American Vignettes: Contemporary Works for Cello and Piano
Though quintessentially American in spirit, the musical snapshots in this album are as diverse as the men and women who composed them. Drawing from influences as disparate as the blues, jazz, Broadway, gospel, folksong and the wild west, these ‘American vignettes’ merge popular idioms into a new canon of the repertoire for cello and piano. The distinctive voices of six US composers, from the late twentieth and early 21st centuries, here come together to weave a virtuosic and colourful tapestry of Americana.
Aron Zelkowicz, cello
Christina Wright-Ivanova, piano
Carter Pann (b. 1972)
Differences (1996) (13:53)
- I. Strand (2:03)
- II. Air (3:54)
- III. Country Dance (3:06)
- IV. Blues (3:03)
- V. Song (1:47)
Gabriela Lena Frank (b. 1972)
Manhattan Serenade (1995)* (9:36)
- I. Uptown (2:41)
- II. Midtown (3:37)
- III. Downtown (3:18)
Margaret Bonds (1913-1972)
- Troubled Water (c. 1952) (5:58)
Stacy Garrop (b. 1969)
Noir Vignettes (2014)* (14:59)
- I. Murder at Midnight (3:44)
- II. Loaded Gun (4:02)
- III. Femme Fatale (4:26)
- IV. The Last Cigarette (2:47)
Kevin Puts (b. 1972)
- Air (2004) (9:32)
Stephen Paulus (1949-2014)
American Vignettes (1988) (18:53)
- I. The Dying, Cowboy (2:40)
- II. Whoa Back, Buck (2:49)
- III. The Water is Wide (4:20)
- IV. Sweet Betsy from Pike (2:00)
- V. Single Girl (4:08)
- VI. She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain (2:56)
*First Recordings
WFMT :
‘A delightful entry point for those unfamiliar with these American composers.’
—Jan Weller, WFMT
Whole Note :
‘Highly entertaining works, superbly played and with outstanding booklet notes by Zelkowicz makes for a really impressive release.’
—Whole Note
American Record Guide :
‘The showstopper work here is Stephen Paulus’s American Vignettes (1988), a set of virtuosic variations on recognizable American folk songs, of similar character to those in Aaron Copland’s em>Old American Songs. Paulus’s settings are more rustic and rambunctious, culminating in a delightfully free-wheeling account of ‘She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain’ that must be heard to be believed. ‘Manhattan Serenades’ (1995), a light, though demanding early work of Gabriela Lena Frank, is also worthy of note, heard here in its first recording. A bluesy central movement is encompassed by two bubbly, jazzy movements, the latter calling for improvisation from both players. Her writing for both instruments is exceptional—cellists and accompanists take note! […]
The best pieces here make this album worth your time—along with the superb playing from Zelkowicz and Wright-Ivanova, who give all these works strong personality, directness, and clarity. Great recorded sound and extensive liner notes.’
—Nathan Faro, American Record Guide
Gramophone :
‘Do not be misled by the seemingly inconsequential title of this album. Even the titular work, the six American Vignettes (1988) by the much-missed Stephen Paulus (1949–2014), is of greater expressive heft than its name suggests, a suite not so much of folk-song arrangements as fantasy variations, almost tone pictures on familiar and less familiar songs. A work of consummate compositional skill, it leads off after a brief false trail with ‘The Dying Cowboy’ (aka ‘The Streets of Laredo’); ‘She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain’ is the exuberant finale. Cellist Aron Zelkowicz’s booklet note is hugely informative about the songs’ origins, and he and accompanist Christina WrightIvanova have as much fun performing the set as Paulus must have had writing it.
Embellished, extended song is a recurring thread throughout the programme. Margaret Bonds’s virtuosic Troubled Water (1964) was based on the Spiritual ‘Wade in the water’, and Zelkowicz and Wright-Ivanova make an excellent case for taking it closer to her 1952 piano original’s Allegro pace than the Moderato Bonds assigned to her arrangement, followed with less verve by Juliana Soltis and Ruoting Li. Carter Pann’s Differences (1998) may be five lively, diverse fantasies on popular musical styles rather than specific tunes but the third, ‘Country Dance’, is an absolute hoot and the ensuing ‘Blues’ makes the perfect contrast. Jazz permeates Gabriela Lena Frank’s early Manhattan Serenades (1995), a gem of a triptych, its three movements journeying from ‘Uptown’ to ‘Downtown’ via a contemplative ‘Midtown’. Stacy Garrop’s four Noir Vignettes (2014) are possessed of darker, cinematic inspiration: film noir and the soundtrack scores of the 1940s as the titles ‘Loaded Gun’ and ‘Femme fatale’ betray.
Kevin Puts’s Air (2004) is a substantial, near-10-minute movement allowing both performers to indulge their fine sense of line. The second of a group of Four Airs, each scored for a different instrument with piano accompaniment, it is a marvellous invention, playable independently. Zelkowicz and WrightIvanova prove strong exponents and have the field to themselves but need fear no comparisons in any of this repertoire. Top-notch Bostonian sound, too, from Téa Mottolese and Antonio Oliart Rios. Superb.’
—Guy Rickards, Gramophone
Fanfare :
‘Together, these four movements [Noir Vignettes ] make for some very interesting listening. […]
All in all, this is a varied and interesting collection of Americana-themed pieces for cello and piano. The performances and sound are terrific.’
—Mark Novak, Fanfare