Continue reading “Nov 10: Full Premiere of FANTINI FUTURO at NYC’s Basilica of St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral”

Concert features the exciting sounds of a live big band combined with traditional Brazilian music styles. Continue reading “Nov. 16 — Clarinetist and Vocalist KRISTEN MATHER DE ANDRADE: ALBUM RELEASE CELEBRATION”

EVOCATION: A concert celebrating 160 years of Claude Debussy and 140 years of Zoltán Kodály. Featuring works by Debussy, Kodály, and Liszt

This concert also marks the international release of Polgár’s Liszt CD

Hungarian Pianist Éva Polgár (www.evapolgar.com) will continue her tour of four key US cities with her program EVOCATION, bringing the spirit of Hungary and Central Europe to American audiences through the compositions of Liszt, Debussy, and Kodály. As the Hungary Foundation’s Cultural Ambassador of the Year, Ms. Polgár will perform at the Richard Nixon Museum and Library, celebrating Liszt’s birthday (October 22) and commemorating the Hungarian revolution which took place on October 23, 1956.

The program will include Claude Debussy’s First arabesque and L’isle joyeuse; Zoltán Kodály’s  Dances of Marosszék; and finally, four works by Franz Liszt: Les jeux d’eaux à la Villa d’Este, Sursum corda. Erhebet eure Herzen, and Legende No. 1 and 2. This concert also marks the International Release of Ms. Polgar’s solo album Liszt: Harmonies patriotiques et religieuses.

This concert will take place on Sunday, October 23 at 2 pm, at the Nixon Library, 18001 Yorba Linda Blvd, Yorba Linda, CA. This event is free and open to the public as part of the Sunday Concert Series. Doors open at 1:30 pm. www.nixonlibrary.gov/sunday-concert-series

Other concerts on this tour include:

• October 2, 2022, at 3 pm – Evanston, IL – Nichols Concert Hall

• December 1, 2022, at 7:30 pm – Washington, D.C. – The Arts Club of Washington

• December 15, 2022, at 8 pm – NYC, Carnegie Hall – Weill Recital Hall.

Critics praise Éva Polgár for her “intelligent interpretations” (Funzine Magazine), “emotional power” (New York Concert Review), and “vibrant technique” (American Hungarian Journal). She is a sought-after recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician, recording artist, educator, and adjudicator. Beyond her devotion to performing traditional piano repertoire, her creative personality particularly shines through her work in contemporary music and multidisciplinary arts. Her interest in the fusion of the arts has developed into an extensive collaboration with visual artist Sándor Vály. Their albums of experimental music inspired by literature and visual arts are released under Ektro Records and broadcast on Finnish national radio. Born and raised in Hungary, Polgár’s dedication to Hungarian culture has led her to specialize in the music of Franz Liszt and Béla Bartók. Her interpretation of Liszt’s piano works was praised by Liszt scholar Alan Walker as “A stunning performance! A real artist!” Her solo album titled Liszt: Harmonies patriotiques et religieuses was released recently under Hunnia Records. She has appeared on BBC World Service’s program “The Forum: Franz Liszt – Hungarian pianist and painter in sound” as a panelist and expert in the field. 

Polgár has toured the Americas, Asia, and Europe. Her latest concerto performances have included appearances with conductors Horst Förster at the Gewandhaus zu Leipzig, Tamás Vásáry at the Danube Palace in Budapest, and David Jacobs at the University of Oregon. She has been recognized as Cultural Ambassador of the Year to Hungary and will give four solo recitals to promote Hungarian and Central European music culture in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, D.C. in Fall 2022. Her Carnegie Hall debut in November 2020 with violinist Kristóf Baráti and clarinetist Bence Szepesi was praised by the New York press. Other recent chamber music concerts at the Bothnia Biennale festival in Seinäjoki, Finland, and at the Hungarian Radio Hall in Budapest, Hungary, featured music of Brahms, Debussy, Bartók, and Bernstein. An avid promoter of contemporary music, Polgár actively collaborates with composers. She recently performed the world premiere of Andrew S. Lloyd’s Préludes Book II, commissioned by the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition.

A graduate of the Franz Liszt University and the Sibelius Academy, Polgár earned her Doctor of Musical Arts degree at the University of North Texas (UNT). She has won top prizes in competitions including the 2012 Los Angeles International Liszt Competition (LAILC). Co-directors since 2017, Katherine Hickey’s and Éva Polgár’s intent is to ensure the successful continuation of LAILC as well as to foster young musicians in the early stages of their professional careers. To support her endeavors in mentoring rising talents and promoting the musical heritage of Franz Liszt, the Hungarian Academy of Arts has awarded her a three-year grant to produce a series of twenty-nine concerts in Europe and the U.S. between September of 2020 and August of 2023.

A committed educator and adjudicator, she has taught masterclasses, presented at festivals, and adjudicated competitions such as the LAILC, the Bogotá International Piano Festival, and the Tulsa University Summer Piano Academy. After holding teaching positions at UNT and at Texas Woman’s University, Polgár has joined the piano faculty at Azusa Pacific University in California. In addition to her teaching appointment at Azusa Pacific University, she is a co-director of the Los Angeles International Liszt Competition and an elected member of the Board of Directors for the Southern California Chapter as well as the national organization of the American Liszt Society. 

For more information, please visit evapolgar.com

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New album “Hanging by a Thread” 

Works by Paul Dresher, Dorothy Hindman, Andrea Mazzariello, Kristen Soriano Broberg, and Alican Çamci

performed by pianist Matthew McCright

American pianist Matthew McCright is releasing an album of new music for piano titled Hanging by a Thread, via the Proper Canary label on October 11, 2022. The album will be available for download and streaming via all major platforms. Described as an “intensely sensitive pianist with a prodigious technique” by Clavier Companion, McCright offers Hanging by a Thread as his 8th solo album release and his first solo release since 2021’s Endurance.

With a repertoire elements of post-minimalism, spectral music, post-modern, and rhythmic exploration, Hanging by a Thread is a striking collection of work married by mood and tones. It is an album of heavy heart with moments of light, and according to McCright, is “shaped by the spirit of new music: avoiding easy definition, with rich influences from the past, and a confident look to the future.”

Album opener To Spill Oneself Away dives the listener into the darkness, with evocatively repeated runs that form the aural shape of madness. This Dorothy Hindman composition uses perpetual motion to give a feeling of “being pulled in every direction, all at once”.

As Far As You Can Stretch a Web and Your Hands, As They Are, both by Andrea Mazzariello, are stately pieces that paint a great sense of nostalgia and meditative poignancy. Mazzareillo, a percussionist at heart, aims to evoke his childhood observations of his own father’s playing, as well as the work to understand his own relationship to the piano, culminating in a loss of playing ability. Throughout a section rhythmic play, McCright treats each of these works with the sensitivity and sincerity they deserve.

Paul Dresher’s Blue Diamonds is perhaps the heart of the album, with languid, reflective, dynamic passages that summon a cinematic feel during its runtime. A staple of McCright’s live repertoire for years, the piece focuses on intricate passagework, dazzling metric shifts, and fast fingers reminiscent of sparkling jewels.

Recording sessions began in 2019, though, like many artists’ works, it was paused by the pandemic.  “At many points I was grasping for a lifeline”,  McCright admits, “nervous that it would never be finished. But here we are, and my thoughts and emotions are uniquely tied to the pieces in a way I could not have imagined.”

WORKS INCLUDE: 

To Spill Oneself Away (Dorothy Hindman – 2021)

olgun bit meyvenin sesiyle—düserken (…with the sound of a ripe fruit—falling) (Alican Çamci – 2012)

As Far As You Can Stretch a Web (Andrea Mazzariello – 2019)

      Prelude
      Grid
      Prelude, refracted
      Tether (or Once you lose it it’s lost)
      Preludes, folded

Intermezzo (Takuma Itoh – 2010)

Echoes (Kirsten Soriano Broberg – 2010)

Your Hands, As They Are (Andrea Mazzariello – 2021)

Blue Diamonds (Paul Dresher – 1995)

For more information, please visit matthewmccright.org

Continue reading “Nov. 12: THE GODFATHER is brought to life with live symphony orchestra at Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre”