THE AURORA DUO
Music for Violin & Harp

  MURRAY BOREN, GAETANO DONIZETTI,
ALAN HOVHANESS, ANGEL LASALA,
CAMILLE SAINT-SAENS & ADRIAN SHAPOSHINIKOV

  WORLD PREMIERE RECORDINGS  

Donna Fairbanks violin
Lysa Rytting harp

"This was the debut album of the Aurora Duo, consisting of Donna Fairbanks, violin and Lysa Rytting, harp, performing a choice repertoire for a highly attractive but all-too seldom heard instrumental combo. They perform with style, a nice mutual rapport, and plenty of melodic beauty. Without demeaning them in the least, I would characterize their programs as very relaxing to listen to, which is almost the last thing you expect in concert life today.

 Three of these recordings are world premieres. Sonata in D Minor by Adrian Shaposhnikov (1888-1967) is filled with delicate lyricism and, in its Menuetto movement, a nostalgia for happier, more pleasantly mannered times – just what we might expect of a student of Glazunov who lived through a time of war and revolution. Poema del Pastor Coya by Argentine composer Angel Lasala (1914-2000) is a real charmer that pays homage in its use of the pentatonic scale to the indigenous music of Latin America . The middle movement, Queña, with its evocation of the native flute, is haunting in its beauty. Five Movements from the Liturgical Dances by American composer Murray Boren (n.1950) are dances for the imagination that are intended as aids in prayer and meditation. One of them effectively combines harp with gentle violin pizzicati. Hypnotic, stark, serene and introspective, these mood pieces achieve their purpose.

 The Sonata for Violin and Harp by Gaetano Donizetti (1797-1848) is memorable for its Larghetto, evoking the passion of a tragic heroine from one of the composer’s operas. It is followed by a gay and all-too brief Allegro. Sonata for Alan Hovhaness (1911-2000) is in five movements: Prelude, Cantando, Dance, Lullaby, and Andante dolce. It clearly bears the composer’s “thumbprint” in its lyrical directness, and simplicity and its evocations of far eastern music. And finally, Fantasie for Violin and Harp, Op. 124 by Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921) is a virtuosic work that brings the artistry of the Aurora Duo to the fore. It is filled with the most diverse melodies, especially when, about two-thirds of the way through, the violin decorates a repeated phrase in the harp with a long-breathed embroidery of sound, growing more intense until it reaches its climax. A good way to end a memorable recital."
Phil Muse, Audio Society of Atlanta ~ May 2010

The most fundamental essence of music, melody, answers our instinctual longing for beauty in sound. Melody swells from a creative outlet that seems vital to our existence. We are drawn to its inspirational force and its capacity to stir an endless variety of emotions. Melody can be simple and serene, or imaginative and playful. It can be triumphal or mournful, primitive or sophisticated, impassioned or carefree. What better way to celebrate melody than with the glorious combination of violin and harp? While the violin swells with warm and vibrating sound, the harp, an instrument with an ancient past, produces tones that are near mystical in their beauty. Together, the instruments blend to create music with an other-worldly quality.

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Formed in 1991, the AURORA DUO consists of violinist Donna Fairbanks and harpist Lysa Rytting. With a repertoire that covers a wide variety of styles, they honor the established masterpieces of the genre while also committing to the performance of new and rarely heard pieces.

American violinist Donna Fairbanks has performed as soloist with numerous orchestras including the Charleston Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Symphony Orchestra, the Orquestra Sinfonica de Londrina in Brazil and Sun Valley’s Elkhorn Festival Orchestra. She has performed solo recitals throughout the United States, and in Mexico and Brazil. Ms. Fairbanks received a Doctor of Musical Arts in Violin Performance from the University of Arizona and a Master of Music degree from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. She also received a Bachelor of Music degree from Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Her teachers include Zvi Zeitlin, Varujan Kojian, William Harroutonian, John Ferrell and Percy Kalt, with chamber coaching from William Primrose and the Cleveland Quartet. Ms. Fairbanks has taught as a faculty member at the University of Minnesota’s MacPhail Center for the Arts, at Brigham Young University, and as a guest artist at the Universidade Estadual de Londrina in Brazil. She is currently Assistant Professor and String Coordinator in the Music Department at Utah Valley University.

American harpist Lysa Rytting received a Premier Prix in harp performance from the Royal Conservatory of Brussels in Belgium, where she studied with Susanna Mildonian. Other teachers include Marylin Costello, former principal harpist of The Philadelphia Orchestra; Eileen Malone of the Eastman School of Music; and Louise Pratt and Rosalie Pratt at Brigham Young University in Utah. She has performed with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Trenton Symphony Orchestra, Boise Philharmonic Orchestra, Chautauqua Institute Orchestra, Oregon Symphony Orchestra, Las Vegas Philharmonic Orchestra, and others. Ms. Rytting has performed as a soloist with with the Utah Symphony Orchestra, the Utah Valley Symphony Orchestra, and the Utah Chamber Players. She is an active recording studio musician, recitalist, and has performed at many music festivals, including the Moab Music Festival, Park City International Chamber Music Festival, Deer Valley Music Festival, Skaneateles Music Festival in New York, and the Oregon Bach Festival. Ms. Rytting is a former faculty member of Brigham Young University, and currently serves as second harpist in the Utah Symphony and a faculty member at Utah Valley University.