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Aureole's 'Embracing the Wind,' an American Modern Recordings Release, is the Trio's 15th CD
American Modern Recordings Presents
AURÉOLE – EMBRACING THE WIND
Works for flute, viola, and harp by Paul Ben-Haim, Ian Krouse, Lior Navok, and Robert Paterson
Auréole’s 15th album is the ensemble’s debut on the AMR label
Auréole – flutist Laura Gilbert, violist Mary Hammann, and harpist Stacey Shames – is considered by many the world’s pre-eminent flute, viola, and harp ensemble, having commissioned and premiered more works for their instrumentation than any other such trio in the world. Embracing the Wind, a new disc of works written between 1978 and 2000 by Israeli composers Paul Ben-Haim and Lior Navok and Americans Ian Krouse and Robert Paterson, is the group’s 15th recording, and its first on the American Modern Recordings label. It is also the 20th AMR release.
The first major composition for this trio instrumentation was Claude Debussy’s Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp (1916), in which the composer created a distinctive palette of new sounds. The work has since inspired many composers to create new repertoire for this combination, and Auréole, a key player in this growth, has commissioned well over 100 pieces ranging from transcriptions of Renaissance and Baroque repertoire to brand-new works.
“This is a very special recording for me,” said Robert Paterson, who is also the artistic director of AMR, a label specializing in contemporary music with an emphasis on music by living American composers. “Auréole was the trio that inspired me to compose Embracing The Wind, long before I ever met or worked with them. They were my ‘muse’ trio, so to speak. I am extremely honored that they not only chose to record my piece, but that they named their album after it as well.”
Chamber Music (1978) by Paul Ben-Haim (1897-1984) explores a colorful dialogue between the three instruments that moves from playful to meditative and prayer-like. It is one of the German-born Israeli composer’s last works.
Embracing the Wind (1999) by Robert Paterson (b. 1970) is inspired by the image of an Olympic athlete running against the wind. Paterson "wanted to create music that sounds flexible and has wind-like, ebb-and-flow qualities,” and so he "created musical zephyrs from repeated motives and smooth phrases that utilize gradual dynamic swells and subtle tempo fluctuations." Embracing the Wind is one of Paterson’s most-performed works.
Veiled Echoes (2000) by Lior Navok (b. 1971) "was written during a one month stay at Aspen, Colorado. While being surrounded by wild nature at its best, writing a trio for flute, viola and harp seemed to me as the most natural thing—as unification between music and the mountains, the woods and the rivers. In many places, the rhythm of the piece tends to be flexible, just like a leaf carried by the wind."
Thamar y Amnon (1991) by Ian Krouse (b. 1956) is a chamber tone poem based on one of Federico García Lorca’s Tres Romances Historicos (Three Historical Ballads) from Romancero Gitano (Gypsy Ballads). This work has deep ties to Lorca's paean to illicit eroticism. Krouse wrote, "Not only the form and musical content are derived from the poem, but even the instrumentation itself. The nervous athleticism and complexity of the flute melodies embody Amnon’s tortured struggles with lust, while Tamar’s thinly veiled seductiveness is given a lyrical outlet through the potent vehicle of the viola. The role of the harp is significantly more complex…."
A pdf of the CD booklet, including full bios and program notes, can be viewed on the recording page on the AMR site: www.americanmodernrecordings.com/aurole-embracing-the-wind.
Embracing the Wind was produced, recorded, and engineered by Grammy®- winning producer Adam Abeshouse at The Concert Hall at Drew University, Madison, New Jersey.
Paul Ben-Haim: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Ben-Haim
Robert Paterson: www.robertpaterson.com
Lior Navok: www.liornavok.com
Ian Krouse: www.iankrouse.com
Auréole, the world-renowned chamber ensemble, has been delighting audiences with imaginative and ground-breaking programs for over 25 years. The sound of flute, viola, and harp conjures a landscape that can encompass the stillness and quiet of an impressionist sunset, and the wild abandon of a folk dance. It brings together the three essential timbres of an orchestra—wind, string and percussion— into a uniquely colorful and versatile chamber music ensemble.
Auréole has commissioned well over 100 pieces for its instrumentation, and pushes beyond traditional boundaries of classical music, having performed and recorded albums of The Beatles, Celtic, Latin and world music.
Flutist Laura Gilbert, violist Mary Hammann, and harpist Stacey Shames have a passionate desire to bring their remarkable repertoire, much of which they had a role in creating, to listeners throughout the world. With 15 recordings in its discography, Auréole is the most widely recorded and best-known trio of its kind. Their yearly tours are a favorite of chamber music audiences, who have come to love and appreciate their dynamic artistry.
Aureole – Embracing the Wind
American Modern Recordings AMR 1050
Release date: November 16, 2018, distributed by Naxos
Chamber Music – Paul Ben-Haim
- Pastorale [2:49]
- Burlesque [1:45]
- Melody [3:18]
- Embracing The Wind – Robert Paterson [10:49]
Veiled Echoes – Lior Navok
- Dolente, Con Nostalgia [3:44]
- Sognando [3:39]
- Vivace [6:02]
- Thamar y Amnón – Ian Krouse [12:08]
TOTAL TIME: 44:19
www.americanmodernrecordings.com/aurole-embracing-the-wind
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December 17, 2018
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