Four Strings Around the World Irina Muresanu

• George Enescu (1881-1955):
• 1 Airs in Romanian Folk Style: I. Moderato (Molto rubato) 02:59
• 2 Airs in Romanian Folk Style: II. Allegro giusto 01:47
• 3 Airs in Romanian Folk Style: III. Andante 02:12
• 4 Airs in Romanian Folk Style: IV. Allegro giocoso 01:52
• Dave Flynn (1977- ):
• 5 Tar Éis an Caoineadh' 08:14
• Niccolò Paganini (1782-1840):
• 6 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1, MS 25: No. 24 in A Minor 04:58
• Fritz Kreisler (1875-1962):
• 7 Recitative & Scherzo-caprice, Op. 6 04:55
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750):
• 8 Violin Partita No. 2 in D Minor, BWV 1004: V. Ciaccona 04:08
• Reza Vali (1952- ):
• 9 Calligraphy No. 5 (Version for Violin) 06:36
• Shirish Korde (1945- ):
• 10 Vák: I. Alap 04:25
• 11 Vák: II. Jor 02:23
• 12 Vák: III. Jhalla 03:27
• Bright Sheng (1955- ):
• 13 The Stream Flows: II. — 04:23
• Ástor Piazzolla (1921-1992):
• 14 6 Tango Études: No. 3, Molto marcato e energico (Version for Violin) 03:39
• Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate (1968- ):
• 15 Oshta 08:31
• Mark O'Connor (1961- ):
• 16 The Cricket Dance 01:52
• Total Runtime 01:06:21

Info for Four Strings Around the World

Muresanu’s Four Strings Around the World is a compelling program celebrating the diversity of cultures around the world through the uniting voice of a single medium: the violin. The journey, designed by Irina Muresanu, starts in Europe with the fiddling buoyancy of pieces by Romanian, Russian and Irish composers (Enescu, Shchedrin and Flynn respectively) and two titanic pillars of the solo violin repertoire: Paganini’s Caprice no. 24 and the Bach Chaconne. The program continues sonic exploration through works of composers with musical roots in Persian (Reza Vali), Chinese (Bright Sheng) and Indian (Shirish Korde) cultures. Each of these pieces uses a different modal system, creating a wide variety of sound effects. After a brief detour in South America (via an Astor Piazzolla ”Tango Etude”), “Four Strings” visits North American sounds. (Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate and Mark O’Connor).

It all started when I tackled Mark O'Connor's ""Cricket Dance."" It is a short, straightforward tune that requires the skills of an intermediate player, and yet it took me an absurdly long time to learn. To put things in context: I was capable of learning whole violin concertos in a matter of weeks, so why was the O'Connor piece so hard to get under my fingers? Could it have been because it was written in a musical style completely different than my classical training? And if so, how many more different languages were there outside of the traditional/standard repertoire? With this idea, I started my exploration of works reflecting the ways the violin (including its ancestors and relatives) is employed in musical settings worldwide. What resulted is Four Strings Around the World, a celebration of diverse cultures refracted through the unifying voice of solo violin, a project which immersed me in sounds and colours I didn't even realize could be produced by my own instrument. I thought it fitting to start the journey in Romania, my native country, and end it in the United States, where I now live, work and have a family. Scouting for solo violin works inspired by Persian, Irish and Chinese folklore was not an easy feat, but I was fortunate to discover eminent composers such as Reza Vali, Dave Flynn, and Bright Sheng, who draw inspiration from the music of their own nations. I was afraid I had hit a dead-end when my research didn't turn up any pieces inspired by Indian music (inherently improvisational) or Native American music. But then it dawned on me that this was the perfect opportunity to commission and enrich the solo violin repertoire. I am therefore forever grateful to composers Shirish Korde and Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, who wrote for me pieces inspired by, respectively, Indian ragas and a Native American hymn. To stay true to my own roots, I built the program around two summits of the violin repertoire, iconic pieces that I felt could not be omitted from this recording: the Paganini 24th Caprice and the Bach Chaconne. Kreisler's ""Recitativo and Scherzo"" embodies the inimitable Viennese spirit and was suggested to me by my beloved teacher, Michèle Auclair many years ago. I have been playing it ever since and it is my homage to her legacy. Putting this program together and bringing it to life has been a considerable challenge requiring a steep learning curve. But I have had the time of my life. Thank you for joining me in this musical journey!" (Irina Muresanu)

"irresistible...not just a virtuoso but an artist" (The Boston Globe)

"Musical luster, melting lyricism and colorful conception made Irina Muresanu s performance especially admirable" (LA Times)

Irina Muresanu, violin

Irina Muresanu
has won international acclaim as an outstanding young soloist, recitalist and chamber musician having already achieved top prizes in numerous international violin competitions. These include the Montreal International, Queen Elizabeth Violin, UNISA International String, Washington International, and the Schadt String Competitions. She is the winner of the Pro Musicis International Award, the Presser Music Award and the Arthur Foote Award from the Harvard Musical Association. The Boston Globe has come to praise her as “… not just a virtuoso, but an artist,” and the Los Angeles Times has written that her “musical luster, melting lyricism and colorful conception made Irina Muresanu’s performance especially admirable,” while Strad Magazine called her Carnegie/Weill Hall performance a “… a first-rate recital.”

Recent engagements as soloist include concerts with the Boston Pops, the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (Geneva), the Syracuse Symphony, the Metropolitan Orchestra (Montreal), the Transvaal Philharmonic (Pretoria), the Orchestre de la Radio Flamande (Brussels), the Boston Phiharmonic, the Pro Arte Chamber Orchestra, the Romanian National Radio Orchestra, and the Miami Symphony Orchestra, among others. Irina Muresanu’s talents have been sought out for collaboration with such noted performers as Kim Kashkashian, Cynthia Phelps, Sharon Robinson, Ronald Thomas, Andres Cardenes, Ilya Kaler, and Nathaniel Rosen. Ms. Muresanu’s performances have been frequently cited as among the “Best of” classical music performances by the Boston Globe, and her recital in the Emerging Artist BankBoston Celebrity Series was named one of the Top 10 musical events by TAB Magazine. She often can be heard on Boston’s WGBH and other NPR radio stations.

An active chamber musician, Ms. Muresanu has appeared in such festivals and venues as Bargemusic in New York; the Rockport Festival in Massachusetts; Bay Chambers concert series and Bowdoin Festival in Maine; the Strings in the Mountains festival in Colorado; Maui Chamber Music Festival in Hawaii, Reizend Music festival in Netherlands; Festival van de Leie in Belgium; and the Renncontres des Musiciennes festival in France.

Ms. Muresanu’s discography includes the Thomas Oboe Lee concerto on the BMOP label, works Elena Ruehr dedicated to Irina Muresanu on Avie Records, the integrale of William Bolcom violin and piano sonatas with pianist Michael Lewin on the Centaur label, and the Guillaume Lekeu and Alberic Magnard late Romantic violin and piano sonatas (with the pianist Dana Ciocarlie) for the AR RE-SE French label. The artist has also recorded the world premiere recording of Marion Bauer’s Sonata for Violin and Piano (with pianist Virginia Eskin) on Albany Records, a CD with works of Andy Vores, and a CD featuring chamber works of Erich Korngold released by the VPRO Radio Amsterdam.

Irina Muresanu currently serves on the faculty of the Boston Conservatory. A native of Bucharest, Romania, she received the prestigious Artist Diploma and a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the New England Conservatory.

Irina Muresanu plays an 1856 Joseph Rocca violin and a Charles Peccat bow, courtesy of Mr. Mark Ptashne.

Booklet for Four Strings Around the World