Slovak Piano Sonatas – Ladislav Fanzowitz

Ladislav Fanzowitz – piano

1 • Roman Berger – Semplice (2000) 13.05

Ilja Zeljenka – Piano Sonata No. 23 (2004)
2 • Larghetto 3.10
3 • Allegro energico 3.52
4 • Andante tranquillo 3.10
5 • Presto 2.37

Evgeny Irshai – Exodus, sonata for piano and two tam-tams
(for one performer) (1996)
6 • Moderato 10.38
7 • Molto rubato. Moderato 9.34
8 • Ľubica Čekovská – Sonata Tensiona (2008) 9.55

Vladislav Šarišský – Sonata No. 1 (2001)
9 • Rubato quasi una cadenza. Allegro 7.49
10 • Andante 3.43
11 • Allegro con fuoco 4.38

Recorded digitaly at the Fatra Hall, Žilina • Recording, Mastering (24 bit/192 kHz), Production and Distribution: PAVLÍK RECORDS • Music Director: Ladislav Fanzowitz • Sound Director: Rostislav Pavlík • Translation: © Jana Beňová • Graphic Design: © Martin Vojtek

CD SIDE – CD AUDIO
DVD SIDE – DVD AUDIO
∗ ADVANCED RESOLUTION SURROUND SOUND 48 kHz/24 bit
∗ ADVANCED RESOLUTION Stereo SOUND 192 kHz/24 bit

ROMAN BERGER
(1930) took up music after the WWII. He graduated in Český Těšín in 1949. He had to interrupt studying piano at the university in Katovice due to his family moving to Bratislava in 1952. He finished his studies with Prof. Štefan Németh – Šamorínsky in 1956. In 1965 he graduated with honour in composition in the class of Prof. Dezider Kardoš. He taught at the Bratislava Conservatory and lectured at the department of Music theory of the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. During the “normalization” in 1969 he was expelled from the Slovak Composers Union from the Academy of Performing Arts as well as from the musical life. Since 1977 he attended the “student mobility” at the Institute of Fine Arts of the Slovak Academy of science where he worked till 1990. In 1961 he, together with Ilja Zeljenka, made the first experiments with electro-acoustic music in former Czechoslovakia. He cooperated with the research team of the ethno-musicologist Dr. Ivan Mačák in the 70s` and he lead unofficial seminars “mathematics and music” with Professor Belo Riečan since 1984. Invited by Lutoslawski himself, Berger was a jury member of Witold Lutoslawski Competition between 1990 and 1998. In 1999 Berger became an honorary member of the Polish Composers Union. “I understand art as a manifestation of the human spirituality, not as an ordinary profession. Thus, in the very centre of my striving are the aspects of the so-oriented expression. Transformations for sym- phony orchestra is the first composition into which I integrated the basic structures of so-called new music, together with the principles of the classic harmony. (1964-65). The work Logical basis of the harmonic system (1980) deals with the theoretical aspect of the problem.” Except symphonic, chamber and electro-acoustic works Berger published three books: Music and Truth (1997), The Drama of Music (2001) and The Principles of creation (Poland, 2005) and the fourth book is being prepared for publishing. During his career Berger was given these awards: Ján Levoslav Bella award for Transformation, 1968, The Czechoslovak critiques award (1968, 1991), Herber award (for the development of European tradi- tion in composition and theory; Vienna university 1988), ZSS award (1990), Slovak Performing and Mechanical Rights Society award (2000), the award of Minister of Culture of Poland (2006), The Gold Order “Gloria Artis” (Poland 2007), Tatrabanka Foundation award (2008). Sempice (2000) Looking back at this spontaneously made composition I cannot suppress the feeling that the relation- ship with J. S. Bach (the impetus for composing this piece was given by the organizer of the festival 250 Years After) is there present in two ways. Firstly, it is the musical process delimitated in time by the metrics polarity and by the free diction and in space by the chromatic polarity of the circle of quints. Secondly, it is the beginning of the French suite (in B minor) – the form emerging several times as a kind of symbol heading up and undergoing the gravity. It is paradoxical that the attracting material is the stream of transformations of the same shape. Tao of music? The composition was premiered by Evgeny Irshai. Semplice was dedicated to Dr. Jaroslav Šťastný (Peter Graham).

ILJA ZELJENKA
(1932-2007) belonged to the most significant personalities in the generation of Slovak composers that was being formed under the influence of the classics of the 20th century music and the European avant-garde of the 50s` and 60s`. His work was noticeably individualized in style since his first opuses. In the process of shaping of Zelienka`s musical expression, several are important. Neoclassicism that became the basis for his further orientation, through post-Webern-like conceptions and the influence of New music and expressionistic features of the 60s` to the compositions inspired by folk music and neo-romantic orientation in the 70s`. Overgrowing the tradition and in an attempt for colorful expressive nuances Zeljenka outlined brand new character of music and form, which was one of the reasons of great success of his compositions in Slovakia and abroad. For his outstanding work he received several domestic and international awards.

EVGENY IRSHAI
(1951, Leningrad) comes from musical background. He finished his studies at the Special Music School in 1969 and then continued at the Leningrad Conservatory – composition with A. A. Tchernov and V. Uspensky (graduated in 1975) and piano with P. A. Serebriakov (in 1978). As a pianist he was performing in Spain, USA, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, etc. He was teaching at the Special Music School of the Leningrad / St. Petersburg conservatory until 1991. From 1991 to 1993 he worked as a rehearsal pianist in the State opera in Banská Bystrica and taught composition and piano at the Conservatory of Ján Levoslav Bella in the same town. He was lecturing at the Department of Music of the Teacher’s training Collage in Banská Bystrica between 1996 and 2008. Since 2001 he has been teaching composition at The Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. Since 1979 he is a member of the Union of Russian Composers, since 1993 of the Association of Slovak Composers of the Slovak Music Union in Bratislava and since 2001 a member of the Union of Ukrainian Composers. His works were performed at the Academic Little Theatre of Opera and Ballet in Leningrad (present day Mussorgsky’s theatre) at several international festivals (St. Petersburg musical spring festival, festivals in Krakow, Italy, Bulgaria, at the Melos-Etos festival in Bratislava and in other countries, e.g. Japan, USA). S. Vasenko labeled his music as “late post-conservativism” (Sovetskaya muzyka 1990, No. 2.) In 2004 he published two CDs with his music: Omni tempore (Musical fund, Bratislava, www.hfv.sk) and Hard-Shabes (Kassák Centre for intermedia Creativity, www.k2ic.sk). He was the founder of the international festival of contemporary art Musical Salons in Banská Bystrica starting in 1997 which continues until today as a biennale. Since 1999 he has been performing fine arts, using various styles and techniques. He took part in fourteen exhibitions among which were four international and two independent ones. Recently he composes more and more at the request of prominent Slovak and foreign interprets, e.g. Milan Paľa (violin, SR), Sergej Roldugin (cello, RU), Aleksander Gabryš (double bass, PL), Zuzana Paulechová (piano, SR), Daniel Buranovský (piano, SR), Ladislav Fanzowitz (piano, SR) Boris Lenko (accordion, SR), Terézia Kružliaková (mezzo-soprano, SR), Pavol Bršlík (tenor, SR), Robert Pechanec (piano, SR), Ján Kalinowski (cello, PL), Marek Szlezer (piano, PL), conductors Petr Gribanov (RU), Aleksander Chernušenko (RU), Mario Košik (SR), Rastislav Štúr (SR), Viktoria Žaďko (UA), Ondrej Olos (CR), Simon Camartin (CHF) and ensembles and orchestras, e.g. Aleph Ensemble (France), Slovak Philharmonic orchestra, etc. He has been awarded the following prizes: Ján Levoslav Bella prize for Hard Shabes for violin, violoncello and piano in 2000 and Dezider Zador prize (UA) for Sonata del grato for clarinet and piano 2008. Exodus – sonata for piano and two tam-tams (for one performer) was composed in 1996. I was going through very strange period. I was losing something. I was leaving for somewhere. Thus, this composi- tion is really an exodus in philosophical meaning as well as in the way of organizing of the sound space. The basic cell is created by the third that is constantly being transformed in a changing, provoking thrill and is gradually growing into the magnificent fortissimo of six drum beats.

ĽUBICA ČEKOVSKÁ
was born in 1975 in the town of Humenné, Slovakia. She graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in 1998, specializing in the theory of music and at the same time she also studied composition with Prof. Dušan Martinček. During her postgraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London she continued to study composition with Prof. Paul Patterson. She also expanded her musical education during composition courses with Robert Saxton, Thomas Adèse, Arvo Pärt and Harrison Birtwistle. Since 2000 worked as a lecturer at the Department of Music Theory and Department of Composition at the Academy of Performing Arts in Bratislava. At the present time she is represented by the Bärenreiter Music Publishing House. Among prizes and awards she received are Cuthbert Nunn Composition Prize of the Royal Academy of Music (1998) for her composition Fragment and Elegies for Solo Bayan, Lewerhulme Award (1999), Elsie Owen Prize (1999) from the Royal Academy of Music, ISH Foundation Scholarship from H.R.H. Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother (1998–2000) or Ján Levoslav Bella Prize for her composition Piano Concerto (2004, Slovak Music Fund). Some of the author’s works were performed at important festivals of contemporary music: David Oistrach Festival in Pärnu, Estonia, Spitalfields Festival in London, Melos Etos Festival in Bratislava, Aspekte Festival in Salzburg, Prague Spring Festival and other. The world premiere of her composition Turbulence for a Large Symphony Orchestra was broadcast by BBC 3. During the Year of Slovak Music in November of 2006 we could hear her profile concert from the works performed in the St. Pancras Parish Church in London. In 2009 her composition Turbulence was chosen to be performed at ISCM World New Music Days festival in Sweden. She is also the author of scenic music composed for various Slovak and Czech theatres (Astorka, Slovak National Theatre, Studio S, Ypsilonka) as well as of film music (Slečna Dušehojivá, Dnes mam prvé randevu, Kruté radosti…). Her compositions released on various CDs in Slovakia including the own profile CD “Passing Impressions” (Hevhetia). In 2008 she became a member of Art Council of the Prague Spring Festival. Sonata Tensiona is a one-part composition which includes three smaller parts of typical sonata principle: “all-at-once“ exposition, development, recapitulation. Sonata is built from a monothematic material, esp. two subjects: stator – a slowering principle of the work with the musical material and rotor – speeding up principle, which moves the composition to the tension and pressure or some kind of anxiety originated from the preliminary melancholic tones of the sonata. The “motto“ of the composition is the octave that mingles in both hands thorough all sonata.

VLADISLAV ŠARIŠSKÝ
was born in Košice in 1984. Surrounded by music from the early age (his father Juraj was a first violist in Košice State Philharmonics and a teacher at Košice Conservatory) and started composing from the very first contact with piano. At the age of seven he learned musical notation and so was able to put down his compositions. He started studying composition in the class of Norbert Bodnár at the Košice Conservatory where he also studied piano under the leadership of Peter Kaščák and Janette Šingerová. After graduation he moved with his family to Bratislava where he continued with his studies at the Academy of Performing Arts in the class of Evgeny Irshai. He graduated in 2008. Sonata No.1 was composed between years 2001 and 2003, during his studies at the conservatory as a study, by its idea connected with the concept for piano, soprano and orchestra DOR. It captures emotional development of a soul in its most rapid stage. Just like all his work, it is an introspection of the author. It is contemplation about the essence of the cause and consequence in everything existing around. It is about love, disappointment, happiness and unhappiness, about God and his reflection in a mirror.

Ladislav Fanzowitz
(1980) finished his studies at the Conservatoire in Bratislava in the class of Peter Čerman with the title “Best Graduate” in the year 2000. From 1999 to 2000 he studied at the Academy of Music and Drama in Prague (under Marian Lapšanský), from 2000 to 2002 at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna (Wolfgang Watzinger) and from 2000 to 2005 at the Academy of Music and Drama in Bratislava (Marian Lapšanský). Several times he was finalist and prize-winner at national and international competitions: Chopin International Piano Competition in Mariánske Lázně, Nyiregyhazi International Competition in Krakow, Competition of Slovak Conservatory Students, International Competition Piano Bratislava, International J. N. Hummel Competition in Bratislava, Competition Talent in 2000 and 2002 … He also took part in several master courses (Jan Wijn, Abbey Simon. György Sándor, Marian Lapšanský. Karl Heinz Kämmerling, Mikhail Voskressensky…). As soloist he has appeared with the Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra, Symphonic Orchestra of the Czech Radio, Prague Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra, Bohuslav Martinů Philharmonic Zlin, Philharmonic orchestra Hradec Kralové, Solistes Europeéns Luxembourg, Pressburger Philharmoniker, Slovak Chamber Orchestra, under the conductors Ondrej Lenárd, Vladimír Válek, Friedrich Haider, František Vajnar, Jerzy Swoboda, Leoš Svárovský, Tomáš Hanus, Kirk Trevor, Justus Franz, Mário Košik and Jack Martin Händler… In addition to his activity as soloist, he is also a keen chamber musician. He recorded several CD record- ings for the record labels Diskant, Slovak Radio Records and Pavlik Records. He has played at major festivals in Slovakia, in most European countries and the USA.