Actress Viola Davis joins the Los Angeles Philharmonic in celebrating Gustavo Dudamel’s 17th year tenure with a recording of Peter and the Wolf. COmpass REsonance (CORE), formerly known as the Boulder Bach Festival, invites celebrated violinist Vadim Gluzman to perform works by J.S Bach and Valentyn Silvestrov. There are also two albums that shine a spotlight on the work of Romantic composer Emilie Mayer: one by the duo of Jinwoo Lee and Eunice Kim, the other as part of a continuing series by the Constanze Quartet. Finally, harpist Isabelle Moretti and flutist Juliette Hurel present an inspired selection of masterful French music arranged for their instruments.
New Releases June 2: Vadim Gluzman, Viola Davis, and more
German Romantic composer Emilie Mayer (14 May 1812 - 10 April 1883).
Celebrating Gustavo Dudamel’s 17-year tenure as Music & Artistic Director, the Los Angeles Philharmonic presents one of Sergei Prokofiev’s most popular works that highlights the composer’s enormous gift for colorful storytelling: Peter and the Wolf, brilliantly narrated by EGOT winning actress and producer Viola Davis. The artists’ winning interpretation of Peter and the Wolf was recorded at the Hollywood Bowl in July 2021 and was part of a joyous return to live music after lengthy lockdowns. Following in the footsteps of such luminaries as Peter Ustinov, Leonard Bernstein, and David Bowie, Viola Davis took on the role of narrator. The magical and dramatic folk tale, that teaches its listeners about the different instruments of the orchestra, was a hit with audiences and critics alike.
Formerly known as the Boulder Bach Festival, the Colorado-based virtuoso string band COmpass REsonance (CORE) has emerged as a trailblazer, connecting centuries of musical tradition with bold, modern innovation. Violinist Vadim Gluzman found a group that shared his artistic values, and they now have a close working relationship. Combining the music of J.S. Bach and Valentyn Silvestrov in one program offers another example of kindred spirits. The three works by Silvestrov presented on this album are influenced by and dedicated to Bach himself. More importantly, though separated by centuries, the music of Bach and Silvestrov is united by purity, spirituality, and clarity of expression. “Playing Bach is like climbing Mount Everest,” Gluzman says. “To do it with people who are attuned to your vision and share the same artistic goals is incredibly inspiring. That’s exactly what I found with CORE.”
Emilie Mayer (1812-83) had eight symphonies to her name but, after finding that her gender hampered her orchestral music gaining public performances, she turned to chamber music. The string quartet offered, perhaps, a place for her to forget the restrictions of 19th-century society. Mayer proves herself a masterful exponent of classical forms with subtle plays of musical lines and delicate harmonies, even in the economy of the string quartet. Seven of her twelve quartets have survived. After the acclaimed first volume of quartets by Mayer, the Salzburg-based Constanze Quartet (violinists Emeline Pierre-Larsen and Sara Mayer, violist Hana Hubmer, and cellist Julia Ammerer-Simma) present Volume 2 featuring the Quartet in G minor, Op. 14 and the Quartet in F minor; leaving three works to fill a third album in the near future.
Arco e Tasto comprises violinist Jinwoo Lee, concertmaster of Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and the highly sought-after collaborative pianist Eunice Kim. On Once Heard, Long Forgotten, the duo shines a long-overdue spotlight on Emilie Mayer and Luise Adolpha Le Beau, two extraordinary women who contributed substantially to German Romantic repertoire. The program features Le Beau’s Violin Sonata, Op. 10, Romance, Op. 35, and Elegy, Op. 44; and Mayer’s Violin Sonata in Eb major, Violin Sonata in F major, Op. 1, and Notturno — a selection of early and late works tracing the composers’ artistic growth and the evolution of their voices.
Flutist Juliette Hurel and harpist Isabelle Moretti present an inspired selection of French music arranged for their instruments, featuring key masterpieces alongside some rare delights. Their program highlights the virtuosity and expressive verve of a duo of great stylistic finesse and features the Suite en duo of Jean Cras (1879–1932), Deux Impressions by Eugène Bozza (1905–1991), Claude Debussy’s Suite Bergamasque, and select works by Gabriel Faure, Maurice Ravel, Reynaldo Hahn, Jacques Ibert (1890–1962), Georges Bizet, and Clémence de Grandval (1828–1907).
