CREDITS
Cello/Voice: Hannah Addario-Berry
Producer/Recording Engineer/Mixing/Mastering: Jason O’Connell
Cover photo: Tara Luz Stevens
Additional artwork: Clive McCarthy
Album Design: BMoen @ Etch Image Co.
Recorded January 15-18, 2016
St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, Belvedere, CA
© 2016 Hannah Addario-Berry and Aerocade Music
Scordatura
by Hannah Addario-Berry
Scordatura celebrates the centenary of Zoltán Kodály’s Sonata for Solo Cello, Opus 8. Scordatura refers to the technique of deliberately altering the tuning of a stringed instrument, as Kodály did in this piece. Composed in 1915, the Sonata is a magnificent synthesis of Hungarian folk music and classical structure, expanding the sound of the cello with new techniques and a five octave range. Complementing Kodály’s Sonata is a set of newly commissioned music sharing the same altered tuning: A, D, F#, B.
TRACK LISTING/NOTES
Brent Miller | Miniatures, Book 3: Koans (2015)
For cello, voice, and dice
Each of the nine miniatures in this collection brings focus to the linkage between Kodály and the major influences on Miller’s compositional output, including Ligeti, Schnittke, Crumb, Tenney, Xenakis, and Pärt. The spoken text is from The Gateless Gate, a collection of koans compiled in the early 13th century by Chinese Zen master Wumen Huikai.
brentmillercomposer.com
Alisa Rose | Lands End (2015)
Lands End is about walking the Lands End trail in San Francisco which leaves from the city and crosses cliffs descending down to a rocky beach. The shape and proportions of the piece mirror the topography of a section of the trail. Rose incorporates American old-time fiddle bowing techniques to highlight the natural resonance of this tuning and create a rhythmic walking feel.
arosefiddle.com
Eric Kenneth Malcolm Clark | Ekpyrotic: Layerings IV (2015)
Clark’s Layerings series calls for the soloist to record the same material multiple times, allowing natural divergences to cause an indeterminate overlapping of musical material. In Ekpyrotic, the cello is prepared with miniature clothespins on the strings, creating bell tones almost like a gamelan in timbre.
erickmclark.com
Gloria Justen | Sonaquifer – flowing, turning dance (2015)
Sonaquifer represents a reservoir of sonic ideas residing in the composer’s memories. It contains templates for melodies, patterns, and primal forms like Song and Dance. Justen’s inspiration for this piece draws on memories of the music of Bach and Bartok as well as patterns of folk music similar to that inspiring Kodály.
gloriajustenmusic.com
Lisa Renée Coons | Myth’s Daughter (2015)
For cello and projected video
Myth’s Daughter was born of fairytales – those the composer’s mother read from a discolored and cracked hardcover edition of Grimm’s. The piece begins with an innocent and playful approach, with the cellist whispering fragments from the stories, interrupted by increasingly virtuosic melodic passages. Video can be seen at:
lisarcoons.com
Jerry Liu | Calor (2015)
Calor is the Latin word for heat. Like heat of a flame, the music flickers between smoldering drowsiness and fiery momentum. Stemless noteheads and meterless measures give the performer freedom to linger or intensify.
youtube.com/jerrygotcello
SELECTED REVIEWS
“Kodály’s music requires the cellist to cover the instrument’s entire range from the highest delicate tones to the strongest bass notes, so this fine rendition of his solo cello sonata gives the listener an idea of Hannah Addario-Berry’s superb virtuosity. Janos Starker, who actually played the Kodaly sonata for its composer, recorded it for Delos in 1992. That is the most definitive recording but, because of technological improvements over the years, not necessarily the easiest one to enjoy. I would suggest owning the Starker for study and the Addario-Berry for simple enjoyment.
The pristine sound on this Aerocade recording allows cello, voice and percussive sounds to be heard as clearly as if the listener was in a well built recital hall. I enjoyed the variety of compositions Addario-Berry commissioned and hope she will continue to help talented composers get their cello music in front of the public. ”