FSRCD019 (No.3), FSRCD020 (No.4), FSRCD021 (No.5), FSRCD022 (No.6)
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SACHA PUTTNAM LAUNCHES SAILING HOMEWARD BY DONOVAN ON 17 JULY 2020 ON APPLE MUSIC, SPOTIFY AND ALL MAIN STREAMING SERVICES

14/6/2020

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Download on iTunes or Stream on Apple Music: CLICK ABOVE
Sacha Puttnam launches his instrumental version of Donovan's Sailing Homeward, scored for piano and orchestra, on 17 July 2020. 

Sacha is a leading contemporary Classical Crossover and Soundtrack composer, alongside Alexis Ffrench, Ludovico Einaudi &
Philip Glass.



https://sachaputtnam.com

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Sacha comments: ‘I met Donovan aged five on the set of The Pied Piper. Sailing Homeward is my homage to him and the film. This is the second single from my Spirit of Cinema album to be released this autumn with accompanying podcasts.'

Stream on Spotify and listen here to Sacha's interview with Donovan about Sailing Homeward, as an Apple podcast.

On 1 May 2020, Ulysses Arts, in association with Maya Music, launched Sacha Puttnam's orchestral version of First of May by The Bee Gees, which achieved plays on Classic FM (1.9 million listeners), Scala Radio (1 million) and RTE Lyric (2 million).


LATEST NEWS: Sailing Homeward features on Spotify's New Classical Releases editorial playlist:
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/37i9dQZF1DWV0gynK7G6pD



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Sailing Homeward, featured on Spotify Classical New Releases and Discover Weekly playlists
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Release Information:
Catalogue Number: UA000025
UPC: 5054526713871

Post-production and ADM certification by John Croft / Chiaro Audio

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DILLON JEFFARES ALBUM LAUNCHES - TARTINI'S DEVIL'S TRILL ON 3 JULY,  BRAHMS VIOLIN SONATA NO. 3 ON 10 JULY; DEBUSSY, SZYMANOWSKY, FRANCK AND FALLA ON 24 JULY 2020

12/6/2020

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Dillon Jeffares launches Tartini's Sonata in G Minor, The Devil's Trill, on 3 July and Brahms, Sonata No.3, with pianist Kumi Matsuo, on 10 July on Apple, Spotify and all main streaming services.
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Pre-order now on iTunes: CLICK ABOVE
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Pre-order now on iTunes: CLICK ABOVE
Dillon comments:

'Tartini - lawyer, dueller, musician - was a larger-than-life artist and person. This maverick genius claimed he had 'made a pact with the devil', hearing in his dreams a 'Sonata so wonderful and beautiful as I have never conceived in my boldest flights of fantasy.' I was inspired by Henryk Szeryng's playing: mesmerised by his tone, rhythmic drive and probing musical intellect, I wanted to make this great music my own. In contrast, Brahms Sonata No.3 is one of the greatest duo works for violin and piano ever written, introvered yet deeply emotional.'


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The Tartini and Brahms releases are followed on 24 July 2020 by a full album including Franck, Violin Sonata, Debussy, Beau Soir and Clair de Lune, Szymanowski, Nocturne and Tarantella and de Falla, Three Pieces from Seven Spanish Popular Songs. Dillon Jeffares plays with pianists Thomas Kelly (Szymanowsky), Damir Durmanovic (Franck and Debussy), and Kumi Matsuo (Falla).


Dillon Jeffares studies at The Royal College of Music in London with Lutsia Ibragimova. Previously he attended Harrow School, then The Yehudi Menuhin School. He is a laureate of the 2018 Leonid Kogan Violin Competition in Brussels; in 2019 he was awarded the first prize in The London and Paris Grand Prize Virtuoso International Competition, receiving also the ‘Best British Musician’ Prize. In 2020 he was selected as a finalist in the Anton Rubinstein Competition in Germany.  He is supported by British charity Talent Unlimited.

He has participated in Riga’s Alion Baltic Music Festival and The Holland Music Sessions, working with Dr Felix Andrievsky, Pierre Amoyal and Takashi Shimizu. He has played for Maxim Vengerov and studied in masterclasses with Alina Ibragimova, Vadim Gluzman and Isabelle van Keulen. In 2016, Dillon was the recipient of a generous award from the Humphrey Richardson Taylor Trust and in 2015 he attended the USA Summit Music Festival for master-classes and concerts with Aaron Rosand.

Dillon has performed in the United Kingdom, France, Holland, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Turkey and Japan in venues such as the Amphitheatre of the Philharmonie de Paris, Brussels’ Royal Conservatory Concert Hall and Bozar, the Konzerthaus Berlin, London’s Wigmore Hall, Milton Court and King’s Place, the Banstead Arts Festival, Thaxted Festival, Gstaad Festival and Bergen Music Festival in The Netherlands. He is supported by UK music charity Talent Unlimited.

http://talent-unlimited.org.uk/dillon-jeffares.html


Kumi Matsuo, piano, has an international career as a solo pianist, chamber musician and accompanist. She studied at the Toho Gakuen College of Music, Tokyo, then at the Royal College of Music, London with John Blakely and Ashley Wass, winning its prestigious Artist Diploma with Distinction. In 2012 she won First Prize in the 6th Isidor Bajic Memorial Piano Competition in Serbia, and in 2013, First Prize in the 5th Louisiana International Piano Competition, USA. She is now on the staff at RCM as Duo Coach to the String Faculty, as well as accompanying other instruments.

Kumi made her London concerto debut in 2008 playing Ravel’s Piano Concerto for Left Hand in Cadogan Hall with the RCM Sinfonietta conducted by Peter Stark. The following year she played Schnittke’s Concerto Grosso No.1 with the RCM Chamber Orchestra in the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London, with Vladimir Jurowski, and in 2012 she played Prokofiev’s 3rd Piano Concerto with Martin André at the Royal College of Music. She has also performed with the Symphony Orchestras of Tokyo, Galicia, Banatul and Constanta in Romania, and in the USA, the Rapides in Louisiana, and the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra.

As soloist and chamber musician Kumi has played extensively in the UK, USA, France, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, India and Japan. She made her New York debut at Carnegie Hall Weill Recital Hall in 2014 and an extensive recital tour in Louisiana in 2015.


Thomas Kelly was born in 1998. He passed Grade 8 with Distinction in 2006, and performed Mozart Piano Concerto No. 24 in Canterbury's Marlowe Theatre two years later. After moving to Cheshire, he regularly played in festivals, winning prizes including in the Birmingham Festival, 3rd prize in Young Pianist of The North 2012, and 1st prize in the 2014 Warrington Competition for Young Musicians. Since 2015, Thomas has studied with Andrew Ball, initially at the Purcell School for Young Musicians and now at Royal College of Music, where he is a third-year undergraduate.

Thomas has won first prizes including Pianale International Piano Competition 2017, Kharkiv Assemblies 2018, Lucca Virtuoso e Bel Canto festival 2018, RCM Joan Chissell Schumann competition 2019, Kendall Taylor Beethoven Competition 2019 and BPSE Intercollegiate Beethoven Competition 2019. He has also performed in venues including the Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall, Holy Trinity Sloane Square, St James' Piccadilly, Oxford Town Hall, St Mary's Perivale, St Paul's Bedford, Poole Lighthouse Arts Centre, Stoller Hall, Paris Conservatoire, the StreingreaberHaus in Bayreuth, the Teatro del Sale in Florence, in Vilnius and Palanga. Thomas' studies at RCM are generously supported by Pat Kendall-Taylor, Ms Daunt and Ms Stevenson and C. Bechstein pianos.


Damir Durmanovic began his studies at age of eight with Maja Azabagic, then at the Yehudi Menuhin School where he studied with Marcel Baudet. He is currently an ABRSM scholar at the Royal College of Music London, studying with Dmitri Alexeev.

Damir has performed in venues and festivals including the Wigmore Hall, Champs Hill Studios, YPF Festival Amsterdam, Wimbledon Music Festival, Renia Sofia Audotorium Madrid, Gstaad Menuhin Festival, Derby Multifaith Center, Flusserei Flums, 'Ballenlager' Vaduz. He has won prizes in numerous international competitions including The Beethoven Intercollegiate Junior Competition in London, Adilia Alieva International Piano Competition in Geneva and Isidor Bajic International Piano Competition in Novi Sad. He has performed in masterclasses with Claudio Martinez-Mehner,
Dmitri Bashkirov, Pascal Devoyon, Jacques Rouvier, Robert Levin, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Tatyana Sarkisova, and chamber ensembles such as the Emerson Quartet. Damir is also a scholar at the ''Musikakademie Liechtestein'' and regularly participates and performs at the events organised by the Academy there.


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DOWNLOAD LINKS

TARTINI, THE DEVIL'S TRILL
- iTunes
- Qobuz
- Amazon Music

BRAHMS, VIOLIN SONATA NO. 3
- iTunes
- Qobuz
- Amazon Music


DEBUSSY, SZYMANOWSKI, FRANCK AND FALLA
- iTunes

- Qobuz

STREAM ON SPOTIFY

Album Details

Tartini, Sonata in D Minor: The Devil's Trill (Kumi Matsuo, piano)
UPC 5054526848429

Brahms, Violin Sonata No.3 (Kumi Matsuo, piano)

UPC 5054526848399

Debussy, Beau Soir, arr. Jascha Heifetz (Damir Dumanovic, piano)
Szymanowski, Nocturne and Tarantella (Thomas Kelly, piano)
Franck, Violin Sonata (Damir Dumanovic, piano)
Falla: Nana, Polo and Asturiana from Suite popular espagnole, arr. Paul Kochanski (Kumi Matsuo, piano)
Debussy, Clair de lune, arr.  Alexandre Roelens


UPC 5053526807990
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ANTOINE PRÉAT PLAYS BEETHOVEN PIANO SONATA NO. 31 OP.110 - EP RELEASING ON 19 JUNE

10/6/2020

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Ulysses Arts introduces Franco-Belgian pianist Antoine Préat's debut recording of Beethoven's Piano Sonata No.31 in A-flat Major, Op.110 on Friday 19 June on ITunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Qobuz, and all other major streaming services.

The Beethoven release precedes Antoine Préat's full album 'Polyphony', also including works by J.S. Bach, Chopin and Scriabin, to be launched on 15 January 2021. Antoine comments:


'Born into a Baroque-fanatic family in Paris, I grew up immersed in the sound of the 'cello and harpsichord.  I have always been intruiged by polyphonic music, with deep emotion contained within a perfectly assembled puzzle.  I decided to dedicate my debut album to this theme, with the Beethoven as a preview. A deaf Beethoven produced this gem of virtuous wisdom, tragedy and vulnerability, culminating in an amazing fugue. It is a testament to an incredible craftsman, an honest poet and a philosopher in music.'
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Described as 'one of the most gifted artists of the younger generation' and 'a young artist with a distinctive voice', Antoine Préat made his orchestral debut aged 17 playing Rachmaninov's Second Piano Concerto. He has performed at the Salle Cortot, Salle Gaveau and Beaux Arts Museum in Paris, Thayer Hall in Los Angeles, Freydrick Chopin Institute, Warsaw and the Wigmore Hall, London. His performances have been broadcasted by the BBC and France Musique.

Antoine studied at the Ecole Normale de Musique Alfred Cortot in Paris and at the Royal Academy of Music, London, with Tatiana Sarkissova, winning the Colin Murray Award, Vivian Langrish Award and Bache Fund Award, where he is now a postgraduate student with Christopher Elton.


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Décrit comme "un jeune artiste doté d'une voix particulière", Antoine Préat se distingue par des débuts très prometteurs en tant que soliste et chambriste.

Né en août 1997, ce pianiste franco-belge débute l'apprentissage du piano à l'âge de 9 ans à Paris. Un an plus tard, il joue en public pour la première fois Salle Gaveau.
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Antoine fait ses débuts avec orchestre à 17ans, jouant le deuxième concerto de Rachmaninov avec l'Orchestre d'Alicante, et se produit régulièrement en tant que soliste avec des orchestres tels que le London Student Orchestra, le Tonerl Chamber Orchestra, les Sainsbury Soloists, l'orchestre de l'Académie Royale et le Resonate Chamber Ensemble. Il est invité à se produire dans différents festivals tels que le Festival Chopin à Nohant, Chopin à Bagatelle, les Concerts d'Esther, Marathon Chopin (pour son bicentenaire), les Nuits du piano à Paris, Jeunes talents, et l'Encuentro de Santander. Il se produit régulièrement en tant que soliste et en musique de chambre à travers la France ainsi qu'en Europe et aux Etats Unis, dans des salles telles que le Wigmore Hall, la Salle Cortot, la Salle Gaveau, l'Equinoxe, Schloss Glienicke, l'Institut Frederyk Chopin et le Petit Palais.  

Formé au CNR de Paris puis à l'École Normale Alfred Cortot, d'où il sortira diplômé à l'unanimité à 17 ans, il a notamment été élève de deux héritiers de l'Ecole Russe : Guigla Katsarava, élève de Lev Naumov, et Ludmila Berlinskaia, "protégée" de Sviatoslav Richter.

Marqué par cet enseignement russe, Antoine a choisi de poursuivre sa formation à la Royal Academy of Music de Londres, dans la classe de Tatiana Sarkissova où il a reçu le Colin Murray Award et le Vivian Langrish Award après avoir obtenu les plus hauts résultats de l’institution, et termine actuellement son Master auprès de Christopher Elton.


STREAM ON SPOTIFY

DOWNLOAD ON ITUNES or
STREAM ON APPLE MUSIC


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Featured on Apple Music Songs Without Words playlist

Qobuz:https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/polyphony-beethoven-piano-sonata-no31-op110-antoine-preat/qp3w9ta6h0lpc


Deezer: https://www.deezer.com/en/album/151467932

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLabrcmXLYzTJeb1Tf2TSH8VdE2kVBmPQn

Release Details:
Record Number: UA000019
UPC: 5054526748620

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VIOLINIST CRISTIAN GRAJNER DE SA PLAYS KREISLER AND SARASATE – ALBUM LAUNCH -12 JUNE 2020

2/6/2020

2 Comments

 
Ulysses Arts introduces Cristian Grajner de Sa's debut recording of music by Kreisler and Sarasate on Friday 12 June, on ITunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer, Qobuz and all major digital service providers.
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Cristian Grajner de Sa plays Fritz Kreisler's nostalgic Liebesleid and Marche Miniature Viennoise, with Marina Nadiradze, piano, and Pable de Saraste's virtuoso masterpiece Zigeunerweisen, accompanied by Mark Kinkaid. Cristian comments:

'Zigeunerweisen is a violin sensation: spectacular virtuoso music with heartfelt Romantic melodies and astonishing technical fireworks. These qualities first inspired me at a young age; after playing it many times, I am fascinated by its musical freedom that allows the violinist's interpretation to evolve spontaneously with every performance. It is hugely exciting for me to present Zigeunerweisen on my first album, alongside the suave nostalgia of Fritz Kreisler's Liedesleid and Marche Miniature Viennoise.'

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Cristian Grajner de Sa was born in 1994 to Italian and Portugese parents: attendıng The Purcell School for Young Musicians: he was awarded the Royal Academy of Music's Leverhulme Scholarship aged 13: he studied with Maurice Hasson and Tasmin Little, then at the Salzburg Mozarteum with Pierre Amoyal.

A recipient of the Gold Meda with High Distinction at the 2019 International Vienna Music Competition, where his performances were praised for 'huge musicality, a depth of understanding and technical virtuosity,', Cristian previously received the First Prize at the inaugural 'Global' International Violin Competition and was a string finalist at the BBC Young Musician. In 2017 he was honored and humbled to receive the distinguished J. and A. Beare Prize from the Royal Academy of Music, its most renowned award, gifted to the most outstanding violin graduate. In the same year. the Academy also invited him to perform chamber music alongside his mentor, Maxim Vengarov, in Vengerov's final performance as Menuhin professor.


He has performed at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Salzburg Mozarteum, Bucharest Atheneum, the Wigmore Hall in London, Cheltenham Festival, Salle Paderewski Lausanne and Ateneo de Madrid, playing violin concertos by Sibelius, Tchaikovsky, Elgar, Glazunov, Mendelssohn, Bruch and Lalo. He has been broadcast on BBC Television, BBC Radio 3 and TVR Romanian National Television.

Cristian plays a Camillo Camilli violin from 1740, on generous loan from The Benslow Trust, and is supported by UK music charity Talent Unlimited.


​http://www/cristiangrajnerdesa.com

​
Marina Nadiradze, piano, was born in Georgia and studied at Tiblisis Stat eConservatoire and Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. She won the first of her international awards aged nine in Vilnus, Lithuania, and subsequently Second Prize at the inaugural Tblisis International Piano Competition, LASMO Saffa Award First Prize in 2000, and Scottish Interntional Piano Competition Second Prize and Lawrence Glover Silver Medal in 2001. Supported by the Myra Hess Trust and Craxton Memorial Trust, Marina has performed in Argentina, Austrian, France, Georgia, Iceland, Russia, South Korea and Switzerland; Uk venues include Bridgewater Hall in Manchester and the Wigmore Hall in London. Marina has a substantial concerto repertoire, and has worked with conductors including Vakhtang Kakhidze, Takuo Yuasa, Alexander Lazarev, Min Kim and Tadaaki Otaka. She is also the pianist for Ken Loach's film 'Ae Fond Kiss'.

Mark Kinkaid, piano, was born in 1965 and started piano aged six He both performs with orchestra and as an accompanist at the Royal College and Royal Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and BBC Symphony Orchestra. Mark has broadcast a duet recital with ClassicFM with  Lisa Friend, and has performed with flautist James Dutton at London's Purcell Room as part of the Park Lane Group Recitals. Previous recordings include for Hyperion, 'Luminance' with Lisa Friend and Anna Stokes (Champs Hill Records, 2014) and 'Serenity' with violinists Nicole Crespo O'Donoghue (2019).

DOWNLAND NOW

ITUNES
: https://music.apple.com/album/cristian-grajner-de-sa-plays-kreisler-and-sarasate-single/1513313481


QOBUZ: https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/cristian-grajner-de-sa-plays-kreisler-and-sarasate-cristian-grajner-de-sa/goxyj0iky9hpa


Catalogue Number: UA000018
UPC 5054536078536
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CLARALIZ MORA LAUNCHES CLASSIC MEXICAN BOLERO SONG ‘CUANDO VUELVA A TU LADO’ BY MARÍA GREVER ON 5 JUNE

27/5/2020

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Ulysses Arts launched Mexican soprano Claraliz Mora's version of Cuando vuelva a tu lado on Friday 5 June 2020 on ITunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Qobuz and all major streaming platforms.

Claraliz Mora's version of Grever's classic Mexican Bolero, recorded with Chilean pianist Rodrigo Alfonso, captures the song's sense of longing and gentle melancholy.


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Claraliz Mora comments: 'I am Mexican, living in Germany: after years of study, auditioning and struggle, finally I had many concerts coming up singing opera, oratorio and Bolero. COVID-19 destroyed all that, meaning months without work. Cuando vuelva a tu lado (When I am at your side again) represents my roots and who I am: it is born out of solidarity, humanity and kindness. It is mean to bring hope, comfort and Mexican spirit to all, including to those far away from their home, country and loved ones at this time.'

Claraliz Mora was born in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico. She studied harp at New York's Manhattan School of Music and took a Master's degree in Voice at Stuttgart's Staatliche Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst. Awards include the 'Beca de Excelencia', Mexico's most prestigious scholarship, the Gesellschaft der Freunde Stuttgart Scholarship, the Special Prize of the Komitas Lied Competition in Berlin, and the Mexican Association Support Programme's Fonca scholarships for Young Artists.

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Claraliz has performed on stage from an early age, playing the Child Ghost in a Julliard School  production of Macbeth. She sang in Zarzuela productions by the Amigos de Zarzeuela and Identity Productions in Mexico and the USA, and made her debut in Veracruz Opera House as Violetta in Verdi's La Traviata. From 2015-18, Claraliz worked as a soloist on the Bellas Artes a Todas Partes programme funded by CONACULTA (Mexican Institution for the Advancement of Arts and Culture) and INBA (National Institute for the Performing Arts), with whom she toured Mexico singing numerous opera roles: Musetta (La Bohème), Violetta (La Traviata), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), Rosina (The Barber of Seville) and Donna Anna (Don Giovanni). In 2019, she made her debut Micaela in Bizet's Carmen in Veracruz. She has also performed Lieder, oratorio and opera in concerts widely in Mexico, including with the Symphony Orchestras of Tuxtla, Gutierrez/Chipas, Xalapa/Veracruz, Puebla, Chihuahua, and on Mexican television's 'Cuatro Mas' programme.

Besides classical music, in Germany Claraliz performs Latin American music with Trio 'Sol Latino' and makes guest appearances with ensembles such as Marichi Dos Aguilas. 

https://music.apple.com/album/cuando-vuelva-a-tu-lado-with-rodrigo-alfonso-single/1513644369
https://open.spotify.com/album/1LO7POu6xjsMtWRI6p2XwI
https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/cuando-vuelva-a-tu-lado-claraliz-mora-with-rodrigo-alfonso/j85wgeaejorxc
Catalogue Number: UA000016

CLARALIZ MORA LANZARA EL BOLERO, „CUANDO VUELVA A TU LADO“ ESCRITO POR LA COMPOSITORA MEXICANA MARÍA GREVER, EL 5 DE JUNIO DEL 2020

Ulysses Arts lanzara el bolero mexicano „Cuando vuelva a tu lado“ de Maria Grever, en la voz de la soprano mexicana Claraliz Mora, el 5 de Junio de 2020 a ITunes, Apple Music, Spotify, Claro musica y demas principales plataformas digitales.

La version de Claraliz Mora del bolero mexicano de Grever, grabado junto con el pianista chileno Rodrigo Alfonso, captura la nostalgia y suave melancolia de la cancion.

El lanzamiento de la cancion „Cuando vuelva a tu lado“, sera seguido en Julio 2020 por una grabacion en vivo del aria de Micaela „Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante“ del Acto III, de la opera „Carmen“ de Bizet, con la Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa, y el director de orquesta, Lanfranco Marcelletti.

Claraliz Mora comenta: „Yo soy mexicana, y vivo en Alemania. Despues de años de estudio, audiciones, y esfuerzo, finalmente este año tenia muchos conciertos en puerta donde iba a cantar los diferentes generos de opera, oratorio y bolero. COVID19 destruyo todo eso, lo cual significo para mi meses sin trabajo. „Cuando vuelva a tu lado“ representa mis raices y quien soy: nace de la solidaridad, humanidad y gentileza del ser humano. A traves de esta cancion busco traer esperanza, confort, y sabor a tierra mexicana a todo quien la escuche, incluyendo a las personas que estan lejos de su pais, hogar y seres queridos en estos tiempos.“


Claraliz Mora nació en Xalapa, Veracruz, México. En la "Manhattan School of Music" de Nueva York, completó una licenciatura en arpa clásica con las profesoras Deborah Hoffman y Susan Jolles, además de estudiar una maestría en canto en la "Universidad Estatal de Música y Artes Escénicas de Stuttgart" con Francisco Araiza y Dunja Vejzovic. Claraliz fue becaria del estado de Veracruz, Mexico, otorgada la "Beca de Excelencia" - la beca más prestigiosa de México -  fue becaria tambien de la "Sociedad de Amigos de la Universidad Estatal de Música y Artes Escénicas" de Stuttgart y de igual manera recipiente de la beca del FONCA, el programa de apoyo mexicano para jóvenes artistas.

Comenzó su actividad en el escenario cuando era niña, interpretando "el pequeño fantasma" en una presentacion de "Macbeth" de la Juillard School of Music. A partir de ahi, Claraliz cantó en varias producciones de las compañias "Amigos de la Zarzuela" e "Identity Productions" en los Estados Unidos y México, e hizo su debut en la Ópera de Veracruz como "Violetta" en "La Traviata" de Verdi. Después de completar su maestría, presentó su repertorio de canciones de arte alemanas, oratorio y ópera en numerosos conciertos en México, con las orquestas sinfónicas de Tuxtla Gutiérrez / Chiapas, Xalapa / Veracruz, Puebla, Chihuahua, y el programa "Cuatro Mas" de la televisión mexicana. En 2014, Claraliz Mora ganó un "Premio Especial" en el concurso „Komitas Lied“ de Berlín, Alemania.

De 2015 a 2018, Claraliz trabajó como solista en el programa "Bellas Artes a todas Partes", financiado por CONACULTA (Institución Mexicana para el Avance de las Artes y la Cultura) y el INBA (Instituto Nacional de las Artes Escénicas), con el que hizo una gira por todo Mexico. Durante este tiempo, tambien encarnó diversos roles de la ópera y el repertorio de zarzuela, incluyendo: "Marola" (La Tabernera del Puerto), "La Duquesa Carolina" (Luisa Fernanda), "Susanna" (Le Nozze di Figaro), "Musetta" (La Boheme), "Violetta" (La Traviata), "Rosina" (El Barbero de Sevilla), y "Donna Anna" (Don Giovanni). En 2019, Claraliz hace su debut como "Micaela" en la ópera "Carmen" de Georges Bizet en el Teatro de Veracruz, México al lado de la Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa y el director Lanfranco Marcelletti.

En Alemania, aparte de a la música clásica, también se dedica a la música latinoamericana con su trío "Sol Latino" y  apariciones especiales al lado de conjuntos latinoamericanos como el "Mariachi Dos Aguilas".

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ULYSSES ARTS RELEASES SACHA PUTTNAM'S INSTRUMENTAL VERSION OF FIRST OF MAY, FOR PIANO AND ORCHESTRA

25/4/2020

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Sacha Puttnam brings his unique blend of skills in classical music, pop arrangements and film soundtracks to this beautiful reworking of First of May by The Bee Gees, released by Ulysses Arts on 1st May 2020. It is also a teaser for 'Spirit of Cinema', Sacha's full album of classic soundtracks arranged for orchestra and piano, which we are releasing this July.

Sacha's arrangement will delight Bee Gees fans, capturing the original song's gentle nostalgia in instrumental form. 2020 is fifty years since the making of David Puttnam's cult film Melody, written by Alan Parker - the team behind Midnight Express, Bugsy Malone and Mississippi Burning - which features First of May.

Sacha has scored more than 30 films, working with directors including John Pilger, Robert Le Page, Andrea Arnold and John Dryden, numerous radio dramas and podcasts.

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HIGHLANDS & SEA: BAROQUE AND CONTEMPORARY MUSIC SIDE BY SIDE, BY LAURA CATRANI AND CLAUDIO ASTRONIO

9/1/2020

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Ulysses Arts is delighted to launch Highlands & Sea by Laura Catrani and Claudio Astronio. The album is an adventurous and innovative exploration of Baroque, Twentieth Century and Contemporary music for soprano, harpsichord and organ. It weaves Monteverdi, Purcell, Vivaldi, Stradella, Royer and Handel with John Cage, Philip Glass, Olli Mustonen and Arvo Pärt, with Italian composers Masimo Botter, Alessandro Solbiati and Emanuele Casale.

Highlands & Sea was born out of an enounter between two musicians of diametrically opposite artistic origins. Laura Catrani works primarily in contemporary music, including numerous first performances of pieces written specifically for her by living composers. Claudio Astronio performs on the harpsichord and organ, and conducts Baroque repertoire in theatres and concert halls around the world.

The title Highlands & Sea was inspired first by Arvo Pärt's 'My Heart in the Highlands', with which the album culminates. The twelve works before explore a range of emotional and musical extremes in radically contrasting music. Each work exemplifies its own genre and whether Baroque or contemporary, they all offer equally powerful metaphors of musical expression. Laura Catrani and Claudio Astronio described the process of chosing the music: 'We started to search for  repertoire that proposed opposites in nature, either as a theme, text or image: the sky and the depths of the Earth, snowy peaks and stormy seas, the warmth of sunny beaches and the coldness of mountains, creating a sequence of contrasting worlds in which the listener does not perceive any limits between the two opposing repertoires we present, but can reveal their deeper affinities.' 


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PictureClaudio Astronio
ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Claudio Astronio is a harpsichordist, organist and conductor, music director of ensemble Harmonices Mundi, and the Theresia Baroque Youth Orchestra, Artistic Director of the Antiqua Early Music Festival in Bolzano, and a Feruccio Busoni International Piano Competition artistic board member. He performs a the most prestigious festivals in Europe, North America and Japan, working with such musicians as Emma Kirkby, Max van Egmond, Dan Laurin, Gemma Bertagnolli, Susanne Ryden, Yuri Bashmet and Gustav Leonhardt.

PictureLaura Catrani
Considered by critics to set the highest standard of vocal and dramatic interpretation in Twentieth Century and Contemporary Music, equally skilled as a singer and actress, Laura Catrani graduated in singing and vocal music from Milan's Guiseppe Verdi Conservatory, and in acting from the Paolo Grassi School of Dramatic Arts. She has sung numerous performances of modern and contemporary composers including Azio Corghi, Alessandro Solbiati, Silvia Colassanti, Nicola Moro, Matteo Franceschini. Alongside modern music, she has also sung traditional opera roles, especially in Mozart, Eighteenth Century and Baroque works. She has recorded for the Naxos and Stradevarius labels.

#HighlandsandSea


STREAMING AND DOWNLOAD LINKS

Qobuz

Deezer

Apple Music / iTunes

Spotify
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Nafis Umerkulova's album Darkness illuminated - Scriabin and Stanchinsky

16/10/2019

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Ulysses Arts launches Darkness illuminated by Uzbek pianist Nafis Umerkulova in September 2019. The album sets piano works of eccentric enigmatic genius Alexander Scriabin alongside those of his rarely heard contemporary, Aleksey Stanchinsky.

Stanchinsky’s extraordinary talent was noticed at an early age. He was invited to study with Sergei Taneyev, a teacher of Rachmaninov, Scriabin and Medtner. Many believed Stanchinsky was destined to become a great Russian composer, however his untimely death at the age of 26 put an early end to his creative genius, Medtner dedicated his Three Pieces Op. 31 to the memory of Stanchinsky.
 
Scriabin’s Preludes Op.16 from “Darkness illuminated” reflect his fascination at the time with the music of Chopin, whereas his Fourth Sonata Op.30 and Two Poems Op.32 are among the highlights of Scriabin’s artistic input. Stanchinsky’s Sonata in E-flat minor pays homage to Scriabin, and is one of the forgotten jewels of twentieth century piano sonata repertoire.

Nafis Umerkulova comments: ‘Scriabin’s music has been my lifelong passion; I discovered Stanchinsky’s works some years ago and immediately fell in love with them. The music I chose for this album was written within a 17-year time span; my intention was to draw parallels between the works and to demonstrate how the style of each composer evolved over this period. Illuminating, through my vision, a creative chapter from the lives of Scriabin and Stanchinsky, I hope to connect the listener more closely with this beautiful music.’

A prize-winner of national and international competitions, Nafis Umerkulova, was the first musician from Uzbekistan to be awarded a full scholarship to study at the Purcell School as well as at the Royal Academy of Music and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Nafis is also a recipient of the prestigious Myra Hess Award by Help Musician’s UK. She has performed in venues such as the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Birmingham Symphony and Town Halls, Manchester Bridgewater Hall and Glasgow City Halls.


Apple ITunes Link

https://music.apple.com/album/darkness-illuminated-nafis-umerkulova-plays-piano-music/1479182364
 
Qobuz

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/darkness-illuminated-nafis-umerkulova-plays-piano-music-by-scriabin-and-stanchinsky-nafis-umerkulova/mozq7331o76za

Preview Video Links

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKoEP4kFK_E

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UL5gQZRARiw


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Veronika Shoot - Journey through Childhood - launched on 10 May 2019

6/4/2019

1 Comment

 
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RUSSIAN-BORN PIANIST VERONIKA SHOOT PRESENTS DEBUT ALBUM ‘JOURNEY THROUGH CHILDHOOD’ – SCHUMANN, DEBUSSY, SHOSTAKOVICH, KORNGOLD, VLADISLAV SHOOT, TAKEMITSU AND LYADOV

Ulysses Arts is delighted to launch Journey through Childhood by Russian-born pianist Veronika Shoot on 10 May 2019. The album is a unique exploration of children’s music, and compositions inspired by childhood.
PictureVeronika Shoot
Veronika Shoot’s sonic picture of childhood features a vast array of musical styles, interweaving well-known masterpieces including Debussy’s Children’s Corner and Schumann’s Scenes from Childhood, alongside rarely played classics by Korngold, Takemitsu and Shostakovich, and the first ever recording of Children’s Album by composer Vladislav Shoot, the artist’s father. Journey through Childhood aims to capture and inspire the imagination of both adults and children.
 
Veronika Shoot comments: ‘I was inspired to create Journey Through Childhood by my father Vladislav Shoot’s Children’s Album. I have played these pieces since my earliest days as a pianist and find myself returning time and again to the beauty, playfulness and intricate visual narratives of each composition.  I intended the album to illustrate a varied landscape of the earliest years of human experience and its imaginative power. It is my vision to create a fresh perspective into the vast world of great children’s music, much still little known. As Saint-Exupéry wrote in The Little Prince,  “… All grown-ups were children once although few of them remember it…” I would like to dedicate Journey Through Childhood to the inner child in every one of us, in the hope that it provides a door to explore that world and all its creative possibilities.’

Described by Yehudi Menuhin as ‘destined to become a great pianist’, Veronika Shoot was born in Moscow and moved to the UK when Vladislav Shoot was invited to become Artist in Residence at Dartington Hall in 1993. She studied at the Menhuin and Purcell Schools, the Royal Academy of Music and Royal Scottish Conservatoire, and performed at the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square and Purcell Room, BOZAR Fine Arts Centre in Brussels, Istanbul International Mozart Festival, Moscow’s Rachmaninov Hall, and the Château de Versailles.

Integral to Journey through Childhood is the aspiration to inspire and engage a new generation of musicians. Veronika Shoot has devised a series of workshops for schools in London and Moscow; Journey through Childhood’s next stage will be the creation of an animation film and interactive digital experience.

Download the complete album with extensive digital brochure at:
https://itunes.apple.com/album/journey-through-childhood/1458868476


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Discover the forgotten piano music of Richard Strauss

20/6/2018

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Ulysses Arts is delighted to present Canadian pianist Carson Becke performing Richard Strauss' solo piano music.  Strauss is famous for his great operas, orchestral tone poems, and songs, but the roots of all of these famous works can be traced back to the piano compositions of his youth.  These works show a decidedly different side of Strauss: while some of them foreshadow the descriptive tone-painting of the Alpensinfonie and Don Juan, most of them are echoes of his musical upbringing, and inhabit the sound worlds of Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Beethoven.

The album features the three major piano works published during Strauss's lifetime: Five Piano Pieces opus 3 (1882), the Piano Sonata opus 5 (1882), and Stimmungsbilder (Mood Pictures) opus 9 (1884).  It also contains Becke's own transcription of the song Zueignung (Dedication), originally for voice and piano.  Although Strauss performed and recorded at the piano throughout his long career, his solo works for the instrument have fallen into obscurity, and it is often forgotten that the piano is the instrument that features most prominently in his youthful compositions, most of which were first published only in 2008 by Schott Music.

The three works on this album were written by Strauss between the ages of 16 and 20, the same period as his youthful First Horn Concerto: they show the first flourishing of the distinct musical personality that he would sustain and develop through more than seven decades of performing and composing.


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Two Concerts in Istanbul: Young Musicians Demonstrate Excellence and Community

8/9/2017

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Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra / Cem Mansur, Zorlu Centre, 25 August, and Music Foundation for Peace, Heybeliada, 27 August 2017

Turkey has a distinguished tradition of orchestral music, dating back to Guiseppe Donizetti, brother of the famous opera composer, in Ottoman times, but still too rarely does it receive international attention. Two remarkable concerts in late August in Istanbul proved the growing richness of the country’s orchestral life, and the enterprise, energy and vision of its musical leaders to give young people the best possible opportunities to perform. The first, played to a full house at the Zorlu Centre for the Performing Arts, proved the Turkish National Youth Philharmonic Orchestra’s quality; the second, on Heybeliada, brought together young musicians from across Istanbul, organised by the Music Foundation for Peace.

The TNYPO’s concert, conducted by its music director Cem Mansur, opened with Richard Strauss’ Don Juan – a test of individual and collective technique, responsiveness, flexibility and daring. To start a concert with this great tone poem makes a declaration of intent – and multiple opportunities for failure. Its opening requires a large dose of self-believe and mutual trust between orchestra and conductor: TNYPO and Mansur jumped in head first, made light work of all its difficulties, and gave a surging, sweeping performance, sustained into the empty darkness of its ending. The marathon concert, which would have tested even an experienced professional orchestra, also included Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with soloist and TNYPO alumna Hande Küden; Turkish music was represented by Ali Özkan Manav’s magnificent rhapsody on Ali Ekber Çiçek’s song Haydar Haydar, receiving its first performance. There was no hint of ‘cross-over’, amorphous ‘world music’ or contrived tokenism here, rather the song was transformed into a dazzlingly virtuosic modern orchestral showcase.
 
Borodin’s In the Steppes of Central Asia, evokes, in the composer’s own words, ‘the silence of the monotonous steppes’ in which ‘a peaceful Russian song is heard’, then ‘from the distance, the melancholy notes of an Oriental melody’, before ‘the Russian and Asiatic melodies join in a common harmony’. Borodin’s father was Georgian prince and his mother was Russian: beyond the music’s hypnotic beauty, its symbolism, performed at the meeting point of Europe and Asia, could not have been stronger.

Dvořák’s Symphonic Variations is a symphony in miniature: full of contrasting but thematically related episodes wrapped into one concentrated movement. After Haydar, Haydar’s energy burst and Borodin’s static serenity, anything but the finest playing could have felt anti-climactic: instead, Mansur led the Orchestra in an account of assured conviction and elegant panache. This was the concert’s ‘official’ end, but then came Verdi’s overture to La forza del destino – probably the most substantial concert ‘encore’ you will experience – and finally the exuberant Farandole from Bizet’s L'Arlésienne Suite No.2. A concert programme that in lesser hands could have been a reckless test of endurance proved a triumph.

Before the concert, Mansur and the musicians gave a lucid exhibition of how an orchestra functions as a ‘Laboratory of Democracy’. It showed how orchestra members must go beyond individual playing technique to tackle the fundamental challenge for an orchestra: constantly to listen, anticipate and respond to one another. The conductor acts as a conduit, offering leadership but also helping the musicians to listen intently to their colleagues. For long stretches of music, a good orchestra is capable of playing on its own, but at crucial moments direction is essential. Without the conductor, leadership from another musician – most often the principal violinist – emerges spontaneously. Mansur showed how an orchestra’s success and relationship with its conductor could be presented as a microcosm of human society. It offers an instant demonstration of human interaction, demanding a deep combination of individual excellence, respect for others, flexibility and sense of mutual responsibility to function harmoniously.

 - - -

Two days later, Heybeliada was the setting for a very different concert by young Turkish musicians. The Music for Peace Foundation, in collaboration with the Princes Islands Council under its president Sinan Özbek, presented a concert in the tranquil grounds of the historic Ruhban School, which crowns Heybeli’s highest peak. Three instrumental ensembles with over 100 musicians and chorus joined forces under the direction of three young charismatic South American volunteer conductors for a heartfelt joyous evening of music.

The Music Foundation for Peace, founded in 2005 and part of the international El Sistema network, is based in Istanbul’s Edirnekapı district, offering free music education for children and young people with limited opportunities. It has now developed parallel projects on the Princes Islands, Bursa and Izmir, with support from the Istanbul Culture and Arts Foundation.

The concert included arrangements of classical works and Latin music, which played to the conductors’ strengths. Starting with the most experienced musicians, ever increasing numbers of children joined the ensemble as the night progressed. All performed with conviction, rhythmic energy, standing confidently for solos, and with much exuberant clapping and twirling of instruments to the audience’s delight, including numerous parents taking justified pride in their children’s achievement. Towards the end, a choir joined for a short excerpt from Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Even in simplified form, the music and its timeless message of common humanity shone through: at the concert’s end, my neighbour and I both admitted afterwards to being profoundly moved.

These outstanding concerts were a demonstration of musical excellence, social enterprise and community. In their contrasting ways, they proved without a single word being uttered, how orchestras bring together people from different places and backgrounds in a shared endeavour where for success and harmony, the only option is an openness to listen to one other and a spirit of collaboration.

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