Award-winning violist Wenting Kang releases "Mosaic" on Blue Griffin Records with pianist Sergei Kvitko
New album of works by Debussy, Fauré, Albéniz, de Falla, and more
Album highlights era of cultural exchange between Spanish & French composers
"What makes Mosaic so deserving of recommendation? ... Pacing, pitch, dynamics, intonation, vibrato—all are handled with extreme sensitivity and circumspection, the result a riveting treatment custom-designed to invite repeat visits." — Textura
Violist Wenting Kang, winner of the First Prize of the Tokyo International Viola Competition, has been praised as an "excellent violist" who “possesses a dark glowing sound” (New York Times). Her debut album Mosaic, on Blue Griffin Records (BGR609), is a collection of diverse and colorful pieces from France and Spain.
Featuring works by Albéniz, Casals, de Falla, Fauré, Akira Nishimura, Ravel, and Francisco Tárrega, the collection celebrates an era of a century ago in which Spanish and French composers frequently collaborated.
"These composers not only had a strong impact on each other´s work, but they were also very connected in their personal lives," Ms. Kang says. "Some of them were professor and student, such as Fauré and Ravel. Others were close friends and colleagues, such as Fauré and Albéniz, Ravel and Falla, Tárrega and Casals and de Falla, and on and on."
When choosing repertoire for the album, Ms. Kang considered scores that had been arranged for violin or cello, which also worked very well on viola, including Pablo Casals' arrangement of "Après un rêve" by Fauré, and Jascha Heifetz´s transcription of the Debussy’s song “Beau Soir." Nearly all of the music on Mosaic was adapted by Kang for viola.
Ms. Kang’s partner on this recording is Sergei Kvitko, critically acclaimed pianist and internationally sought-after producer and sound engineer, who wears all of these hats on this production. The CD was recorded in 2021 at the state-of-the art Estudio Uno in Madrid, Spain.
Contact ClassicalCommunications@gmail.com to request a physical CD or digital copy of this recording.
"a mosaic of musical jewels" — Melómano Magazine (Gold Medal review)
Mosaic
Wenting Kang, viola
Sergei Kvitko, piano
Blue Griffin Records (BGR609)
Track List
Claude Debussy
[01] Beau Soir (Transcr. J. Heifetz)
[02] Première Rhapsodie
Francisco Tárrega
[03] Recuerdo de la Alhambra (Transcr. R. Ricci)
Maurice Ravel
[04] Pavane pour une infante défunte (Transcr. V. Borisovsky)
[05] Vocalise-étude en forme de Habanera
Gabriel Fauré
[06] Élégie in C minor, Op. 24
[07] Papillon, Op. 77
[08] Berceuse, Op. 16 (Transcr. T. Butorac)
[09] Après un rêve, Op. 7, No. 1 (Transcr. P. Casals)
Isaac Albéniz
[10] Tango in D Major, Op. 165 No. 2 (Transcr. M. Rummel)
Akira Nishimura
[11] Fantasia on Song of the Birds
Pablo Casals
[12] El Cant dels Ocells-Song of the Birds
Manuel de Falla
Siete canciones populares españolas (Transcr. E. Colon)
[13] El Paño Moruno
[14] Seguidilla Murciana
[15] Asturiana
[16] Jota
[17] Nana
[18] Canción
[19] Polo
Total time = 70:52
Biographies
Chinese-born violist Wenting Kang is praised for her “dark glowing sound” by The New York Times. She is an active performer with orchestras and in recital halls across Europe and in the US, China and Japan. She is the principal violist of Orquesta Sinfonica de Madrid at the Royal Theatre of Spain and founding member and principal violist of Madrid Soloists Chamber Orchestra. A sought-after chamber musician, she has been a member of Dalia String Quartet and Imai Viola Quartet.
Kang won the top prize in the Tokyo International Viola Competition, and earned awards at the Johannes Brahms International Competition and the Primrose International Viola Competition. She studied at Central Conservatory in Beijing, the New England Conservatory in Boston, and at the Kronberg Academy in Germany, under the guidance of Nobuko Imai, Kim Kashkashian, Garth Knox, Donald Weilerstein, Miriam Fried, and Changhai Wang.
Sergei Kvitko’s career follows simultaneous paths as pianist, composer/arranger, and recording engineer, producer and owner of the Blue Griffin Recording label. As a pianist, he has earned critical acclaim for his "natural, appealing musicality and sensual understanding of piano tone” (The Chronicle-Herald). Active as a recitalist and soloist, Mr. Kvitko continues to perform across the United States, Europe and Asia.
Kvitko’s decades-long reputation as an internationally sought-after classical recording engineer and producer was recognized with a Latin Grammy nomination for Best Classical Album. Sergei Kvitko was born in Russia and began studying music at the age of six. His formal studies culminated with a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Michigan State University, where he studied with Ralph Votapek.
