Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez - Zenith (2022) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

With 'Zenith', the internationally renowned soloists Anna Stegmann and Jorge Jimenez follow up their successful debut album 'Lunaris'. As there, the experts in historically informed performance practice have created with 'Zenith' a new sound world all their own, in which, artistically at the highest level and beyond conventions and stylistic dictates, they confidently transcend their original habitat.

If you look directly up towards the sky you can visualise the highest point of the celestial sphere, the zenith. This imaginary point describes anything exactly above a particular location. In exploring and extending this idea, our programme boldly inhabits the electric fields of original and arranged repertoire for recorders and different types of violins.

Zenith blends medieval melodies with electronic sounds and haunting traditional tunes with innocent song. Just a few original compositions were available to our duo, yet the programme offers arrangements spanning 800 years of repertoire, including original electronic compositions by Jorge. Fluent connections of musical styles present a wealth of sound colours that let the light in as often as they invite darkness.

As a dramatic last act, we perform Christos Hatzis’ ‘Nadir’ which integrates middle-eastern sounds with western composition techniques, and combines the sonorities of tenor recorder, viola, and tape. Hatzis composed this piece as a requiem following the passing of two influential figures in his life and a period of conflict between Iran and Iraq.

In astronomical terms the ‘nadir’ is the exact opposite of the zenith; it can also mean the lowest point or the depths of despair, a fitting contrast to Zenith’s opener: Johannes Ciconia’s uplifting multi-meter prolation canon ‘Le Ray au Soleyl’ (the rays of the sun), which offers an unexpected century spanning opening to our musical journey.

Tracklist:
1. Jorge Jiménez – Passacaglia: I. Origin (After H. Biber) (00:54)
2. Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez – Le ray au soleyl (Arr. for Vielle, Recorder & Electronics) (03:32)
3. Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez – Children's Songs: No. 4 (Excerpts Arr. for Violin & Recorder) (02:22)
4. Jorge Jiménez – Passacaglia: II. Northern Winds (After H. Biber) (00:52)
5. Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez – Romainian Folk Dances, Sz. 68: No. 2, Brâul (Arr. for Violin & Recorder) (00:48)
6. Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez – 44 Duos, Sz. 104 (Excerpts Arr. for Violin & Recorder): No. 44, Transylvanian’ Dance (01:51)
7. Jorge Jiménez – Passacaglia: III. The Guardian (After H. Biber) (02:07)
8. Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez – Lamento di tristano (Arr. for Violin, Recorder & Electronics) (02:34)
9. Jorge Jiménez – Passacaglia: IV. Night Angel (After H. Biber) (00:49)
10. Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez – Childen's Songs: No. 1 (Excerpts Arr. for Violin & Recorder) (02:25)
11. Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez – Peppino (Arr. for Violin & Recorder) (01:29)
12. Jorge Jiménez – Passacaglia: V. Silence (After H. Biber) (00:48)
13. Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez – 44 Duos, Sz. 104 (Excerpts Arr. for Violin & Recorder): No. 11, Cradle Song (01:56)
14. Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez – Nadir (Arr. for Violin, Recorder & Electronics) (07:03)
15. Anna Stegmann & Jorge Jiménez – Gymnopédie No. 1 (Arr. for Viola, Recorder & Electronics) (04:04)


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