Encomia [CD]

Featuring the fabulous virtuoso pianist Stephen Gosling, Encomia is a collection of tributes to many of Zorn’s musical heroes.The first Book of Preludes consists of three impressionistic pieces in the tradition of Debussy and Ravel that pay tribute to the legendary ballet dancer Nijinsky, the author Novalis who is credited with inventing the prose poem, and the Hellenistic 3rd century poet Nossis. Encomia, is a suite of tributes to five of Zorn’s musical heroes that run the gamut of styles from minimalism to maximalism. Violinist Chris Otto joins Stephen Gosling for the final piece, a new composition for violin and piano inspired by the art of Hilma af Klint and the writings of Sigmund Freud. A remarkable program of some of the most beautiful music Zorn has ever written passionately performed by two long-time Zorn associates.