Violinist Maya Magub releases “Consolations” on CRD Records June 3
New album includes world premiere recordings of Magub’s own arrangements of Lizst's "Consolations" for violin and piano, with the pianist Hsin-I Huang
Singles released April 22 and May 13
... polished, stylish performances — The Strad
During the global pandemic, the British-American violinist Maya Magub – like so many others – turned to music for solace. Her recording of Six Consolations by Franz Liszt (five of which were arranged by her, and recorded here for the first time), with the pianist Hsin-I Huang is on a new album, “Consolations” (CRD 3540, release date June 3, 2022). In anticipation of the June 3 album release, singles will be released on April 22 (Consolation No. 5) and May 13 (Consolation No. 3).
Ms. Magub writes: "The global pandemic gave the world reason to look for consolations. The true power of art has been drawn upon by so many. And what greater consolation than music, an art form which expresses that which cannot be expressed in words."
After recording the Liszt, the rest of the album fell into place. Ms. Magub continued to seek out music for comfort, and found some gems in her father’s collection of old sheet music. Combined, the emotional weight of the pieces - including the Meditation from Thaïs by Massenet, Handel's Largo from Xerxes, and Gonoud's Ave Maria - is even greater. They console both performer and audience through nostalgia, the violinist says.
The album was recorded separately by Magub and Huang during the pandemic lockdown. Despite this, they evolved a new process of collaboration and musical dialogue, discovering some unforeseen benefits. The close microphone placement creates the immediacy of a small, intimate concert, and through discussion and experimentation from their home studios, a true collaboration emerged. "Somehow, to our delight, we found this to be an incredibly democratic and creative process, and one with huge and often surprising rewards. This process enabled a whole new type of creative dialogue with the benefit of experimentation over time," said Ms. Magub.
Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.
With Magub's endless inventiveness driving each movement, [Telemann's Fantasies] shine here for what they really are: free-standing, varied concentrations of beautiful melody and sonority — BBC Music Magazine
Consolations
Maya Magub, violin
Hsin-I Huang, piano
CRD Records (3540)
Album Release Date: June 3, 2022*
*Singles released April 22 and May 13
Track List
[1] Robert Schumann
Abendlied (Op. 85, No. 12) 2:56
[02] Jules Massenet
Meditation from Thaïs 5:33
[03] Sergei Rachmaniov
Vocalise (Op. 34, No. 14) 6:06
[04-09] Franz Liszt Consolations S.172/R12
No. 1 Andante con moto † 1:56
No. 2 Un poco piu mosso † 3:34
No. 3 Lento placido* 4:11
No. 4 Quasi Adagio † 3:41
No. 5 Andantino † 2:09
No. 6 Allegro sempre cantabile † 2:46
[10] Bach/Gounod Ave Maria †† 4:01
[11] Fritz Kreisler Liebesleid 4:03
[12] Kreisler/Rimsky-Korsakov Chant Hindou from Sadko 3:43
[13] Dushkin/Paradis Sicilienne 3:49
[14] George Frederic Handel Largo from Xerxes †† 3:41
[15] Felix Mendelssohn On wings of Song (Op. 34, No. 2) †† 2:42
[16] Felix Mendelssohn Songs without Words (Op. 19, No. 1) 3:54
[17] Robert Schumann Träumerei (Op. 15, No. 7) 3:22
[18] Frederic Chopin 'Raindrop' Prelude 3:08
Total Time = 65:12
*transcription, Nathan Milstein
† transcription, Maya Magub
†† revised transcription, Maya Magub
Maya Magub (pronounced MY-ah mah-GUB) is a British violinist based in Los Angeles. Her performance career has brought her to some of the world’s greatest concert halls as well as soundstages for multi-million dollar film productions.
As a solo artist Magub has performed concertos in London’s St-Martin-in-the-Fields, and Dvořák’s Romance in the Royal Albert Hall. She has given command performances for the Queen of England, the Prince of Wales, and Professor Stephen Hawking, and has played with numerous pop icons including Adele, Bono, Paul McCartney and Sting.
Ms. Magub was awarded scholarships at the Purcell School and the Royal Academy of Music in London, graduating with a 1st class degree in music from Cambridge University. She continued her studies at the Vienna Hochschule and as an ESU scholar at Aspen. Pursuing her passion for chamber music, she was a founding member of the Mainardi Trio, performing and broadcasting internationally for a decade, and she has played in chamber music festivals across the globe.
Pianist Hsin-I Huang (pronounced SHIN-ee Hwong) has performed with Chee-Yun Kim, Simone Porter, The Calidore String Quartet, and members of the LA Philharmonic. She has recorded scores for major films with music by Marco Beltrami and Ramin Djawadi.
Ms. Huang's album with violinist Blake Pouliot (Analekta Records) was nominated for “Classical Album Of The Year” at the 2019 JUNO awards and received 5 stars from BBC Music Magazine. She has appeared at the Hollywood Bowl, LA Philharmonic Chamber Music Series, Aspen Music Festival, Ravinia Festival, Grand Teton Winter Music Festival, La Virée Classique OSM, Fête de la Musique Mont Tremblant, Performance Today on public radio, Sundays Live at LACMA, South Bay Chamber Music Society, and the Innsbrook Institute.