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STEPHANIE SANT'AMBROGIOAlso Available
  SOARING SOLOUnaccompanied Works II for Violin and ViolaGrażyna Bacewicz, Heinrich Ignaz Franz Von Biber, Kenji Bunch, Miguel Del Aguila, Paul Hindemith, Alan Hovhaness, Ursula Mamlok, Alessandro Rolla, Fazil Say, Alfred Schnittke, Georg Philipp Telemann, Ernst Toch STEPHANIE SANT'AMBROGIO, violin & viola [MS1627] $12.95 LISTEN
REVIEWS
“Sant’Ambrogio plays Biber’s great Passacaglia with plenty of emotion...”Magil, American Record Guide [January/February 2017]“[On her new CD], Stephanie Sant-Ambrogio shines brilliantly on both her violin and viola... Her diverse programme yields all kinds of technical challeneges, which she effortlessly surmounts, but it is her affection for the music that makes each an absorbing musical experience.”Laurence Vittes, Gramophone [December 2016]“Ms. Sant'Ambrogio has an impressive technique, accurate intonation, excellent articulation and never makes a harsh or unpleasant sound – unless called for (see below). She adapts well to the style of the varied repertory on this well-filled disc... try her extraordinary account of the exotic and quirky Cleopatra by Fazil Say. If ever you thought that a work for solo violin couldn't achieve the color a keyboard instrument could, you may change your mind after hearing Cleopatra. Sant' Ambrogio's viola performances are just as impressive... her account [of Miguel del Aguila's Cortando Limones] is utterly brilliant and you'll enjoy it. I think Sant'Ambrogio delivers a vital and incisive reading of the Hindemith Sonata, too... Every performance on the disc, actually, is quite fine. MSR's sound reproduction is excellent. If the repertory and these two string instruments appeal to you, this disc won't disappoint.”Robert Cummings, ClassicalNet [November 2016]“[Sant’Ambrogio] offers considerable stateliness and a fine sense of form for Telemann’s Fantasie No. 10... A big surprise here for anyone not familiar with it is Biber’s Passacaglia in G minor, a very substantial and considerably extended work that gives Sant’Ambrogio plenty of chances to explore her instrument’s emotional range. This is a real highlight of the CD... [Alfred Schnittke’s Fuga] nicely showcases Sant’Ambrogio’s technical abilities... very fine playing, quite a few little-known works to discover, and some significant highlights... Sant’Ambrogio has already recorded an MSR disc of solo works for violin and viola – and listeners who own and enjoy that earlier CD, titled Going Solo, will surely find this one a companionable addition to their collection.”Mark J. Estren, InfoDad [October 2016]PROGRAM NOTES
“Soaring effortlessly high above the clouds. That’s the sensation I enjoy when I am in the perfect performance zone. It’s a feeling of tremendous freedom and peace. As if I am weightless, I’m soaring on air currents looking passively down on the tumultuous world below as the music flows past my ears. When I decided to record a second CD of solo pieces for violin and viola, Soaring Solo was the title that came ‘out of the blue’ and drifted into my consciousness. And like Going Solo, I wanted to seed these clouds with some of my favorites from the Baroque period along with a few lesser known, rarely recorded gems and, finally, to include treasures written by living composers. Enjoy your own flight on the wings of these exceptional composers and their inspiring compositions.” [Stephanie Sant'Ambrogio]Stephanie Sant’Ambrogio enjoys a varied performing and recording career as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral leader. She has performed as a soloist and chamber musician on the foremost stages of the United States, as well as in Canada, Estonia, Sweden, Ghana, Italy, Peru, Chile and Mexico. Currently Associate Professor of Violin and Viola at the University of Nevada, Reno, and member of the Argenta Trio, she is also Artistic Director of Cactus Pear Music Festival, which she founded in 1997 while serving as Concertmaster of the San Antonio Symphony. Former First Assistant Principal Second Violin of The Cleveland Orchestra under Christoph von Dohnanyi, she toured and recorded internationally with this ensemble for eight seasons. She performs on a 1757 J.B. Guadagnini of Milan and a 2008 Jacek Zadlo viola of Chicago. PROGRAM
GRAŻYNA BACEWICZKAPRYS POLSKI (Polish Caprice) for solo violin ERNST TOCH THREE IMPROMPTUS for solo viola I. Allegro comodo II. Andantino piacevole III. Allegro energico–Quasi valse tempo ALESSANDRO ROLLA CAPRICCIO NO. 1 IN F for solo viola GEORG PHILIPP TELEMANN FANTASIE NO. 10 IN D for solo violin I. Presto II. Largo III. Allegro HEINRICH IGNAZ FRANZ VON BIBER PASSACAGLIA IN G MINOR for solo violin URSULA MAMLOK FROM MY GARDEN for solo violin ALAN HOVHANESS CHAHAGIR for solo viola FAZIL SAY CLEOPATRA for solo violin KENJI BUNCH SARABANDE for solo violin MIGUEL DEL ÁGUILA CORTANDO LIMONES (Cutting Limes) for solo violin PAUL HINDEMITH SONATE OP. 31, NO. 2 for solo violin I. “Es ist so schönes Wetter drausen” (“It is such nice weather outside”) II. Leicht bewegte Viertel III. Ruhig bewegte Achtel IV. Gemächliche Viertel V. Fünf Variationen über das Lied “Komm, lieber Mai” v. Mozart ALFRED SCHNITTKE FUGA for solo violin MSR Classics |
