13321 PARMA Recordings: Beth Levin - Bright Circle

BRIGHT CIRCLE is an exquisitely programmed showcase of the interconnectivity underlying the tradition of solo piano in Classical music. Pianist Beth Levin shines as she navigates the romantic masterpieces of Schubert and Brahms, and their very new counterpart – David Del Tredici’s 2014 work, Ode To Music. Levin’s performance is particularly remarkable in the way she places the Del Tredici within the context of Schubert’s Piano Sonata No. 20 and Brahms’ Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel. Del Tredici’s music is an excellent choice to be set alongside two romantic stalwarts, as it aims to recapture the expressive language of nineteenth century European composers. Beyond this general association, all three works on BRIGHT CIRCLE truly are kindred spirits. Schubert and Brahms belong to the same tradition of German romanticism that arose and matured in the early- and mid-nineteenth century. Ode to Music is a fantasy on Schubert’s art song An die Musik. Essentially, BRIGHT CIRCLE is defined by music that takes older ideas and reconstitutes them in a new, transformative setting. This is certainly the case with Brahms’ Variations, which serves as BRIGHT CIRCLE’s backbone. By the time Brahms set to work on this piece in the late 1850s, large sets of variations for piano were a common form for Romantic composers to flex their muscles. However, Brahms departed from the grandeur typical of these precedents – namely, Beethoven’s famed Diabelli Variations – and challenged himself to study and assimilate aspects of Baroque forms into his treatment of Handel’s theme. The melody at the heart of the variations originated in a work for harpsichord, and Brahms’ appreciation of this fact is evident in restrained virtuosity of his piano writing. Purchase now at: http://www.classicalsavings.com/store/p351/Beth_Levin_-_Bright_Circle.html TRACK LISTING Franz Schubert PIANO SONATA NO.20, D.959 01 I. Allegro 02 II. Andantino 03 III. Scherzo. Allegro vivace 04 IV. Rondo. Allegretto Johannes Brahms VARIATIONS AND FUGUE ON A THEME BY HANDEL, OP.24 05 Aria 06 Variation I 07 Variation II animato 08 Variation III piano dolce 09 Variation IV risoluto 10 Variation V espressivo 11 Variation VI 12 Variation VII con vivacita 13 Variation VIII 14 Variation IX poco sostenuto 15 Variation X 16 Variation XI 17 Variation XII 18 Variation XIII Largamente, ma non piu 19 Variation XIV 20 Variation XV 21 Variation XVI 22 Variation XVII Piu mosso 23 Variation XVIII 24 Variation XIX leggiero e vivace 25 Variation XX 26 Variation XXI 27 Variation XXII 28 Variation XXIII 29 Variation XXIV 30 Variation XXV 31 Fugue David Del Tredici 32 ODE TO MUSIC Purchase now at: http://www.classicalsavings.com/store/p351/Beth_Levin_-_Bright_Circle.html