Judith Farmer, bassoon || Jennifer Johnson, oboe || Nic Gerpe, Joanne Pearce Martin & Robert Thies, piano New Hollywood String Quartet || Eclipse Quartet

WWW.ALBANYRECORDS.COM TROY1624 ALBANY RECORDS U.S. 915 BROADWAY, ALBANY, NY 12207 TEL: 518.436.8814 FAX: 518.436.0643 ALBANY RECORDS U.K. BOX 137, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA8 0XD TEL: 01539 824008 © 2016 ALBANY RECORDS MADE IN THE USA DDD WARNING: COPYRIGHT SUBSISTS IN ALL RECORDINGS ISSUED UNDER THIS LABEL. THE COMPOSER Gramophone describes Gernot Wolfgang as a composer with a “winning sonic arsenal,” while jazz the Arts, Austrian Ministry legend Dave Brubeck characterized Gernot’s music as being of “unconventional beauty.” for Science and Research, Born in Bad Gastein, Austria in 1957, Gernot Wolfgang currently resides in Los Angeles. He is a Austro Mechana, Berklee graduate of the program “Scoring for Motion Pictures and TV” at USC, and holds degrees from Berklee College of Music, Billboard College of Music in Boston and the University of Music in Graz, Austria. Magazine, BMI, Fulbright Gernot has so far received more than 40 commissions from individuals and organizations Commission and the state such as the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Jazz Festival of the of Tyrol, Austria. European Broadcasting Union, Los Angeles Philharmonic principals Michele Zukovsky, clarinet; Joanne Gernot Wolfgang also Pearce Martin, keyboard; and David Breidenthal, bassoon, Verdehr Trio and Michigan State University, works as an orchestrator the Debussy Trio, Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society, and the Los Angeles based chamber music in the film and TV music series Chamber Music Palisades, Pacific Serenades, and South Bay Chamber Music Society. industry. He is an artistic His concert works, which are published by Doblinger and Fatrock Ink, have been presented by advisor to “HEAR NOW - the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Seattle and Sydney Symphony A Festival of New Music Orchestras, Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, Muenchner Rundfunkorchester (Germany) and by Contemporary Los Symponieorchester Vorarlberg (Austria). They have been performed in venues such as Carnegie Angeles Composers” and Hall (Weill Recital Hall) in New York City, National Gallery in Washington, D.C., Konzerthaus and on the advisory board Musikverein in Vienna and at festivals such as the New York Chamber Music Festival, Festival of Coretet, a recently Internacional Cervantino in Guanajuato (Mexico), Wiener Festwochen and Wien Modern. founded chamber music Albany Records has previously released two CDs of Gernot Wolfgang’s chamber music Short commissioning program Stories (TROY1248 in 2011) and Common Ground (TROY854 in 2006). in the Los Angeles area. As a guitarist with the Austrian jazz ensemble “The QuARTet” Gernot has recorded two For more information see critically acclaimed CDs for Extraplatte and toured extensively throughout Europe. gernotwolfgang.com. From 1990-93 he was a lecturer for Jazz Composition and Harmony at the University of Music in Graz. He has held masterclasses at UCLA, Texas Tech University, University of Music in Vienna and Instrumenta Verano in Oaxaca (Mexico). Gernot has received awards, grants and scholarships from the American Composers Forum, American Music Center, Austrian Ministry for Education and ABOUT THE MUSIC String Theory for string quartet String Theory was commissioned in 2013 by Dorothy L. Carlson for the Los Angeles based chamber Ever since I became interested in contemporary classical music, the prospect of integrating grooves music series Pacific Serenades. While its four individual movements were easy to name — 1. Béla, from musical styles such as jazz, rock & roll, pop, world music and electronica into my concert works as a homage to Béla Bartók; 2. Cartwheels, as in “people happily doing cartwheels in a variety of has intrigued me. Having been a jazz guitarist in the early stages of my musical career I felt that the ways”; 3. Northern Lights, inspired by Los Angeles violist Roland Kato’s trip to Scandinavia to see the New Music community had not yet addressed these kind of rhythms thoroughly enough. Northern Lights; and 4. Nashville, for me being hooked on the namesake ABC TV series — finding Passing Through is my third album of chamber music compositions containing such grooves a name for the composition as a whole proved to be elusive. For a while I wasn’t able to think of as the means of providing forward propulsion, generating additional energy, and also simply for anything that I could hang my hat on. the fun of it. The groove-oriented passages (and, in some of the pieces, entire movements) are Then, on the day I finished composing, I went for a walk in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park. I was counterbalanced by extended slow and contemplative music. The grooves themselves are frequently thinking about how, in this particular piece, musical devices that are used in one movement also spelled out directly. In other instances they are inferred, sometimes implying additional, non-audible rather surprisingly pop up in other movements, creating an inner network of sorts. Could these rhythmic elements. internal musical connections help me find the name of my composition? And suddenly, there it was I’m indebted to the excellent musicians on this album who handled these grooves with ease — String Theory. However, I was skeptical. String Theory certainly rolls off the tongue easily, and and lent their wonderful musicality to all aspects of this project. it is a cute play of words on the musical instruments involved. But I didn’t know much about the I hope you’ll enjoy the music! content and meaning of string theory, so off to the internet I went. — Gernot Wolfgang After learning that string theory “attempts to provide a complete, unified and consistent description of the fundamental structure of our universe” (quoted from the website of the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexiko) I became intrigued when reading about the concept of “Dualities.” According to Wikipedia, at one time scientists believed there were five distinct superstring theories of which only one would be the correct one. Later, it was discovered that all five theories are Flurry for bassoon and piano in fact related to each other by transformations called dualities. Flurry was originally written for flute and piano, to celebrate the 15th annual concert season of the And then I found key information applying to my composition: “If two theories are said to Los Angeles-based chamber music series Chamber Music Palisades. be “dual to one another”, it means that the first theory can be transformed in some way so that it While Flurry is a short piece, its form reminds of much larger compositions. The piece starts ends up looking just like the second theory.” In other words, the two theories could be viewed as two out fast, with a swirling unison-theme, but calms over a short period of time into a lyrical middle different mathematical descriptions of the same thing. section. A brief bassoon cadenza leads Flurry back into an upbeat variation of its main theme, If you exchanged the word “theory” with “musical device,” the above would perfectly describe followed by an energetic, jazzy piano feature. The piece ends with a short, forceful coda. what is repeatedly happening in my string quartet. Musical Device A, initially used in Movement 1, was transformed — by switching from arco to pizzicato and by changing the underlying harmony and inner voices — to Musical Device B, which in its new form occurs in movement 2. In keeping with what was said above, Device A and Device B could be viewed as two different musical through an evergreen forest. At one point we got out of the car. Everything was covered with snow, descriptions of the same thing. and all sounds were muffled. Snow dust fell slowly from the trees, getting caught in the moonbeams. And that’s when I started feeling good about naming my new piece String Theory. Inman Square is in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In the late 1980s it was home to several jazz clubs, which were located on opposite sides of the square. The movement captures the energy that Passing Through for oboe and bassoon emanated from these clubs, the excitement of the patrons streaming in and out of them and the Passing Through is a composition in three movements and was written in 2011 for the instrumentation snippets of high octane jazz that could be heard whenever the doors opened for an instant. of oboe (or clarinet) and bassoon (or bass clarinet). Mount Desert Island in Maine’s Arcadia National Park has a number of quiet inland lakes. Its title relates to the quick, random thoughts that I had while trying to name the individual I remember the stillness surrounding these lakes, occasionally interrupted by the sounds of forest movements. The thoughts seemed to spring out of nowhere and went as quickly as they came, animals. The water’s glassy surface was broken every now and then by the rise of a fish, or the landing/ almost without consequence. taking off of a water bird. Insects were dancing on the water in an atmosphere of calm serenity. Bounce refers to the bass line in 7/8 played by the bassoon (or bass clarinet) at the beginning of the first movement. Evening Song resides within a tranquil, peaceful atmosphere. The Flea Trilogy for oboe, bassoon and piano comments on the jumpiness and, at times, unpredictability of the third movement. Trilogy was written in 1998-1999. The piece reflects my equal love of contemporary concert music and jazz. Jazz is clearly responsible for the rhythmic element, whereas the influences of concert New England Travelogue for piano and string quartet music are present in the developmental and formal aspects of the composition. Harmonically I draw New England Travelogue for piano and string quartet was commissioned by Joan Smith for the from both of these musical worlds. Trilogy is in three parts, which are written in a way that each of Martha’s Vineyard Chamber Music Society for its Summer 2009 Concert Series. the movements can be programmed individually. While I was living in Boston in the late 1980s I fell in love with the beautiful and diverse Part 1 is named Go Get It. This is an up-tempo movement, which at times features all three regions of New England. So, when the commission to write this piece arrived, I decided to reminisce instrumentalists trading musical statements. Following an intense beginning, the energy level gradually musically about places in New England I had visited over the years. decreases, and the piece segues into a quiet solo piano section. Subsequentially the pace picks up again The first movement, Vineyard Reggae, was inspired by a summer evening I spent several with the reintroduction of the main theme of the movement — this time varied and reorchestrated. years ago in Edgartown, on Martha’s Vineyard. I remember lots of people in the streets, filing in and Watching the motion picture “Sliding Doors” gave me the inspiration for Part 2 — the slow out of restaurants, ice cream shops and stores. All were in vacation mood, and the scene felt like waltz Another Life. The core idea of the film comes down to: “How would your life have turned out, a big party. Vineyard Reggae starts out in this spirit, in its course taking us on an all-night walk if at a given point in time one specific event in your life had occurred in a different way — or not through the streets of Edgartown. After a while the “partying” subsides, and the crowds start to occurred at all?” disappear. The city becomes quiet and the music reflects this with a “late night-very early morning” Growing up in Austria I was exposed to music from its neighboring countries behind the then Iron atmosphere. The piece continues to become more sparse and tranquil, until — at first dawn — it Curtain. Part 3 — Looking East — blends jazz and contemporary concert music with elements from Eastern picks up energy again and leads us into the new day. and Southeastern European music, most noticeably by the use of ostinato figures in 5/4 and the melodic Vermont Magic describes the memory of a Christmas time drive in a very special part of this state, shape of the main theme. This movement is largely energetic in nature, with oboe and bassoon the Northeast Kingdom. It was a clear, moonlit night. We were driving on a small county road, passing prominently featured in sections that open up rhythmically and give the listener room to breathe. THE PERFORMERS Oboist Jennifer Johnson is a member of the Los Angeles Opera, Santa Los Angeles Times music critic Mark Swed described pianist Nic Gerpe’s Barbara Chamber Orchestra, and Santa Barbara Symphony, and has playing as “wonderfully illuminating… his tone is crystalline. His technique also played with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Los Angeles Chamber is dazzlingly fluid.” A dedicated proponent of new music, Nic has worked Orchestra, Pasadena Symphony, and Colorado Symphony Orchestra. with composers such as Steve Reich and Michael Gordon, and has given She has degrees from the University of Colorado, the University of numerous world premieres locally and abroad. He has performed in such Southern California, and The Colburn School, and was a multiple venues as Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Wallis Annenberg Center, and the fellowship recipient at the Aspen Music Festival and School. Her chamber Roy and Edna Disney Cal Arts Theater. Nic’s performances have also been performances include the Southern California based chamber music nationally broadcast on KUSC. organizations Camerata Pacifica, Chamber Music Palisades, LACMA Sundays Live, and South Bay Chamber Music Society. She is on faculty at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the Pianist Joanne Pearce Martin was appointed by Esa-Pekka Salonen as the Pasadena Conservatory of Music. Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Keyboardist in 2001. A graduate of Philadelphia’s Curtis Institute, she enjoys a busy career as soloist, chamber musician and Judith Farmer is former principal bassoonist of the Austrian Radio recording artist. With the LA Phil, she has performed as soloist with conductors Symphony Orchestra and the Camerata Academica Salzburg under Sandor including Salonen, John Adams, and Gustavo Dudamel. She has appeared in Vegh. Critics have described her playing as “impeccable” (American Record concert on five continents, including programs with her 2-piano partner for Guide), “masterly” (Fanfare) and “brilliant” (Kronenzeitung, Austria). She over two decades, husband Gavin Martin. Ms. Martin has been the subject has appeared as a soloist at the Salzburg Festival and has participated in of several national television features, and has collaborated frequently with chamber music festivals in Prussia Cove (UK), Martha’s Vineyard, MA and artists such as cellist Lynn Harrell and violinist Joshua Bell. Joanne also performs and records on the La Jolla, CA. Since moving to Los Angeles Ms. Farmer has performed with Theremin, including Theremin’s Journey, a commissioned work by Gernot Wolfgang. the Los Angeles Philharmonic, has played on more than 200 motion picture scores and has recorded with artists such as Daft Punk, Josh Groban, Billy Childs, Barbra Streisand Pianist Robert Thies is an artist renowned for his consummate and Neil Young. She is currently principal bassoonist of the Santa Barbara Chamber Orchestra, a musicianship and poetic temperament. He first captured worldwide member of the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and teaches bassoon and chamber music at the attention in 1995 when he won the Gold Medal at the Second International University of Southern California. Prokofiev Competition in St. Petersburg, Russia. Thies enjoys a diverse career as an orchestral soloist, recitalist, chamber musician, and recording artist. He has already performed 40 different concerti with orchestras all over the world, including Russia’s Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia, and the Mexico City Philharmonic. Thies is highly sought after as a recital partner, and he is prolific as a recording artist of concert and film music. ECLIPSE QUARTET Sarah Thornblade is the associate principal second violin of the Los Violist Alma Lisa Fernandez attended the Oberlin Conservatory of Music Angeles Chamber Orchestra. The Los Angeles Times describes her playing and UCLA, where she received a Master’s Degree in Viola Performance. She as “rapturously winning” and the Santa Barbara News writes that “she is a performs regularly with such ensembles as the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra marvelously versatile musician.” With the Eclipse Quartet, she has recorded and Los Angeles Master Chorale. Alma is also active in the Los Angeles for Tzadik, Bridge and New World records. An avid chamber musician, she recording industry, having played for numerous motion picture soundtracks, has been a grand prizewinner at the Fischoff and Coleman competitions television shows, and record albums. She is currently Professor of Viola at and has collaborated with artists such as Gilbert Kalish, Jeffrey Kahane, Pepperdine University in Malibu, CA. Andres Cardenes, Randall Hodgkinson and Warren Jones. Sarah is on the faculty of Pomona College and is also an active recording musician for film and television. Cellist Maggie Parkins performs music in a variety of ensembles throughout the Los Angeles area. A native of Detroit, Maggie attended Violinist Sara Parkins is a GRAMMY® award winner for Best Chamber Eastman School of Music and received a doctorate from SUNY Stony Brook. Music Performance of the complete recordings of the Haydn string quartets After moving to Southern California she has since focused on her love for with the Angeles Quartet. Always attracted to new music, Sara is a founding chamber music and founded the Mojave Trio, a piano trio with a broad member of the Eclipse Quartet, which is dedicated to performing music repertoire spanning several centuries, and the Eclipse Quartet which by 20th century and present day composers. Sara also performs with the focuses on music of the 20th and 21st Century. She teaches cello at UC Orchestra of St. Luke’s in New York and is active as a studio musician in Irvine and leads the chamber music program there. Los Angeles. An international performer, Ms. Parkins has played at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Banff Centre, the Taktlos festival in Zurich, and Festival International de Cadeques in Spain. She joined the Eroica Trio in 2012. NEW HOLLYWOOD STRING QUARTET Hailed for her “expressive beauty and wonderful intensity” (Robert Mann), Violist Robert Brophy, a member of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra violinist Tereza Stanislav is a dynamic performer, having appeared in since 2011, can also be seen and heard playing with the Los Angeles venues such as the Library of Congress, Wigmore Hall, and Carnegie Philharmonic, Los Angeles Opera and many West Coast chamber music Hall’s Weill Recital Hall and performed with artists including Jean-Yves series. He has recorded with Nigel Kennedy, and has performed alongside Thibaudet, Gilbert Kalish and extensively with the Miró Quartet. Tereza Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky. An advocate for new music and has performed several world premieres including Gunther Schuller’s Horn former member of the Enso¯ Quartet, Brophy has worked with many leading Quintet (2009) with Julie Landsman, Louis Andriessen’s The City of Dis composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, including Joan Tower, William (2007) as Acting Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and Bolcom, Tan Dun and Bernard Rands. Featured on two recordings with the James Matheson’s Violin Sonata (2007). Tereza Stanislav was appointed Assistant Concertmaster Enso¯ Quartet on the Naxos label, Brophy continues his quartet life as a member of the New Hollywood of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in 2003 by music director Jeffrey Kahane, and she joined the String Quartet, and has performed with them throughout Southern California for the last six years. New Hollywood String Quartet as first violinist in 2014. Andrew Shulman, principal cello with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra At age six, violinist Rafael Rishik was one of the youngest students ever since 2008 and professor of cello at the University of Southern California, accepted to the Juilliard School of Music. He subsequently studied at was the first British winner of the Piatigorsky Artist Award. He was also Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art, IU Bloomington and awarded an Honorary RCM by HRH The Queen Mother. Andrew is a regular U.C. Santa Barbara. Mr. Rishik has participated in numerous festivals, guest at festivals worldwide, including Aspen, Edinburgh and La Jolla. including the Israel Chamber Music Festival, Carmel Bach Festival, He has served as principal cello of London’s Philharmonia Orchestra, the Spoleto Festival of Two Worlds, and the Music Academy of the West. Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields and the Los Angeles Philharmonic — The New Hollywood String Quartet, of which he is a founding member, orchestras with which he was also featured as a soloist — and is one of recently celebrated its 10th anniversary debut concert with guest artist the most sought-after solo cellists working in the TV and movie music industry today. Lynn Harrell. Mr. Rishik has played on hundreds of Film Scores, and continues to be actively involved with the Motion Picture Recording Industry in Los Angeles. THANKS NEW HOLLYWOOD STRING QUARTET: Tereza Stanislav: violin by Antonius Gragnani of Liburni, Italy 1786 (generously provided to her by Thanks to Benedikt Brydern, Dorothy L. Carlson, Mark Carlson, Heinz Czadek, Jo Beth van Gelderen, Margaret Newall) Susan Greenberg, Mark Hilt, Alex Ladstätter, everyone at the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Jess & Donna Morton, Heiichiro Ohyama, Michael & Renate Publig and everyone at Doblinger Music Rafael Rishik: violin by Joseph Rocca of Torino, Italy 1863 Publishers, Joan Smith and Delores Stevens for support and friendship. Robert Brophy: viola commissioned from Guy Rabut of New York City, 2006 Thanks to Dean Robert Cutietta, Jeffrey DeCaen and Tori Nagle at the USC Thornton School of Music Andrew Shulman: violoncello by David Rubio of Cambridge , England, 1988 for the use of Alfred Newman Recital Hall. Thanks to Cameron Baird, Hannah Finegold, Chelsea Whitaker and Ryan Williams for their assistance at the sessions. This album was recorded on May 22, 26 and 27, 2015 at Alfred Newman Recital Hall, Alan Hancock Foundation Building at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Thanks to Eric Dawson of AFM Local 47 for his help and guidance in contractual matters. Special thanks to the musicians who performed the music on this album so brilliantly: Alma, Andrew, Produced by Gernot Wolfgang and Judith Farmer Jenny, Joanne, Judy, Maggie, Nic, Rafi, Rob & Rob, Sara, Sarah and Tereza. Recorded, mixed and mastered by Rich Breen Special thanks to Rich Breen for so beautifully capturing the sound of these amazing musicians. Edited by Gernot Wolfgang and Rich Breen Executive producers: Judith Farmer and Gernot Wolfgang Special thanks to my family in Austria and Germany for their support. Very special thanks to my wonderful wife Judy Farmer, without whom this recording would not have Photo credits: Sally Coates (Maggie Parkins, Sarah Thornblade), Ian Evenstar (Judith Farmer), been possible. Anne Fishbein (Alma Lisa Fernandez), Kristina Jacinth (Nic Gerpe), Boglárka Kiss (Robert Thies), lefterisphoto.com (Gernot Wolfgang), Martha Long (Jennifer Johnson), Gavin Martin (Joanne Pearce The musicians and their instruments: Martin), Barbra Porter (Sara Parkins), Susan Rishik (Rafael Rishik, Andrew Shulman), Cynthia Jennifer Johnson: Marigaux 901 oboe Smalley (Robert Brophy), Jason Stang (Tereza Stanislav), Gernot Wolfgang (cover photo). Judith Farmer: Heckel bassoon, serial # 10136. All music composed by Gernot Wolfgang (BMI for the U.S. and Canada/AKM for all other countries). ECLIPSE QUARTET: Sarah Thornblade: violin by Joseph Gagliano of Naples, Italy 1789 All compositions on this album are published by Doblinger Music Publishers of Vienna, Austria. The sheet music for these pieces can be ordered through your favorite music/online music store. Sara Parkins: violin by Frederick William Chanot of London, England 1904 For information about Doblinger Music Publishers please write to [email protected] or visit Alma Lisa Fernandez: viola by Gaetano Gadda of Brescia, Italy 1910 doblinger-musikverlag.at. Maggie Parkins: violoncello by Jacques Thibouville-Lamy of Mirecourt, France 1887 Gernot Wolfgang PASSING THROUGH TROY1624 1 Flurry (2011) [3:11] Passing Through (2011) Trilogy (1999) Judith Farmer, bassoon 6 Bounce [4:46] 13 Go Get It [6:07] Nic Gerpe, piano 7 Evening Song [3:09] 14 Another Life [5:49] 8 The Flea [1:59] 15 Looking East [5:39] String Theory (2013) Jennifer Johnson, oboe Jennifer Johnson, oboe 2 Béla [5:36] Judith Farmer, bassoon Judith Farmer, bassoon 3 Cartwheels [2:36] Robert Thies, piano 4 Northern Lights [6:14] New England Travelogue (2008) 5 Nashville [2:44] 9 Vineyard Reggae [5:58] Total Time = 65:37 New Hollywood String Quartet 10 Vermont Magic [4:38] Produced by Tereza Stanislav & Rafael Rishik, violins 11 Inman Square [2:54] Robert Brophy, viola 12 Mount Desert Island [4:17] Gernot Wolfgang & Judith Farmer Andrew Shulman, cello Eclipse Quartet Sarah Thornblade & Sara Parkins, violins TROY1624 Alma Lisa Fernandez, viola Maggie Parkins, cello Joanne Pearce Martin, piano

WWW.ALBANYRECORDS.COM PASSING THROUGH TROY1624 ALBANY RECORDS U.S. 915 BROADWAY, ALBANY, NY 12207 TEL: 518.436.8814 FAX: 518.436.0643 ALBANY RECORDS U.K. BOX 137, KENDAL, CUMBRIA LA8 0XD TEL: 01539 824008 © 2016 ALBANY RECORDS MADE IN THE USA DDD WARNING: COPYRIGHT SUBSISTS IN ALL RECORDINGS ISSUED UNDER THIS LABEL. Gernot Wolfgang