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MUSIC

The Muse © Christopher Pugmire

New Album!

 "Throughout his life, Brahms was influenced by those he admired: the musicians he idolized, and the women with whom he formed powerful bonds. Clara Schumann represented both, and Nino Gvetadze explores their fascinating dynamic in The Muse. Brahms’s Two Rhapsodies Op. 79 were dedicated to Elisabet von Herzogenberg, whose loss he mourned in the Intermezzos Op. 117; and he was inspired by Handel to write a phenomenal set of Variations dedicated to Clara Schumann – whose Op. 21 Romances date from a time that neither she nor Brahms would ever forget."

The album “Aufgelebt” is all about revival, rebirth and recreation, the promise of new beginnings. Beethoven worked on his Piano Concerto No. 4 and the Op. 61a (piano version of a violin concerto) in the same period of his life. Both concertos were neglected and would have been forgotten had it not been for the attention of Felix Mendelssohn, who revived the Fourth Piano Concerto in 1836 and conducted the violin concerto, in 1844. Since then, these two concertos have been considered to be masterpieces of classical music literature. The Violin Concerto had yet another chance of rebirth long before young Joachim’s success. After attending the premier of the piece, Muzio Clementi asked Beethoven to transcribe the work for piano and orchestra. His wish was promptly fulfilled by the composer, who at the same time enriched the Concerto with authentic cadenzas, of which the first - in the First Movement - is very special as the piano is accompanied by timpani!

The idea of recording this album was conceived in the beginning of 2020. the year of loneliness, isolation and silence. The Pandemic paused our humanity and this hiatus turned out to be our new reality.
It was different for everyone, easier for some, more difficult for the others.
For me it felt like a rollercoaster, days of pure serenity, were followed by restless moments. Soon I discovered that nothing felt more natural and satisfying, than playing the music of Robert Schumann.
The music of this incredible man, who felt and understood, better than anyone else, opposite sides of human nature, came to the rescue.
The pieces in the album found their place like pearls on the thread: looking back at the first piece of Schumann that I had learnt as a child (“Arabeske”) , watching my own children and discovering their images in “Kinderszenen”, living in this strange reality and finding reflections in the most eccentric and at the same time enchanting “Kreisleriana”, wondering about the future (“Prophet bird”) and hoping for consolation (Romanze).
In those times Robert Schumann and his friends stood behind the phrase “Frei Aber Einsam” (Free, but lonely), in these times for many of us it mostly felt Einsam...

Nino Gvetadze 13.06.2020

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