Editorial Reviews
Marjan Kiepura
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
"Well recorded, imaginatively conceived and very sympathetically played... refreshingly robust... Particularly admirable is the naturalness and aptness of his rhythm... a most attractive release."
AMERCIAN RECORD GUIDE
"...introspective, wonderfully idiomatic... Kiepura speaks Chopin's Polish rhythmic language fluently, as a mother tongue."
PIANIST MAGAZINE - LONDON
" The elusive mazurka is excellently assimilated; and the sense of nostalgia in the A minor Op 17 No 4, which closes the disk, is expressed in heart - stopping moments veiled by a surface directness. ...this CD makes a strong, individual and lasting impression."
CLASSIC FM MAGAZINE - LONDON
"(Chopin's) heart lay in his homeland...you sense that Kiepura is as deeply affected by these influences as Chopin himself."
WIENER ZEITUNG - VIENNA
"Kiepura has made a point of studying the music very meticulously, but he has also - so to speak - looked behind the notes ...everything touches you deeply...Absolutely recommended!"
For more reviews, visit www.patriamusic.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DEBUT RECORDING GIVES NEW PERSPECTIVE OF CHOPIN AND INCLUDES RARE REPERTOIRE
The American pianist Marjan Kiepura has issued his debut recording. Comprising both rare and familiar repertoire by Frederic Chopin, the disc - entitled 'Images of a Homeland' - presents the composer in a different perspective than is usual, focusing on the specific Polish characteristics of his music.
Marjan Kiepura has founded his own record label - Patria Productions - to issue the recording, an increasingly popular trend among artists with the prevailing uncertainty in the record industry. As well as presenting familiar repertoire such as the A major Polonaise and the D flat major 'Raindrop' Prelude, the recording includes several rarities.
In particular, it is Chopin's Mazurkas, from early to late, which are the prime focus of the disc. Marjan Kiepura believes they provide the key to Chopin's personality and in particular, his idiomatic Polish traits, more than any other genre in which he worked. The artist comments:
" It has been my intent to observe Chopin as a person deeply affected by influences, chiefly what one might call the essence of his heritage - the Polish earth - which never left him and which informed so much of his music. In my playing, I have tried to convey the particular Polish characteristics of this music which I feel intuitively - namely, the rhythms, inflections and emphases"
To complement the recording, Marjan Kiepura has written extensive liner notes providing a historic reference to the concept of homeland and what it meant to Chopin. Two rare paintings of Polish scenes by the renowned painter Zofia Stryienska are reproduced in the booklet. These paintings were owned by Mr Kiepura's late father, the Polish tenor Jan Kiepura and have never been exhibited.
The award-winning producer David Frost and the recording engineers Tom Lazarus and Marc Stedman of Classic Sound Inc. New York, were the technical team involved in the project. The performances were recorded at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York.
MARJAN KIEPURA
Pianist
Marjan Kiepura was accepted to the Juilliard School Preparatory Division by Mme Rosina Lhévinne at the age of eight, where he became a long time student of Jeaneane Dowis. He has also stuided with Vladimir Padwa, Lily Dumont and Menahem Pressler.
His development as an artist has led him to focus on the music of Frederic Chopin. He has given concerts in the U.S. and Europe of this composer's works. Not surprisingly, his own Polish ancestry has made Chopin a favorite of his.
His London debut took place in May 1989 at the Polish Cultural Center (POSK) where he received enthusiastic reviews. This was followed by performances including the International May Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany, the "Mozart Odyssey" held in conjunction with the Vermont Mozart Festival, and numerous other venues here and in Europe.
His official debut in Poland took place at the Fourth Sandomierz Music Festival in 1994 where he performed his own thematic program of Bartok and Chopin. Apart from his European appearances, he has given concerts in New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida and Vermont.
Highlights of appearances include London's Royal Festival Hall in their Foyer Concert Series, the Bibliotheque Polonaise in Paris, the Kosciuszko Foundation, the Liederkranz and the Temple Emanu-El in New York, Dartmouth College, and MIT and most recently a Gala performance at the renowned St. John's Smith Square Concert Hall in London. He participated in a concert honoring his late father, the tenor Jan Kiepura, at the Warsaw Opera House, and has on occasion accompanied his mother, soprano Marta Eggerth, in recitals.
Marjan Kiepura's debut CD, a Chopin recital entitled "Images of a Homeland", has received fourteen superb reviews including BBC Music Magazine, American Record Guide, Amazon and other music journals in the USA and Europe. The CD has been aired on National Public Radio stations across the U.S.A. Marjan has also performed live on BBC Radio 3 to a wide audience in England and Europe; and has written an article for London's "Piano" magazine (Sept/Oct 2002)on the interpretation of Chopin's mazurkas.
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.patriamusic.com
Track List:
1. Mazurka in G Minor Op. 24, No.1
2. Mazurka in C Major, Op. 24, No. 2
3. Mazurka in C-sharp Minor, Op. 6, No. 2
4. Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 68, No. 2
5. Mazurka in B-flat, Op. 7, No. 1
6. Waltz in F Minor, Op. 70, No. 2
7. Mazurka in F Major, Op. 68, No. 3
8. Mazurka in A-flat Major, Op. 41, No. 4
9. Mazurka in B Minor, Op. 33, No. 4
10. Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 69, No.1
11. Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2
12. Polonaise in A Major, Op. 40, No. 1 Military
13. Waltz in A Minor, Op. 34, No. 2
14. Mazurka in C Major, Op. 7, No. 5
15. Mazurka in F Minor, Op. 7, No 3
16. Mazurka in A-flat Major, Op. 50, No 2
17. Mazurka in G Minor, Op. 67, No .2
18. Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 28, No. 15 Raindrop
19. Mazurka in C Major, Op. 68, No 1
20. Mazurka in A Minor, Op 17, No. 4
Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
Marjan Kiepura
BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE
"Well recorded, imaginatively conceived and very sympathetically played... refreshingly robust... Particularly admirable is the naturalness and aptness of his rhythm... a most attractive release."
AMERCIAN RECORD GUIDE
"...introspective, wonderfully idiomatic... Kiepura speaks Chopin's Polish rhythmic language fluently, as a mother tongue."
PIANIST MAGAZINE - LONDON
" The elusive mazurka is excellently assimilated; and the sense of nostalgia in the A minor Op 17 No 4, which closes the disk, is expressed in heart - stopping moments veiled by a surface directness. ...this CD makes a strong, individual and lasting impression."
CLASSIC FM MAGAZINE - LONDON
"(Chopin's) heart lay in his homeland...you sense that Kiepura is as deeply affected by these influences as Chopin himself."
WIENER ZEITUNG - VIENNA
"Kiepura has made a point of studying the music very meticulously, but he has also - so to speak - looked behind the notes ...everything touches you deeply...Absolutely recommended!"
For more reviews, visit www.patriamusic.com
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
DEBUT RECORDING GIVES NEW PERSPECTIVE OF CHOPIN AND INCLUDES RARE REPERTOIRE
The American pianist Marjan Kiepura has issued his debut recording. Comprising both rare and familiar repertoire by Frederic Chopin, the disc - entitled 'Images of a Homeland' - presents the composer in a different perspective than is usual, focusing on the specific Polish characteristics of his music.
Marjan Kiepura has founded his own record label - Patria Productions - to issue the recording, an increasingly popular trend among artists with the prevailing uncertainty in the record industry. As well as presenting familiar repertoire such as the A major Polonaise and the D flat major 'Raindrop' Prelude, the recording includes several rarities.
In particular, it is Chopin's Mazurkas, from early to late, which are the prime focus of the disc. Marjan Kiepura believes they provide the key to Chopin's personality and in particular, his idiomatic Polish traits, more than any other genre in which he worked. The artist comments:
" It has been my intent to observe Chopin as a person deeply affected by influences, chiefly what one might call the essence of his heritage - the Polish earth - which never left him and which informed so much of his music. In my playing, I have tried to convey the particular Polish characteristics of this music which I feel intuitively - namely, the rhythms, inflections and emphases"
To complement the recording, Marjan Kiepura has written extensive liner notes providing a historic reference to the concept of homeland and what it meant to Chopin. Two rare paintings of Polish scenes by the renowned painter Zofia Stryienska are reproduced in the booklet. These paintings were owned by Mr Kiepura's late father, the Polish tenor Jan Kiepura and have never been exhibited.
The award-winning producer David Frost and the recording engineers Tom Lazarus and Marc Stedman of Classic Sound Inc. New York, were the technical team involved in the project. The performances were recorded at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, New York.
MARJAN KIEPURA
Pianist
Marjan Kiepura was accepted to the Juilliard School Preparatory Division by Mme Rosina Lhévinne at the age of eight, where he became a long time student of Jeaneane Dowis. He has also stuided with Vladimir Padwa, Lily Dumont and Menahem Pressler.
His development as an artist has led him to focus on the music of Frederic Chopin. He has given concerts in the U.S. and Europe of this composer's works. Not surprisingly, his own Polish ancestry has made Chopin a favorite of his.
His London debut took place in May 1989 at the Polish Cultural Center (POSK) where he received enthusiastic reviews. This was followed by performances including the International May Festival in Wiesbaden, Germany, the "Mozart Odyssey" held in conjunction with the Vermont Mozart Festival, and numerous other venues here and in Europe.
His official debut in Poland took place at the Fourth Sandomierz Music Festival in 1994 where he performed his own thematic program of Bartok and Chopin. Apart from his European appearances, he has given concerts in New York, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Virginia, Florida and Vermont.
Highlights of appearances include London's Royal Festival Hall in their Foyer Concert Series, the Bibliotheque Polonaise in Paris, the Kosciuszko Foundation, the Liederkranz and the Temple Emanu-El in New York, Dartmouth College, and MIT and most recently a Gala performance at the renowned St. John's Smith Square Concert Hall in London. He participated in a concert honoring his late father, the tenor Jan Kiepura, at the Warsaw Opera House, and has on occasion accompanied his mother, soprano Marta Eggerth, in recitals.
Marjan Kiepura's debut CD, a Chopin recital entitled "Images of a Homeland", has received fourteen superb reviews including BBC Music Magazine, American Record Guide, Amazon and other music journals in the USA and Europe. The CD has been aired on National Public Radio stations across the U.S.A. Marjan has also performed live on BBC Radio 3 to a wide audience in England and Europe; and has written an article for London's "Piano" magazine (Sept/Oct 2002)on the interpretation of Chopin's mazurkas.
Check out the artist's website:
http://www.patriamusic.com
Track List:
1. Mazurka in G Minor Op. 24, No.1
2. Mazurka in C Major, Op. 24, No. 2
3. Mazurka in C-sharp Minor, Op. 6, No. 2
4. Mazurka in A Minor, Op. 68, No. 2
5. Mazurka in B-flat, Op. 7, No. 1
6. Waltz in F Minor, Op. 70, No. 2
7. Mazurka in F Major, Op. 68, No. 3
8. Mazurka in A-flat Major, Op. 41, No. 4
9. Mazurka in B Minor, Op. 33, No. 4
10. Waltz in A-flat Major, Op. 69, No.1
11. Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9, No. 2
12. Polonaise in A Major, Op. 40, No. 1 Military
13. Waltz in A Minor, Op. 34, No. 2
14. Mazurka in C Major, Op. 7, No. 5
15. Mazurka in F Minor, Op. 7, No 3
16. Mazurka in A-flat Major, Op. 50, No 2
17. Mazurka in G Minor, Op. 67, No .2
18. Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 28, No. 15 Raindrop
19. Mazurka in C Major, Op. 68, No 1
20. Mazurka in A Minor, Op 17, No. 4
Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
- CLASSICAL: Traditional
- EASY LISTENING: Mature
- MOOD: INTELLECTUAL