Liza Stepanova - E pluribus unum (2020) [Official Digital Download 24/96]

Pianist Liza Stepanova, praised by The New York Times for her “thoughtful musicality” and “fleet-fingered panache,” announces the August 28, 2020 release of her new album E Pluribus Unum on Navona Records. This collection showcases nine renowned American composers with immigrant backgrounds, including Lera Auerbach, Anna Clyne, Gabriela Lena Frank, Kamran Ince, Reinaldo Moya, Pablo Ortiz, and world premiere recordings of music by Chaya Czernowin, Badie Khaleghian, and Eun Young Lee.

Born out of the political climate of 2017, E Pluribus Unum is an artistic response to the immigration policies implemented by the American government at that time. Stepanova explains, “Many of my colleagues, friends, and students in the music world found themselves or their communities to be directly affected. One of them was the wonderfully gifted young composer Badie Khaleghian, at the time my piano student, whose Iranian parents were barred from traveling to attend his graduation recital at the University of Georgia. In response to this situation, I decided to commission him for a new work that became the centerpiece of a recital program and this recording.”

While some of the works address the urgency of historical, cultural, and political calls for justice – above all, the music on this album reflects the composers’ roots, celebrates their immense contributions to American musical life, and a confluence of voices, narratives, and ideals.

An important part of this project is also Stepanova's collaboration with Syrian-American visual artist Kevork Mourad. Mourad's painting Between Two Worlds, a reflection of the immigrant experience, graces the cover of the album, and his forthcoming video collaboration with Stepanova, featuring a live performance of Reinaldo Moya's Rain Outside the Church, conveys the message of gaining voice and refuge through art.

TRACKLIST

1. Liza Stepanova - Images from Childhood: No. 5, An Old Photograph from the Grandparents' Childhood
2. Liza Stepanova - Symphony in Blue
3. Liza Stepanova - Fardanceclose
4. Liza Stepanova - The Way North (Excerpts): IV. La Bestia
5. Liza Stepanova - The Way North (Excerpts): VIII. Rain Outside the Church
6. Liza Stepanova - On Track
7. Liza Stepanova - Mool
8. Liza Stepanova - Táhirih the Pure: I. The Day of Alast
9. Liza Stepanova - Táhirih the Pure: II. Unchained
10. Liza Stepanova - Táhirih the Pure: III. Badasht
11. Liza Stepanova - Piglia
12. Liza Stepanova - Karnavalito No. 1



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