Unlimited Streaming
Listen to this album in high quality now on our apps
Start my trial period and start listening to this albumEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
SubscribeEnjoy this album on Qobuz apps with your subscription
Digital Download
Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
The music of Paul Chihara, who spent part of his childhood in an internment camp in Idaho, takes Asian-Western dichotomies as points of departure, but that statement is too simple for all the variety of ways the combination can play out. The marquee item here is the recent Concerto-Fantasy for piano and orchestra, written for the young pianist Quynh Nguyen and premiered by her with the Vietnamese National Orchestra; here, it is sympathetically read by the London Symphony under conductor Stephen Barlow. The concerto has a unique concept, loosely describing the career of pianist Nguyen, although there is also a Vietnam War movement from before her time. The startling entrance of boogie-woogie in the second movement after the Vietnamese-inspired first movement is typical of Chihara's aesthetic. In some ways, this album would make a good introduction to Chihara's style, which is boiled down to its essentials in the Bagatelles ("Twice Seven Haiku for Piano") of 2011. These little pieces have the concision of Beethoven's Bagatelles, with such delightful titles as "Drinking Song for Kittens" (based on a Japanese song) and "Hip Hop Farmer." Beethoven takes center stage in the Four Reveries for piano, each a quasi-improvisatory essay in which bits of Beethoven's piano sonatas emerge from reflective material (the "Sayonara" movement is based, naturally, on "Les Adieux"). Sample the opening "RAG 109," based on the first movement of the Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109. The final Ami for piano four hands was written for the wedding in Japan of two of the composer's friends. Both ingenious and richly evocative and beautifully and quietly played besides, this is a wonderful release.
© James Manheim /TiVo
You are currently listening to samples.
Listen to over 100 million songs with an unlimited streaming plan.
Listen to this playlist and more than 100 million songs with our unlimited streaming plans.
From £10.83/month
London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Stephen Barlow, Conductor, MainArtist - Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, Soloist, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Stephen Barlow, Conductor, MainArtist - Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, Soloist, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Stephen Barlow, Conductor, MainArtist - Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, Soloist, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra, MainArtist - Stephen Barlow, Conductor, MainArtist - Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, Soloist, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher - Rieko Aizawa, MainArtist
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher - Rieko Aizawa, MainArtist
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher - Rieko Aizawa, MainArtist
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher - Rieko Aizawa, MainArtist
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Paul Chihara, Composer - Quynh Nguyen, MainArtist - Edition Peters, MusicPublisher - Rieko Aizawa, MainArtist
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Album review
The music of Paul Chihara, who spent part of his childhood in an internment camp in Idaho, takes Asian-Western dichotomies as points of departure, but that statement is too simple for all the variety of ways the combination can play out. The marquee item here is the recent Concerto-Fantasy for piano and orchestra, written for the young pianist Quynh Nguyen and premiered by her with the Vietnamese National Orchestra; here, it is sympathetically read by the London Symphony under conductor Stephen Barlow. The concerto has a unique concept, loosely describing the career of pianist Nguyen, although there is also a Vietnam War movement from before her time. The startling entrance of boogie-woogie in the second movement after the Vietnamese-inspired first movement is typical of Chihara's aesthetic. In some ways, this album would make a good introduction to Chihara's style, which is boiled down to its essentials in the Bagatelles ("Twice Seven Haiku for Piano") of 2011. These little pieces have the concision of Beethoven's Bagatelles, with such delightful titles as "Drinking Song for Kittens" (based on a Japanese song) and "Hip Hop Farmer." Beethoven takes center stage in the Four Reveries for piano, each a quasi-improvisatory essay in which bits of Beethoven's piano sonatas emerge from reflective material (the "Sayonara" movement is based, naturally, on "Les Adieux"). Sample the opening "RAG 109," based on the first movement of the Piano Sonata No. 30 in E major, Op. 109. The final Ami for piano four hands was written for the wedding in Japan of two of the composer's friends. Both ingenious and richly evocative and beautifully and quietly played besides, this is a wonderful release.
© James Manheim /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 27 track(s)
- Total length: 01:05:25
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Quynh Nguyen Rieko Aizawa London Symphony Orchestra Stephen Barlow
- Composer: Paul Chihara
- Label: Naxos
- Genre: Classical
2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd 2023 Naxos Rights (Europe) Ltd
Improve album information
Why buy on Qobuz...
-
Stream or download your music
Buy an album or an individual track. Or listen to our entire catalogue with our high-quality unlimited streaming subscriptions.
-
Zero DRM
The downloaded files belong to you, without any usage limit. You can download them as many times as you like.
-
Choose the format best suited for you
Download your purchases in a wide variety of formats (FLAC, ALAC, WAV, AIFF...) depending on your needs.
-
Listen to your purchases on our apps
Download the Qobuz apps for smartphones, tablets and computers, and listen to your purchases wherever you go.