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"Where words fail, music speaks" – Hans Christian Andersen
Russian-American violinist Yevgeny Kutik, known for his "dark-hued tone and razor-sharp technique" (The New York Times), was inspired to create Words Fail following musings on Hans Christian Andersen’s well-known adage, "Where words fail, music speaks," best encapsulated by Mendelssohn’s iconic Songs Without Words. In this album, Kutik uses Mendelssohn's songs as a starting point to expand upon the idea that music surpasses traditional language in its expressive capabilities.
Words Fail, recorded with pianist John Novacek, includes the world premiere recordings of Words Fail by Timo Andres and Arioso Doloroso/Estatico by Michael Gandolfi, which were both commissioned for the album.
Yevgeny has captivated audiences worldwide with an old-world sound that communicates a modern intellect. Praised for his technical precision and virtuosity, he is also lauded for his poetic and imaginative interpretations of standard works as well as rarely heard and newly composed repertoire.
Of Words Fail, Yevgeny says, "Music never fails to be the most truthful communicator of my barest emotions – it has the ability to bypass our inner circuitry and tap right into the source of our spirit. This album meditates on this experience that we all share, when a wellspring of thoughts inside you drowns your ability to articulate them – when words fail – by both considering existing repertoire in the context of 'wordless song' and through two new works by Michael Gandolfi and Timo Andres that highlight this never-ending, timeless struggle."
Timo Andres’ Words Fail (with the composer accompanying on the piano) echoes the first of Mendelssohn’s Songs Without Words, transforming it into what Kutik describes as "something both folk-like and occasionally medieval". Gandolfi’s Arioso Doloroso/Estatico for unaccompanied violin highlights the gravity, solitude, and timeless wisdom evoked by the timbre of the solo violin.
Catalog: MAR 477
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Track Listing
Felix Mendelssohn - Songs Without Words
(arr. Friedrich Hermann)
1. Op. 19 No. 1
(Listen)
2. Op. 62 No. 6
3. Op. 67 No. 2
4. Gustav Mahler - Adagietto from Symphony No. 5
(arr. Robert Wittinger)
5. Michael Gandolfi - Arioso Doloroso/Estatico
6. Timo Andres - Words Fail (Listen)
7. Pyotr IlyichTchaikovsky - Song Without Words (Listen)
(arr. Fritz Kreisler)
Sergei Prokofiev - Five Melodies Op. 35bis
8. I - Andante
9. II - Lento, ma non troppo
10. III - Animato, ma non allegro
11. IV - Andantino, un poco scherzando
12. V - Andante non troppo
13. Olivier Messiaen – Thème et variations
14. Lera Auerbach - T'filah (Prayer) for solo violin
Total playing time: 64:00
Bonus Tracks: (digital release only)
15. Igor Stravinsky (arr. Samuel Dushkin) - Pastorale
16. Richard Wagner (arr. August Wilhelmj) - Albumblatt
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