RECORDED APRIL 2, JULY 1 AND JULY 22, 2008. EDITING AND MASTERING: JON SCHOENOFF ALL WORKS ON THIS RECORDING, EXCEPT SOUVENIR DE PORTO RICO, ARE PUBLISHED BY SOUVENIR DE PORTO RICO FANDANGOS SUBITO MUSIC. (LOUIS MOREAU GOTTSCHALK) VARIATIONS REFLECTIONS ON A SOUVENIR PHOTO OF ROBERTO SIERRA BY ELLEN ZASLAW. ON A SOUVENIR TOCCATA COVER: FRAGMENTS OF GOTTSCHALK’S SOUVENIR DE PORTO RICO AND ROBERTO SIERRA’S VARIATIONS AND REFLECTIONS ON A SOUVENIR. roberto sierra

SINFONIA DA CAMERA IAN HOBSON, CONDUCTOR AND PIANIST EDUARDO DIAZMUÑOZ, CONDUCTOR

WWW.ALBANYRECORDS.COM TROY1078 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 © 2008 ALBANY RECORDS MADE IN THE USA DDD WARNING: COPYRIGHT SUBSISTS IN ALL RECORDINGS ISSUED UNDER THIS LABEL. THE of the 100th anniversary; and Songs from the Diaspora commissioned by Music Accord for Heidi Grant Murphy, Kevin Murphy and the St. Lawrence String Quartet. ROBERTO SIERRA In 2003 he was awarded the Academy Award in Music by the American Academy of Arts and Letters. The award states: “Roberto Sierra writes brilliant music, For more than a decade the works of American composer Roberto Sierra have been mixing fresh and personal melodic lines with sparkling harmonies and striking part of the repertoire of many of the leading orchestras, ensembles and festivals in the rhythms. . .” His Sinfonía No. 1, a work commissioned by the St. Paul Chamber USA and Europe. At the inaugural concert of the 2002 world renowned Proms in Orchestra, won the 2004 Kenneth Davenport Competition for Orchestral Works. London, his Fandangos was performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra in a concert Roberto Sierra has served as Composer-In-Residence with the Milwaukee Symphony that was broadcast by both the BBC Radio and Television throughout Orchestra, The , The Symphony Orchestra and the UK and Europe. Sierra’s numerous commissions include works for New Mexico Symphony. many of the major American and European orchestras. International Roberto Sierra’s music may be heard on recordings by Naxos, EMI, New World ensembles that have performed his works include the orchestras of Records, Albany Records, Koch, New Albion, Koss Classics, BMG, Fleur de Son and Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Atlanta, New Mexico, Houston, Minnesota, other labels. In the spring of 2004 EMI Classics released his two guitar concertos Folias Dallas, Detroit, San Antonio and Phoenix, as well as by the American and Concierto Barroco with as soloist (released by Koch in the USA Orchestra, the , , on 2005). Roberto Sierra was born in Vega Baja, Puerto Rico, and studied composition National Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Tonhalle both in Puerto Rico and Europe, where one his teachers was György Ligeti at the Orchestra of Zurich, the Spanish orchestras of Madrid, Galicia, Castilla y León and Hochschule für Musik in , . Roberto Sierra is the Old Dominion Barcelona, among others. Foundation Professor in the Humanities at . Commissioned works include: Concerto for Orchestra for the centennial celebrations of the Philadelphia Orchestra commissioned by the Koussevitzky Music Foundation THE MUSIC and the Philadelphia Orchestra; Concerto for Saxophones and Orchestra commissioned by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra for James Carter; Fandangos and Missa Latina Louis Moreau Gottschalk (New Orleans 1829-Rio de Janeiro 1869) is one of the most commissioned by the National Symphony Orchestra of Washington DC; Sinfonía No. fascinating figures of the American XIXth century. He was a renowned virtuoso who 3 “La Salsa”, commissioned by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra; Danzas toured extensively, including the island of Puerto Rico (1857) where he heard tradi- Concertantes for guitar and orchestra commissioned by the Orquesta de Castilla y tional music sung by the peasants in the fields. This was the origin of his Souvenir de León; Double Concerto for violin and viola co-commissioned by the Pittsburgh and Porto Rico, subtitled “Marche des Gibaros” (“Procession of the Peasants”). In turn the Philadelphia Orchestras; Bongo+ commissioned by the in celebration Souvenir that resulted from a Puerto Rican melody heard more than a century ago THE PERFORMERS in Puerto Rico by this New Orleans composer became the source of my Reflections (2005-06) and Variations on a Souvenir (2007). IAN HOBSON Before writing the work for piano and orchestra (the Variations) I wanted to Ian Hobson’s international career was launched in 1981 when he won First Prize at the immerse myself into the piano world of Gottschalk. This exploration resulted in a set Leeds International Piano Competition; he has since established himself as a musician of variations/paraphrase for piano solo (the Reflections), that gave me the opportunity of tremendous versatility with an international reputation as a pianist, conductor and teacher. to explore Gottschalk’s pianistic idiom and to incorporate my own harmonic and While Ian Hobson is one of the leading proponents and interpreters of rhythmic language, as can be hard in the references to folk and salsa inspired rhythms Rachmaninoff, both on the podium and at the keyboard, his performances and in the piano writing. discography highlight a prolific artist whose programs consistently demonstrate a Writing the solo piano piece became the starting point of the Variations, which repertoire spanning the centuries and demand an extraordinary command of styles consists of 33 variations for piano and orchestra. The simplicity and structural clarity of and scholarly vision, in addition to great keyboard prowess. the folk tune used by Gottschalk provided the ideal setting for my variations, which Mr. Hobson’s recent recordings of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s five works for piano explores a fin de siècle style of extreme piano virtuosic writing. Variations on a Souvenir was and orchestra, played and conducted from the keyboard, arose from his longstanding commissioned by the Carlsen Center and the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. relationship with the remarkable Sinfonia Varsovia which began in 1995. He had long The unifying factor of all the works in this CD is that in one way or another they intended to record Rachmaninoff’s concerti as a pianist, but his rapport with the relate to variation form, as is the case of Antonio Soler’s Fandango. This work from the orchestra and the superb chamber music sensibility of its musicians led to the bold step Spanish Baroque has always fascinated me for its strange and whimsical twists and of assuming the dual role of pianist and conductor for the recording, completing the turns. My Fandangos (2000) is an orchestral fantasy that takes as point of departure four-year-long project in 2006. Additionally, he has conducted Sinfonia Varsovia at Soler’s piece, where I also incorporate elements from the Bocherini and Scarlatti’s own Carnegie Hall with Ewa Podles as soloist in Karol Szymanowski’s Three Songs as well as Fandangos, as well as my own Baroque musings. The work was commissioned by the Beethoven’s Eroica Symphony and Chopin’s second piano concerto, from the keyboard. National Symphony Orchestra. Ian Hobson’s discography is as wide and prolific as his variety of programs and The CD closes with Toccata (2008) for solo piano. The first two measures of the included among the more than 50 titles are the 32 Beethoven Sonatas, music of piece introduce a 16 note melody that forms the basic pitch structure for the whole Brahms, Ravel, Falla, Moscheles, Schumann, Schubert, Godowsky, Mendelssohn, piece. By recycling these materials in varied ways, the work evolves while retaining Françaix, Milhaud, Saint-Saëns, Walton, Sousa, Quincy Porter and Gillis, to name structural unity. The piano writing is virtuosic and obsessive, displaying the virtuosic just a few. Mr. Hobson’s recordings are available on the Zephyr, Arabesque, Albany, and polyphonic possibilities of the instrument. BMG, EMI, and Hyperion labels. —Roberto Sierra The founder of the Sinfonia da Camera chamber ensemble and Zephyr Productions, labels and is also the first Mexican conductor to have received two Golden Discs and Inc., parent company of Zephyr Records, Ian Hobson is a Swanlund Endowed recently a Platinum Disc. Diazmuñoz has conducted over 50 world premieres as well Professor of Music and professor in the Center for Advanced Study at the University as numerous local and national premieres in 13 countries. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he has taught for more than three decades. SINFONIA DA CAMERA EDUARDO DIAZMUÑOZ Sinfonia da Camera, was founded in 1984 by Music Director Ian Hobson. In its debut Currently on the faculty at the University of Illinois School of Music, Eduardo season, Sinfonia released a highly acclaimed recording of French Piano Concerti with Diazmuñoz has built his professional reputation throughout Mexico and specifically in Hobson conducting from the piano keyboard, and was the subject of a 90-minute Mexico City, where he has served with distinction as General Music Director and con- Public Television special. Since then Sinfonia has performed more than 500 musical ductor of the Metropolitan Philharmonic Orchestra, National University Philharmonic, works featuring local soloists and nearly 75 guest artists. Through Maestro Hobson’s State of Mexico Symphony Orchestra, Mexico City Philharmonic, National commitment to excellence in all of the orchestra’s endeavors Sinfonia has achieved Conservatory Symphony and Philharmonic Orchestras, and Carlos Chavez Symphony national and international recognition. Orchestra. He came to public attention upon his debut at the Palacio de Bellas Artes Ten recordings by Sinfonia da Camera for the Zephyr label have been released to of his native Mexico City at 22 years of age. Ever since, he has received numerous rave reviews both at home and abroad. The most recently released recordings, by a awards and prizes, among them the coveted prize awarded by the Mexican Union of little known composer of the early nineteenth century, Moscheles Piano Concertos, Theater and Music Chronicles, which he has received four times. Diazmuñoz has Vols. I, II and III, were reviewed by American Record Guide: “Hobson, whose elegant served as Music Director and Conductor of the Baja California Orchestra in Tijuana, phrasing, remarkable ear for color, and miraculous ability to evenly sustain the most which is dedicated to the performance of contemporary orchestral literature. Aside difficult runs-each like a string of pearls-are simply a joy to hear” and “[The concerti] from this local prominence in his home country, he has been a permanent guest for the seem tailor-made for Hobson’s great panache and free-wheeling style . . . I hope we last 29 years in 15 countries where he has achieved recognition mainly as conductor, won’t have to wait long for him to complete the cycle.” In 2003 the orchestra also saw yet he is also know as composer, pianist, percussionist, solid educator, promoter, musical the publication of Classical Music for Dummies, edition II, which includes a recording events organizer, and gifted lecturer. He has conducted more than 80 orchestras, 15 of with Sinfonia da Camera. them as Resident Conductor in five countries. He was twice nominated for the “Best Classical Album” in the Latin Grammy Awards, the only Mexican conductor to have been nominated twice for this prestigious prize. He has made 28 recordings for 19