April 16, 2009

RECORDINGS: Classical and traditional music are featured on CDs

By FRANK BEHRENS
Contributing Writer

Those who follow the careers of great keyboard players will be most interested in a Sony Classical
CD of Leon Fleisher performing Mozart’s Piano Concerti 12 and 23 along with No. 7 in the
composer’s own arrangement for two pianos.

This disc has special interest because it is Fleisher’s first two-hand recording in over 40 years! (He
suffered from focal dystonia in his right hand.) It remains for the listener to judge his recovery on
the basis of this recording, and I would appreciate hearing the opinions of some of my readers.

His wife joins him in the No. 7 performance and they are accompanied by the Stuttgarter
Kammerorchester, conducted by Leon himself.

Sony Classical has issued a lovely CD featuring guitarist Sharon Isbin, “Journey to the New World.”
The title comes from the concept of her family’s journey from Ireland to the early American colonies
and then to the West Coast in the early 1900s.

As she explains in the program notes, “(T)he individual folk tunes are in a chronological form that
mirrors both the evolution of American folk music and the course of my family’s migration.”

Among the 29 tracks on this disc, two of them have Joan Baez supplying the vocal, while violinist
Mark O’Connor accompanies Isbin in his “Strings & Threads Suite.” All in all, this is a most
impressive concert of folk music arrangements.

For youngsters only. After the immense popularity of the two “Ghostbuster” films, an animated
series was made for television (unseen by me) titled “The Real Ghostbusters.” A press release tells
me that the sale of the complete series on Time-Life DVDs (147 episodes, mind you) met with
good critical acclaim.

So Time-Life is following up with “a more cost effective option.” It is called “The Real Ghostbusters,
Volume 1” and holds the first 30 episodes on 5 DVDs—plus a “making of” bonus and a ROM
element with scripts and story boards.

Strictly, again, for the younger viewers, most of whom should love this set.

Note: This is my 200th report for Keene Sentinel. I hope I have been serving my readers well.
 March 16, 2009

Guitarist Sharon Isbin may be most

Journey to the New World *** recognizable to film music fans for her
VARIOUS recent performance on Howard Shore’s
Sony Classical 88697-45456-2 score to The Departed. This Grammy
29 tracks - 61:18 Award-winner’s latest CD is lovely
collection of classical and folk pieces that
shows off her virtuoso talents and delicate
touch. The album begins with four pieces
originally written for lute, which Isbin
transcribes for guitar. Joan Baez provides haunting vocals for a couple of tunes, including the traditional
“Wayfaring Stranger,” but it’s Baez’s musical legacy that is the inspiration for John Duarte’s “Joan Baez
Suite, Op. 144,” a seven-part guitar solo, written especially for Isbin and which she premiered on stage
in 2003 (it makes its album recording debut here). The other major chunk of the CD is devoted to Mark
O’Connor’s adaptation of his own Strings & Thread Suite from solo violin to a duo for violin and guitar.
This is a thematically calming but simultaneously exciting release from Isbin, who has over 25 CDs
under her belt. —Cary Wong
CLASSICAL GUITAR MAGAZINE (UK) – Cover Feature, MAY 2009

JOURNEY TO THE NEW WORLD - Sony Classical 88697-45456-2

ANON: Drewrie’s Accordes. DOWLAND: Lord Willoughby’s Welcome Home. ANON: Le Rossignol.
JOHNSON: Greensleeves. ENGLISH FOLK SONGS: The Drunken Sailor, Wild Mountain Thyme.
ANDREW YORK: Andecy. TRAD: Wayfaring Stranger. DUARTE: Joan Baez Suite, Op. 144. NILES: Go
way from my window. O’CONNOR: Strings and Threads Suite.

Sharon Isbin, Joan Baez, Mark O’Connor

This album was released on 24 March 2009 with a live interview on the New York radio
programme WQXR (available on Sharon Isbin’s website), and a Performance Today national
broadcast throughout the USA from 245 radio stations. It is extremely encouraging to find that
such high profile publicity is available for the classical guitar in the appropriate context.
Moreover, Sharon Isbin’s performances for film soundtracks (such as Scorsese’s The Departed),
her various Grammy and other Recording Academy awards, as well as playing at Ground Zero
for the Names Memorial and televised broadcast on 11 September 2002, are all facets of a career
which has established her as the guitarist laureate of the USA.

This new recording is intended as a progressive musical journey, moving from the roots of
English music in the Elizabethan age, to Ireland, and thence to the USA, where the traditions of
European folk songs and dances evolved into new and distinctive cultural identities. To help with
this journey Isbin is joined by Joan Baez and Mark O’Connor in a presentation full of delightful
surprises which nevertheless maintains a sense of coherence amidst considerable diversity.

At the heart of the content is a remarkable Joan Baez Suite, Op. 144 by John Duarte,
featuring some of Baez’s favourite songs such as House of the Rising Sun and Where have all the
flowers gone? arranged for solo guitar. The settings are poignant yet understated with deft
harmonic touches and imaginative twists to familiar melodies.

The lyrical singing of Joan Baez is timeless, of course, and her presence endows the
occasion with truly historic perspectives. It is a pity that Baez only appears on two of these tracks
for her musical togetherness with Isbin is so excellent that it needs further opportunity to reveal
all the possibilities of range and expressiveness implicit here. An entire programme of these two
artists should surely be the next step.

Mark O’Connor’s superb Strings and Threads Suite for violin and guitar, is spectacular,
offering brilliant virtuosity in a framework of authentic folk intensity. O’Connor’s impeccable
violin playing is frequently reminiscent of the sonorous precision of Stéphane Grappelli and as a
composition which breathes utter spontaneity, the suite provides an abundance of emotional
contrasts and dazzling colours.

This album is thus contemporary and relevant yet traces profound historical patterns. As
such its strength is that of a sense of identity and purpose. It also demonstrates that guitar music
does not have to be overtly complex or esoteric to achieve an impact. Sharon Isbin’s concept here
is that of a recital, progressing naturally from one perspective to another but ultimately creating a
satisfying synthesis of all the component parts. One can imagine that the appeal of this journey
will be considerable, not only attracting guitarists but also the attention of the general public. As
such this new issue provides a powerful consolidation of Isbin’s stature on the international scene
and a reminder that artistry of the highest order manifests itself in many subtle and unexpected
ways.

Graham Wade
 DEMOCRAT & CHRONICLE

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/200904100300/LIVING
/904100317

April 10, 2009, Rochester, New York

SHARON ISBIN: JOURNEY TO THE NEW WORLD. With this new recording, Isbin
proves she is one of the few classical musicians who can find the right grooves and native
feel of Americana and English folk music. And sure, the guitar has long been a purveyor
for American music. Still, at first, I was unsure how this poised classical artist would do.
Instead of coming across as an unfortunate mesh of styles, Isbin's strumming is so
complementary to the fiddling of Mark O'Connor and the folk voice of Joan Baez that it's
hard to remember that these styles are a departure from her usual fare. My favorite work
on the CD is the Strings and Threads Suite by O'Connor. The works romp, stomp and jig;
Isbin puts a little more oomph in her plucking for more grit and bounce. There's a vitality
and excitement to this kind of American roots music that Isbin manages to capture with
unwavering precision.

— Anna Reguero
Hot Pick CD/New Releases

APRIL 2009 HOT PICK/NEW RELEASES

An Eloquent Bridging of Traditional Music from the Old World to the New...

Journey to the New World: Mark O'CONNOR: Strings & Threads

Suite arr. for violin & guitar; John DUARTE: Joan Baez Suite;
Andrew YORK: Andecy; Four Renaissance Lute Works (trns ISBIN);
Drunken Sailor, Wild Mountain Thyme (arr. Edward FLOWER);
*Wayfaring Stranger (Carlos Barbosa-Lima arr); NILES: *Go 'Way
From My Window (trns Isbin

by Sharon Isbin, guitar; *Joan Baez, voice; Mark O’Connor, violin

Grammy Award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin says her debut release Sony: 745456
on Sony is "A voyage in song from the British Isles to the New World."
Joining her are legendary folk singer Joan Baez who sings deeply moving versions of Wayfaring
Stranger and Go 'Way from My Window, and violin and composer, Mark O'Connor, who arranged a
special violin & guitar version of his 'down-home' yet dazzling Strings & Threads Suite for himself
and Isbin. Baez is also honored with the premier recording of Duarte's Joan Baez Suite, featuring
songs that are inextricably linked to the singer, such as House of the Rising Sun, Lily of the West,
and Where have all the Flowers Gone? Isbin's playing could not be bettered; her expressive readings
are full of intense lyricism and intimate poetry, but never get in the way of the simple honesty and
purity of these traditional songs. The CD also showcases the amazingly sophisticated arrangements
by Isbin and others, which are worth the price alone.
 April 2009
http://www.soundstage.com/music/reviews/rev1152.htm

Sharon Isbin, Joan Baez, Mark O’Connor - Journey

to the New World
Sony Classical 88697
Format: CD
Released: 2009

by Rad Bennett
radb@soundstage.com

Musical Performance
Recording Quality
Overall Enjoyment

This CD features the combined talents of one of the greatest contemporary

guitarists, the grand dame of folksingers, celebrating her 50th year of
performance, and the wizardry of crossover music’s greatest fiddle player-
composer. These are the only three performers, yet the album is so top heavy
with talent that you might think it would collapse under that weight. Instead, the
combined super artistry is heard in one of the most beguiling, supple and
charming musical journeys of the year.

The disc begins with four Renaissance lute duets in which Sharon Isbin plays
both parts (on the guitar), then moves to two familiar English folksongs -- "The
Drunken Sailor" and "The Mountain Thyme." After a transition piece,"Andecy"
by Andrew York, Joan Baez joins Isbin for a haunting version of "Wayfaring
Stranger." The great folksinger is then given tribute in a suite for guitar called
simply enough "The Joan Baez Suite." It was written by John Duarte for Isbin
and is a showcase of songs made popular by the young Baez. There are some
fascinating juxtapositions, such as the joining of a Schubert song about dead
flowers with Pete Seeger’s "Where Have All The Flowers Gone," and the
fascinating contrapuntal combination of "Dido’s Lament" by Purcell with the folk
tune "The Unquiet Grave." After the suite, Baez comes back for "Go ‘Way
From My Window," and then the album closes with Mark O’Connor’s exuberant
"Strings and Threads Suite," arranged for violin and guitar.

The recorded sound is a perfect fit to the performances -- close up, intimate,
and detailed. This kind of CD could make crossover music a respected genre.
Domande per Sharon Isbin -- Venerdi di Reppublica Magazine, May 1, 2009, Italy

1) Lei è arrivata ai vertici della musica internazionale in un campo, quello della chitarra,
dominato dagli uomini. Qual è il segreto?
You reached the top of the classical guitar world, which is mainly a male-dominated field
How did you manage to do this?

I focussed on becoming the best musician and guitarist I could be. This meant seeking
excellent teachers like Oscar Ghiglia, Alirio Diaz, Segovia, and ten years study of with
Rosalyn Tureck for the music of Bach. I’ve also worked with some of the finest composers
of our time, creating popular new concerti which orchestras want to perform. Other projects
have taken me outside the classical realm resulting in unusual, never-before-heard
collaborations in a variety of genres. Along the way, I was asked to create a guitar
department for The Juilliard School, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. My
students come from 16 different countries – including Italy of course -- and their influence
is felt worldwide.

2) Per il suo ultimo Cd si è avvalsa della collaborazione di Joan Baez. Come è nato il
sodalizio?
In your latest CD you perform with Joan Baez. How did this collaboration happen?

After the success of composer John Duarte’s Appalachian Dreams suite, I asked him to
write another work for me, this time honoring Joan Baez whose artistry I’ve long admired.
She loved the idea and gave it her full support.

The Joan Baez Suite for solo guitar includes many songs she performed in her early career,
including “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” “House of the Rising Sun,” “Barbara
Allen,” “Lily of the West,” and others. After hearing my performance of the music, she
offered to sing on this Sony recording titled Journey to the New World. I selected Wayfaring
Stranger and Go ‘Way from my Window to perform with her. She was a joy to work with,
her voice is still magnificent, and artistically we share a very special chemistry together.
This album is in her homage, and Joan is touring the world this season in celebration of the
50th anniversary of her career. Would you believe, her aunt used to folk dance with my
parents in our home in Minneapolis every month as a member of their university club. So I
met Joan Baez’s aunt years before, at age five!

The concept of this CD begins with 16th century Renaissance lute duets which I perform
with myself, and explores the evolution of folk music through 17th and 18th century
Scotland and Ireland, crossing the ocean to America and where the transformation of these
roots became a new and distinct vernacular.

You can hear samples of the music, watch a video of my performance with the virtuoso folk
violinist/composer on the album Mark O’Connor, and see photos of me with Joan Baez on
my website: http://www.sharonisbin.com

3) Si dice che lei tragga continua ispirazione dai suoi frequenti viaggi. E' vero?
It seems that you get inspiration from your continuous travelling. Is that true?

Performing has been a great way for me to discover the world. I’ve learned so much about
different cultures and people, and all of these travels and their rich tapestries of life have
influenced my music. Whether it’s meeting a famous koto player in Japan or pipa player
 from China, discovering the romantic gardens of the Alhambra, hiking in the Brazilian
Amazon, or being inspired by the ancient histories of Greece and Israel....

4) Il compositore Leo Brouwer ha detto di essere stato colpito dalla chiarezza e dal lirismo
delle sue esecuzioni. Si riconosce in questo tributo?
Leo Brouwer said he was struck by the clarity and poetry of your playing. Did you recognize
yourself in this definition?

Leo was one of the first composers to write for me, and his Afro-Cuban influenced El
Decameron Negro has become legendary. It is a work inspired by poetry and which
demands color, clarity, contrast and emotion, so I’m glad Leo feels that I have captured his
intended spirit.

5) Come è nata la sua passione per la chitarra classica?

How did you become interested in classical guitar?

Our family lived in Varese for a year when I was nine years old. When my oldest brother
asked for guitar lessons, my parents discovered the wonderful classical guitarist Aldo
Minella who commuted weekly from Milan to teach. But my brother’s fantasy was to be the
next Elvis Presley, so he declined the lessons and I volunteered to take his place. I loved it
immediately.

6) Ha suonato con i grandi del jazz e del rock, ha inciso con la New York Philharmonic l'unico
Cd ma registrato da questa celebre orchestra con un chitarrista, ha vinto un Grammy Award,
ha firmato la colonna sonora del film di Scorsese “The Departed”, ha avuto 39 copertine in
tutto il mondo. C'è un traguardo che non ha ancora raggiunto?
You performed with great jazz musicians and rock stars, recorded with NY Philharmonic the
first ever Cd this orchestra made with a guitarist, won a Grammy, performed the soundtrack
of Scorsese's The Departed, were featured on 39 cover around the world. Is there any goal
you haven't achieved yet?

I look forward in the next couple of years to recording the duo that rock guitarist Steve Vai
wrote for the two of us. I’ve also been taking Latin dance lessons these last several months,
and hope to become fluent – both as a leader and follower - in Cha Cha, Tango, Salsa,
Merengue, Rhumba, Mambo and other dances.

7) E' la prima volta che Tan Dun scrive per lei?

Is this concerto (YI2) the first work composed for you by Tan Dun?

Tan Dun wrote the guitar concerto for me in 1996, and I premiered it in Germany with the
Orchestre National de France. It was his first work for me, and it is inspired by the beautiful
folk tradition of the ancient Chinese lute (pipa) and the rich heritage of the Spanish
flamenco guitar of the gypsies. This remarkable interweaving of the two cultures and styles
makes this dramatic work compelling and engaging. My recording of it is paired with an
equally amazing concerto written for me by Christopher Rouse inspired by the Barcelona
architect Antoni Gaudi.

8) Lei dice di non considerare un “no” una risposta definitiva. Sempre così ottimista?
You said you didn't take no for an answer. Are you always so optimistic?

When the first composer I ever asked to write a concerto said no and then changed his mind
after hearing me play, I learned that if you really believe in something, you can find a path
 to make it happen.

9) Non è la prima volta che suona in Italia. Le piace questo Paese?

This not the first time you perform in Italy. Do you like this country?

Every time I return to Italy I remember my childhood, and am grateful for the opportunity
this country afforded me to discover my passion for the guitar. I love the history, beauty and
diversity of the land, and the warmth and generosity of the people. It was always my dream
to return, and I’m so happy now to perform in Italy every year.

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