Pianist Wu Han's Russian Recital
An Album Featuring Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov and Scriabin
Sep 8, 2008
Musical inspiration comes from a variety of sources. Some are obvious, such as the grandeur of nature, but other inspirations are sparked by every day life. Tchaikovsky was "inspired" to write The Seasons, a series of 12 short piano works, in order to foot the bills in his early days as a composer. Pianist Wu Han was inspired to record Tchaikovsky's Seasons through a simple attempt to find some classical music her young daughter would enjoy.
This blending of the mundane results in a delicately charming recording entitled Russian Recital, Wu Han's first full-length solo recording for the label ArtistLed. In addition to Tchaikovsky's Seasons, the album also features six preludes by Rachmaninov, Scriabin's 4th Sonata and Rachmaninov's arrangement of Fritz Kreisler's Liebesfreud.
Periodical Music
The Seasons was written and published in installments (much like a Charles Dickens novel). N.M. Bernard, editor of the monthly music periodical Nuvelliste, commissioned the piano pieces, requesting each one to represent a different month of the year. Each piece was printed with a scrap of verse, creating a fitting portrait to characterize each month.
Salon music was in vogue during the 19th century and churning out simple pieces for home entertainment was a lucrative business. Tchaikovsky's commission from Bernard helped the composer make ends meet in the days before he met his wealthy patron Nadezhda von Meck.
Wu Han: Performer, Director, Producer
Wu Han has appeared at Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London and the Kennedy Center in DC (among other venues) and has participated regularly as a faculty member at the Aspen Music Festival, Isaac Stern International Chamber Music Workshop at Carnegie Hall and the Jerusalem Music Center.
Yet Han is not only a passionate performer: she has also brought her enthusiasm for music off stage and behind the scenes as an organizer. In August 2003, she started Music@Menlo with her husband and musical partner David Finckel (who is also the cellist for the Emerson String Quartet). This chamber music festival features modern programming and top quality artists.
Wu Han also forged new territory for the classical music world when she founded the first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company for classical musicians called ArtistLed. After 11 years, the label has produced 10 albums, one of which (Russian Classics) received an Editor's Choice Award from the BBC Music magazine.
Sources
Child, Fred. "Wu Han Plays Tchaikovsky, Month by Month." June 30, 2008. NPR Music.
ArtistLed Biography of Wu Han.
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