ALARIA: Alaria plays Tcherepnin

Alaria

Alaria plays Tcherepnin

© 2006 Alaria Chamber Ensemble, Inc.

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Thoroughly accessible 20th century. Witty, romantic, intelligent, urbane, international style.

notes

Alaria has recorded these five works by Alexander Tcherepnin in tribute to the composer’s expressed intention “to escape from the mousetrap of cultural music into the world of natural art.”

This CD features repertoire for a standard assortment of instruments but it is important to note that Tcherepnin wrote for instruments as diverse as harmonica, accordion, and viola da gamba, among others. His compositions radiate curiosity about music as a broad-based and necessary human expression.

Much has been written about Tcherepnin’s distinctive scales. Though they require special attention on the part of players and though they give music theorists something to ponder, to me they express the composer’s desire to write a universal music – music that requires no particular cultural conditioning to be listened to and enjoyed.

However intricate Tcherepnin’s methods of composition, however sophisticated his forms and procedures, his music is never abstract. There is always a vivid connection to specific sound. That he was himself an accomplished pianist with a rich understanding and love of the instrument is evident in his masterly piano writing, while his grasp of many other instruments speaks to the breadth of his upbringing in an unusually cosmopolitan musical household. There is ample evidence of wit in this regard. For example, one of the movements in the Duo for Violin and Cello is known to have been inspired by the sound of katydids.

Alexander Tcherepnin will always have a special place in my heart, as he was the first living composer whose music I played. As a child I revered composers – I felt that they possessed some secret power. It was a privilege, therefore, as a teenager to be given Tcherepnin’s Études, and it is a pleasure to see my students’ fascination with his many extraordinary compositions for young players.

My teacher in Chicago, Chauncey L. Griffith, taught Tcherepnin’s sons in school. In Mr. Griffith’s hands music education was a community activity involving young people together with their parents. I did not know the composer personally, but as I learn more about him, for the most part directly from his music, I am deeply moved by his similar commitment to an inclusive practice of the art.

That commitment is well suited to the mission of Alaria, which is to build an interactive community of chamber music players, listeners, composers and teachers. Since 1984 Alaria has been Ensemble-in-Residence at the Extension Division of Mannes College The New School for Music in New York City, coaching a vigorous year-round chamber music program for players of all ages and all levels. During that time we have found repeatedly that the music of Alexander Tcherepnin provides a joyous experience of modern music for players and listeners young and old.



- Nancy Garniez

Alaria’s name comes from two Latin roots : "ala"- wing and "aria"- song. The repertoire on this CD is representative of the ensemble’s desire to bring unfamiliar works to the attention of the chamber music public. Their annual recital series in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, begun in 1986, often features guest artists working with the core instrumentation of violin, cello, and piano.
Known for its " sparkling virtuosity" and " unstarched" approach to music (to quote European newspaper Delo Fax) Alaria has been featured at such festivals as the Manchester Music Festival (USA), Ameropa Chamber Music Festival (Czech Republic), Ljubljana Festival (Slovenia), and the Emilia Romagna Festival (Italy), among others.

Alaria’s mission is to build an interactive community of chamber music listeners, players, teachers, and composers. Among the composers who have written for Alaria are Ursula Mamlok (two commissioned works: Alariana and In Celebration), David Loeb, John Carbon and jazz composer Phillip Johnston. Alaria is Ensemble-in-Residence of the New York Composers' Circle.
Ensemble-in-Residence of the Extension Division of the Mannes College The New School for Music since 1984, Alaria coaches a year-round chamber music program for players of all instruments, at levels ranging from beginner to professional. The program includes a performance seminar and, since 2001, a seminar in Chamber Music Pedagogy, inaugurated with the support of the Clinton B. Ford Fund of ACMP Foundation. The combination of performance and education that characterizes Alaria’s work has won for the ensemble a unique role in the chamber music world.

Violinist, Yuri Vodovoz, native of Odessa, has concertized extensively throughout the United States, Europe, Israel, and South America. His debuts at the Kennedy Center in Washington and at Merkin Hall were met with critical acclaim: “breathtaking” (The Washington Post), “finespun lyricism” and “high-powered technique” (The New York Times). Mr. Vodovoz appeared as soloist with the Baltimore Chamber Orchestra, the Tchaikovsky Chamber Orchestra, the St. Cecilia Orchestra, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the American Chamber Symphony, the Bogota Symphony Orchestra, the Odessa Philharmonic, and the Illinois Symphony, as well as in many chamber music concerts and festivals such as Waterloo and Bargemusic, among others. Mr. Vodovoz is on the faculty of the Mannes College The New School for Music. He has performed with Alaria since 1993.

Diliana Momtchilova, cellist, made her debut at the age of nine as soloist with the Sofia Chamber Orchestra, and has won numerous prizes and awards. She has performed concerti with many distinguished ensembles in her native country and in the US, including the Juilliard Orchestra at Lincoln Center. Ms. Momtchilova has to her credit many chamber music appearances both in Europe and the United States, and can be heard on recordings for Bulgarian National Radio and Television, the Balkanton Recording Company, and Deutsches Welle. Ms. Momtchilova is on the faculty of Mannes College and has been with Alaria since 1998.

Nancy Garniez, piano, performs a wide range of both solo and chamber repertoire, at times together with her singer/songwriter/versatile musician daughter, Rachelle. Guiding spirit of Alaria since its founding in 1983, she is Coordinator of Chamber Music in the Extension Division at Mannes. Tonal Refraction®, her original means of visualizing tone perception (developed in collaboration with the Institute for Music and Neurologic Function), has a powerful effect on musical function and on recovery after injury or traumatic illness. Her book, What Might It Mean? An Uncommon Glossary of Musical Terms and Concepts for the Stuck, Bored, and Curious was published in 1999. The first in a series of live unedited solo recordings, Haydn/Bartok, was released in 2002 (Track 1 was among the top 50 picks on american idol underground); the second, Piano Works by Haydn, appeared in 2005; the third, Schubert/Dvořák, in 2006.

reviews

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  • Great CD. Mediocre packaging.
    author: David Derow

    Wonderful performances of pieces I like very much, especially the Piano Trio. Very well recorded. Great sound reproduction. Packaging so-so. Tracks listed out of order on rear panel. Although CD tray is clear, it somewhat obscures the text beneath it. While Tcherepnin's orchestral and piano works are moderately well represented in recordings, there's not enough of his chamber music. KEEP UP THE GOOOD WORK!

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