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Duo Gazzana

Tonu Korvits / Robert Schumann / Edvard Grieg

ECM
Release Date: October 14, 2022

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1 Kõrvits: Stalker Suite / I. Into the Zone  
2 II. The Room  
3 III. Monologue  
4 IV. Waterfall  
5 Schumann: Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105 / I. Mit leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck  
6 II. Allegretto  
7 III. Lebhaft  
8 Kõrvits: Notturni / I.  
9 II.  
10 III.  
11 iV.  
12 Grieg: Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45 / I. Allegro molto ed appassionato  
13 II. Allegretto espressivo alla Romanza  
14 III. Allegro animato  
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Prior recordings by Duo Gazzana have seen the Italian sisters garner much praise and critical acclaim for their “imaginative playing, and willingness to color outside the customary lines” (Fanfare). The BBC Music Magazine called their interpretation of César Franck’s Violin Sonata “a masterclass”, and the German Spiegel magazine considers them “one of the most interesting new chamber duos, (…) capable of successfully linking seemingly disparate artists like Ligeti, Ravel and Messiaen with conviction.” In a continued balancing act of combining inventive contemporary works with traditional classical repertoire on ECM New Series, this time the duo of Italian sisters Gazzana ventures back to the 19th century for impassioned interpretations of Robert Schumann’s Sonata op. 105 and Edvard Grieg’s Sonata op. 45. Premiere recordings of Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits’s Stalker Suite and notturni, each in four movements, make up the contemporary part of the programme.

Shortly after becoming musical director of the orchestra in Düsseldorf in 1850, Robert Schumann’s mental health started to decline and it is in this period that he wrote his final violin works, including the Violin Sonata No.1 in A minor, from 1851. Like many of his later works, this piece is characterized by a particularly dense thematic concentration. The first movement’s darkly surging main theme, coloured by the sonority of the violin’s rich, husky G string, is one of the composer’s most memorable inventions. Natascia and Raffaella Gazzana connect with the piece on a deeply committed level, making the canonic element of the first movement, ‘Mit leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck’, resonate with special expressiveness. The Allegretto in Rondo form is a brisk intermezzo giving way to the third movement, ‘Lebhaft’, which brings back the canonic structures, calling on some of the duo’s most fervent playing.

  • In the hands of Duo Gazzana, new ECM - Korvits/Schumann/Grieg release turns to gold / Sequenza21/
    Posted At: January 10, 2023 12:00 AM
    Sequenza21/ -Christian Carey writes….Sisters Natascia Gazzana, violinist, and Raffaella Gazzana, pianist, have recorded a number of releases for ECM that program a combination of great romantic chamber works and contemporary fare. On their latest, they present romantic works by Robert Schumann and Edvard Grieg alongside contemporary pieces by Tõnu Kõrvits. The latter does a great deal to balance the former ...
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  • Duo Gazzana releases new ECM album with two world premiere works by Estonian composer Tonu Korvits / The Violin Channel
    Posted At: November 22, 2022 12:00 AM
    Released on ECM Records, the album contains two world premiere recordings of works by the Estonian composer Tõnu KõrvitsThe Violin Channel writes…..The Italian sisters Natascia Gazzana (violin) and Raffaella Gazzana (piano), who together form Duo Gazzana, recently released a new disc on ECM Records. The disc features a violin-piano duo by the leading Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits, as well as more fami...
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  • Duo Gazzana - Poulenc/Walton/Dallapiccola/Schnittke/Silvestrov / SFGate review
    Posted At: August 3, 2014 12:00 AM

    There's a deceptive kind of reticence to this new release by the Italian sister act of violinist Natascia Gazzana and pianist Raffaella Gazzana - no title, no obvious headline repertoire. But tucked within is a series of marvelous surprises, including a well-chosen program and beautifully vibrant execution. The thematic link among the five offbeat works turns out to be a close relationship with music...
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  • Duo Gazzana - Poulenc/Walton/Dallapiccola/Schnittke/Silvestrov / San Francisco Chronicle review
    Posted At: July 31, 2014 12:00 AM

    There's a deceptive kind of reticence to this new release by the Italian sister act of violinist Natascia Gazzana and pianist Raffaella Gazzana - no title, no obvious headline repertoire. But tucked within is a series of marvelous surprises, including a well-chosen program and beautifully vibrant execution. The thematic link among the five offbeat works turns out to be a close relationship with music...
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  • Duo Gazzana - Poulenc/Walton/Dallapiccola/Schnittke/Silvestrov / All About Jazz review
    Posted At: July 17, 2014 12:00 AM

    The unifying theme of Italian sisters, violinist Natascia Gazzana and pianist Raffaella Gazzana's second release is a celebration of neoclassicism in modern music. The Duo Gazzana performs five 20th and 21st century compositions that, in one manner or another, draw inspiration from mostly the Baroque era. The focal point of the album is one of composer William Walton's early gems, the seldom...
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  • Duo Gazzana interview with Wake Forest NC - WCPE
    Posted At: July 2, 2014 12:00 AM

    Natascia and Raffaella Gazzana have been making music together since they were children. Recently, WCPE - Wake Forest NC Tara Byelick spoke with the Italian sisters, who perform together today as Duo Gazzana, about their second album on the ECM record label. The self titled album is a collection of "modern sounds on old backdrops," works by Schnittke, Poulenc, Walton, Silvestrov, and Dallapicol...
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  • Duo Gazzana's latest CD is KDFC 'Download Of the Week'
    Posted At: June 17, 2014 12:00 AM

    Each week KDFC - San Francisco members can download a free mp3 from some of the biggest releases in the world of Classical music. This week's pick is Duo Gazzana's second album for ECM New Series unites works from the 20th and 21st centuries with striking narrative character and retrospective glance at music history. Composers from France, Great Britain, Italy, Russia and Ukraine present earlier ...
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  • Duo Gazzana interviews with KUAF - Fayetteville AR
    Posted At: June 11, 2014 12:00 AM

    Sisters Natascia (violin) and Raffaella Gazzana (piano), who formed Duo Gazzana in their native Italy in the 1990s, have played together since young girls. In their new release for ECM Records they adhere to Verdi's dictum "Return to the old, and this will be progress," by exploring 20th and 21st century works that rely on traditions of the past for "modern sounds on old backdrops." In my interview w...
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  • Listen to Duo Gazzana Interview on WVIA - Scranton PA
    Posted At: June 9, 2014 12:00 AM

    In their latest CD, and Duo Gazzana's second album for ECM New Series, violinist Natascia Gazzana and her sister, pianist Raffaella Gazzana unite works from the 20th and 21st centuries with striking narrative character and a retrospective glance at music history. The composers from France, Great Britain, Italy, Russia and Ukraine are writing here in earlier musical forms – toccata, suite, canon...
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  • Duo Gazzana - Poulenc/Walton/Dallapiccola/Schnittke/Silvestrov / AXS review
    Posted At: June 6, 2014 12:00 AM

    Duo Gazzana, consisting of the Italian sisters Natascia Gazzana on violin and Raffaella Gazzana on piano, made its debut on ECM New Series on November 1, 2011. The program for the album brought together four composers active during the period from the early 20th century to the early 21st. Their second album Poulenc/Walton/Dallapiccola/Schnittke/Silvestrov was released at the end of this past April. This ...
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  • Duo Gazzana - Poulenc/Walton/Dallapiccola/Schnittke/Silvestrov / Classical CD Reviews review
    Posted At: June 5, 2014 12:00 AM

    This new album from Duo Gazzana appears to be a labor of love on behalf of Walton's Toccata for violin and piano. It's an early work, dating from 1922-23, when the composer was just 20 years old. Natascia Gazzana, the violinist of the duo, has been studying the work for an academic dissertation, and has had access to source materials at the Fondazione W. Walton at his island home on Ischia. It is a fasci...
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  • Duo Gazzana interview with WRTI: Philadelphia
    Posted At: May 24, 2014 12:00 AM

    When traveling, some take the main routes - the safe, predictable, comforting roads. But others eschew the main routes, venturing off the beaten path. They're curious where the "roads less traveled" can lead them, and excited to share the discoveries most may not know about. This describes the Duo Gazzana, pathbeaters who say it's the trip that counts, not just the destination. Duo Gazza...
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  • Duo Gazzana - Poulenc/Walton/Dallapiccola/Schnittke/Silvestrov / Gapplegate review
    Posted At: May 16, 2014 12:00 AM

    Probably the hardest review to write in this space is an anthology of diverse works you aren't familiar with initially. Yet such collections can be quite rewarding. So I jump in today with the violin-piano Duo Gazzana and their recording of selected works by Poulenc/Walton/ Dallapiccola/Schnittke/Silvestrov. The duo is made up of the sisters Natascia Gazzana (violin) and Rafaella Gazzana (piano)....
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  • Duo Gazzana featured on WQXR: Cafe performance and interview
    Posted At: May 16, 2014 12:00 AM

    Duo Gazzana's first notes in the United States were played this month in the WQXR Café. The Duo, consisting of Italian sisters Natascia and Raffaella Gazzana, performing respectively on the violin and piano, has been together professionally since the mid-1990s. But although the Gazzanas have traveled throughout Europe, South Africa and Asia, a U.S. concert date has strangely eluded the group u...
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  • Duo Gazzana presents modern composers looking to the past / WGTE - Toledo Interview
    Posted At: May 12, 2014 12:00 AM

    In their latest CD, and Duo Gazzana's second album for ECM New Series, violinist Natascia Gazzana and her sister, pianist Raffaella Gazzana unite works from the 20th and 21st centuries with striking narrative character and a retrospective glance at music history. The composers from France, Great Britain, Italy, Russia and Ukraine are writing here in earlier musical forms – toccat...
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  • Duo Gazzana's new album is the WUOL Featured Album!
    Posted At: May 12, 2014 12:00 AM

    Duo Gazzana releases their second album on ECM with violin/piano duos from Alfred Schnittke, Francis Poulenc, Valentin Silvestrov, William Walton and Luigi Dallapiccola. Listen this week on WUOL: Louisville, KY for highlights from their new album and interview clips with the sisters, Natascia and Raffaella....
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  • Duo Gazzana - Five Pieces / Pop Matters review
    Posted At: March 7, 2012 12:00 AM

    Toru Takemitsu, Paul Hindemith, Leoš Janáček, and Valentin Silvestrov-composers from Japan, Germany, the Czech Republic and the Ukraine respectively-might not appear to have a great deal in common. But you would never know that from listening to Five Pieces: Music by Takemitsu, Hindemith, Janáček, Silvestrov, the debut album from Italian sisters Natascia and Raffaella ...
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