Dreamsong, by Karen Ritscher, James Howsmon, Eileen Buck

Dreamsong

by Karen Ritscher, James Howsmon, Eileen Buck

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gregwilliamsviola77 Such a beautiful album all the way through! Karen's Lachrymae is especially stunning!

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Works for viola and piano

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1.	Dreamsong for Viola and Piano by Bruce Adolphe 10:29	info
2.	Lachrymae, op.48 for Viola and Piano by Bruce Adolphe 14:38	info
3.	Variations on a Theme by Bartok for Viola and Piano by Karim Al-Zand 08:47	info
4.	Suite (1919) for Viola and Piano by Earnest Bloch, Lento-Allegro 12:47	info
5.	Suite (1919) for Viola and Piano by Earnest Bloch Allegro ironico 05:31	info
6.	Suite (1919) for Viola and Piano by Earnest Bloch Lento 04:35	info
7.	Suite (1919) for Viola and Piano by Earnest Bloch Molto vivo 08:52	info

about

Dreamsong is a collection of my favorite full-hearted pieces that I have performed and recorded over the years. The title work, Dreamsong for Viola and Piano, was written for me in 1989 by Bruce Adolphe. I love how magically Bruce captures the wild beauty and chaos of the dream state. Lachrymae, Reflections on a Song of Dowland, op. 48, was composed by Benjamin Britten for William Primrose. He takes the listener on a tour of wondrous colors and rhythmic juxtapositions before blessing us with the theme in its exquisite simplicity, thus completing the piece.

Karim Al-Zand, my esteemed colleague when I taught at the Shepherd School of Music of Rice University, wrote Variations on a Theme of Bartók for the wonderful violist Sheldon Person, who was our mutual student at the time.

Earnest Bloch’s Suite 1919 for Viola and Piano tied for first place at the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Competition and was ultimately granted the first prize. The Suite is not part of his Jewish series but rather is inspired by his exotic imaginings of Far East islands. He had originally given each movement descriptive subtitles but decided to publish with only the musical ones. The original movement names were: 1. In the Jungle, 2. Grotesques, 3. Nocturne, and 4. Land of the Sun.

James Howsmon, piano, and Eileen Buck, piano.

credits

released January 1, 2023

Cover art: Peter Fodera

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Karen Ritscher New York, New York

karenritscher.com

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