Barber, S: Souvenirs, Op. 28

This programme of piano works by one of America's foremost 20th century composers will make an ideal companion disc to the four others already in this series. Leon McCawley is a British pianist, born 1973, who studied at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, the same conservatory that Barber himself attended for lessons in piano, composition and voice. Excursions, Op.20, was written during the years 1942–44 and is the only work in which Barber adopted a style that might be termed 'American', with it's use of boogie-woogie, blues, a cowboy song and hoedown. The Op.26 Piano Sonata was written in 1949, when it's première was given by Vladimir Horowitz. It has since maintained a prominent position in the repertoire. The Souvenirs, Op.28 of 1952 exist not only in two piano versions but also as a ballet score. In these short and easily appealing pieces Barber adopts a style somewhere between Satie and Prokofiev but, in all essentials, remains true to himself. Although, after the 1966 failure of his third opera Antony and Cleopatra, Barber continued to compose, his music became far more reflective and concentrated. The Ballade, Op.46, from 1977, is a fine example of Barber's later music.

Sono Luminus is excited to release this second album from the dynamic duet ZOFO, Mosh Pit, where Eva-Maria Zimmermann and Keisuke Nakagoshi put their considerable keyboard skills to the test in an exciting, in-depth exploration of dance-inspired duet compositions by six distinctly American voices of the twentieth century – George Gershwin, Conlon Nancarrow, Allen Shawn, Samuel Barber, John Corigliano and Paul Schoenfield. With pieces ranging from waltz to tango to boogie and beyond, ZOFO’s high energy interpretations beg the question: Shall we dance?

ZOFO’s first release, Mind Meld (DSL92151) featured stunning duet works by four highly influential composers of the 20th century who knew each other, learned from each other, sometimes performed together, and embraced the piano-four-hands form – Leonard Bernstein, Harold Shapero, Claude Debussy and Igor Stravinsky. The album was widely acclaimed by critics and received a 55th Annual GRAMMY® Award Nomination for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble.

For this, their second album, ZOFO returns with exciting, high energy duet works by another group of noted 20th century composers, all American – George Gershwin, Conlon Nancarrow, Allen Shawn, Samuel Barber, John Corigliano and Paul Schoenfield. The pieces featured on Mosh Pit explore a wide range of evocative dance styles and rhythms, from Gershwin’s driving rumba in “Cuban Overture” to Barber’s sensuous “Hesitation- Tango” to Paul Schoenfield’s dizzying “Boogie” from Five Days from the Life of a Manic Depressive. Drawing inspiration from classical, modern, jazz, and rock and roll forms, the Mosh Pit repertoire and ZOFO’s inspired performances might tempt you to the dance floor.

ZOFO is the dynamic partnership of internationally acclaimed solo pianists Keisuke Nakagoshi and Eva-Maria Zimmermann. One of a rare handful of professional ensembles worldwide focusing exclusively on piano duets, ZOFO is rediscovering and energetically performing hidden gems of the traditional one-piano-four-hands repertoire, along with a strong dedication to 20th and emerging 21st century works. As innovators in the genre, ZOFO also performs heart pumping one-piano-four-hands arrangements of famous orchestral pieces, such as Igor Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, exploring the realms in which many composers first experienced their symphonic visions. Since their first performance together in the fall of 2009, ZOFO was awarded First Place in the prestigious 2010 Bradshaw & Buono International Piano Competition and made their New York concert debut as an ensemble at Carnegie Hall in May, 2010. In May 2011 ZOFO was invited to compete in the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, Osaka Japan, and were elevated to the final round – the only piano duo to achieve that distinction. Their first album, Mind Meld, received a 55th Annual GRAMMY® Nomination for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble.

Leon McCawley’s previous release of works by Chopin on SOMM (SOMM0103) was warmly received by both public and press. Here he re-visits the piano repertoire of Barber which he recorded on Virgin in 1997. He feels that he can now offer a more mature insight and deeper understanding of the composer’s intentions. The centrepiece of the recital is the monumental Piano Sonata Op.26, one of the great masterworks of 20th century piano music.