E PLURIBUS UNUM (Navona Records, August 28, 2020)
“Stepanova brings remarkable
commitment and impressive virtuosity to these performances.”
“Artistically and politically, a commendable release.”
“Thoughtful and sensitive accounts of highly varied and complex scores... An intelligently curated recital.”
Liza Stepanova announces the August 28, 2020 release of her new album E Pluribus Unum on Navona Records. This collection showcases nine renowned American composers with immigrant backgrounds, including Lera Auerbach, Anna Clyne, Gabriela Lena Frank, Kamran Ince, Reinaldo Moya, Pablo Ortiz, and world premiere recordings of music by Chaya Czernowin, Badie Khaleghian, and Eun Young Lee.
Born out of the political climate of 2017, E Pluribus Unum is an artistic response to the immigration policies implemented by the American government at that time. Stepanova explains, “Many of my colleagues, friends, and students in the music world found themselves or their communities to be directly affected. One of them was the wonderfully gifted young composer Badie Khaleghian, at the time my piano student, whose Iranian parents were barred from traveling to attend his graduation recital at the University of Georgia. In response to this situation, I decided to commission him for a new work that became the centerpiece of a recital program and this recording.” While some of the works address the urgency of historical, cultural, and political calls for justice – above all, the music on this album reflects the composers’ roots, celebrates their immense contributions to American musical life, and a confluence of voices, narratives, and ideals.
An important part of this project is also Stepanova's collaboration with Syrian-American visual artist Kevork Mourad. Mr. Mourad's painting Between Two Worlds, a reflection on the immigrant experience, graces the cover of the album, and his video collaboration with Stepanova, featuring a live performance of Reinaldo Moya's Rain Outside the Church, conveys the message of gaining voice and refuge through art.
Reinaldo Moya (b. 1984): "Rain Outside the Church" from The Way North (2017) | Liza Stepanova, piano (live performance, July 2020) | Kevork Mourad, drawing and video
E Pluribus Unum live in performance:
TRACK LISTING & Credits
1. Lera Auerbach (b. 1973): An Old Photograph from the Grandparents’ Childhood, from Images from Childhood (2000)
2. Kamran Ince (b. 1960): Symphony in Blue (2012)
3. Chaya Czernowin (b. 1957): fardanceCLOSE (2012)*
Reinaldo Moya (b. 1984): The Way North (2017)
4. IV. La Bestia5.
5. VII. Rain Outside the Church
6. Anna Clyne (b. 1980): On Track (2007)
7. Eun Young Lee (b. 1967): Mool (2012)*
Badie Khaleghian (b. 1985): Táhirih The Pure (2017)*
8. I. The Day of Alast
9. II. Unchained
10. III. Badasht
11. Pablo Ortiz (b. 1956): Piglia (2002)
12. Gabriela Lena Frank (b. 1972): Karnavalito No. 1 (2013)
*denotes world-premiere recording
CREDITS
Recorded on September 5, November 19, and December 12, 2018; January 7, 2019; and March 6, 2020 at Ramsey Concert Hall, University of Georgia Performing Arts Center in Athens GA
Recording Sessions Engineer Paul Griffith
Editing and Mixing Paul Griffith
Piano Steinway & Sons
Piano Technician Scott Higgins
Cover, package artwork by Kevork Mourad: Between Two Worlds, On the Bank of the Euphrates
Parma Recordings/Navona Records Team:
Executive Producer Bob Lord
Executive A&R Sam Renshaw
A&R Director Brandon MacNeil
A&R Danielle Lewis
VP, Audio Production Jeff LeRoy
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Patrick Niland, Sara Warner