Quotations & Homages
$11.98 – $19.98
Nadia Shpachenko
World Premieres
Nadia Shpachenko’s latest Reference Recordings release Quotations & Homages features World Premiere recordings of works for solo piano, for piano and electronics, for speaking pianist, for piano with extended techniques, and collaborative works for 6 pianists (performed with Ray-Kallay Duo, HOCKET and Genevieve Feiwen Lee) inspired by a variety of earlier composers and works. These fascinating new pieces come from eight notable modern composers: Tom Flaherty, Missy Mazzoli, Vera Ivanova, James Matheson, Nick Norton, Adam Borecki, Daniel Felsenfeld and Peter Yates.
Pianist Nadia Shpachenko-Gottesman has performed extensively in solo recitals and with orchestras in major venues across North America, Europe and Asia. Described by critics as a “truly inspiring and brilliant pianist…spellbinding in sensitivity and mastery of technique,” Nadia enjoys bringing into the world things that are out of the box—powerful pieces that often possess unusual sonic qualities or instrumentation. Nadia’s concert highlights include solo recitals at Carnegie Hall, Concertgebouw, Disney Hall and Bargemusic, as well as numerous appearances as a soloist with orchestras in Europe and the Americas. An enthusiastic promoter of contemporary music, she has been chosen to give world and national premieres of more than 60 piano, string piano and toy piano works. Her previous album on Reference Recordings, Woman at the New Piano (FR-711, 2014), was nominated for GRAMMY® Awards in three categories: Best Classical Compendium; Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance, and as part of the body of work in the Producer of the Year, Classical nomination for Marina A. Ledin and Victor Ledin.
Extra notes
Quotations & Homages was recorded on September 16–18 and November 20, 2016, at Cal Poly Pomona Music Recital Hall, Pomona, CA.
Producer: Elaine Martone
Recording Engineer: Barry Werger-Gottesman, Ullanta MusicWorks
Assistant Recording Engineer: Jacob Cook
Mastering Engineer: Sean Royce Martin
On This Recording
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Tom Flaherty
- Rainbow Tangle for piano and electronics Missy Mazzoli
- Bolts of Loving Thunder for solo piano Peter Yates: Epitaphs and Youngsters, a mélodrame for solo pianist
- Home
- Purpose
- Wilderness
- On The Whole Vera Ivanova: 6 Fugitive Memories for solo piano
- Composition No. 1
- Fugutive No. 2
- No "N"
- Quasi una ciaccona
- Cimbalom Játék
- Debutie Nick Norton
- Piano Piece for Mr. Carter’s 100th Birthday Adam Borecki
- Accidental Mozart for solo piano Daniel Felsenfeld: Down to You is Up for solo piano
- Good Times Just Seem to Pass Me By
- So Cold / So Lonely
- Everything Was Alright James Matheson
- Bagatelle for 6 pianists on 3 pianos,12 hands Tom Flaherty
- Igor to Please for 6 pianists on 2 toy pianos, 2 pianos, and electronics
Reviews:
“…a superb and superbly recorded program of pieces as fresh as they are ready to pay respect to the traditions that led to their creation. … There is not one cliché or superficial piece on offer here. … Shpachenko’s playing is everything it needs to be and more. … Capturing all of it is a first-rate recording. …[it] has a depth, clarity, and transparency that work equally rather than one sacrificing the others. The acoustical space is resonant without taxing listener patience, a perfect environment for music of such protean character. Excellent notes top off an extremely worthy package.” —Marc Medwin, Fanfare
“In an era marked by emphasis on thematic programming, sometimes it seems the theme counts more than the music, or that the music serves the theme. When all goes well, however, a theme can lend insight and bring pieces together synergistically, where they are better together than apart. The latter is what happens on Nadia Shpachenko‘s new CD, Quotations and Homages. … Quotations and Homages undoubtedly comes at great effort on Shpachenko’s part. The concept is creative, the program well constructed, and Shapachenko’s pianism is of the highest caliber. The recording is sure to remain a mainstay of the contemporary discography for posterity.” —Steven Niles, New Classic LA
“Rare, not to mention refreshing, is the classical recording that balances seriousness with humour.… [Nadia Shpachenko] executes all the material with conviction, her connection to the material unwavering no matter the works’ differences. Above all else, there’s joy in her playing, and it transfers infectiously to the listener.” —Textura Magazine
