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With this first album, Islam Manafov connects with his listeners through the works of the Romantic genius Chopin, with whom he has felt a close emotional tie since his childhood.

Using his immense palette of nuances he takes his listeners on a journey beyond time with Chopin’s works that may be considered his most difficult, both technically and musically, with their differing moods, at times wild, at times childish, at times rebellious and at times full of longing…”

Islam Manafov was born in Baku, the capital city of Azerbaijan, and studied at the Baku Music School during the years 1977-1981. In 1979 he won 1st prize in the “Azerbaijan Young Pianists Competition”, attracting the attention of the musical scene. Following this achievement, at the age of 17, he performed S. Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No.3 under the world famous Maestro Niyazi Tagizade, to great acclaim.

As a “People’s Artist” of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Manafov continues his artistic life as a pianist, conductor and composer, while working as a Professor at Baku Music Academy and Yeditepe University in Istanbul.

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With its actual recording of Johannes Brahms Piano Quartet no. 1 in G minor (Op. 25), the Et Arsis Piano Quartet makes an independent, militant contribution to the discussion about the musical interpretation of Brahms.

The contemporary Latvian composer Peteris Vasks gives his music the experiences of his people during Soviet rule and transformation time_exp: With its unmistakable signature Et Arsis sets the bar high for the interpretation of Vasks’ sole piano quartet.

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The compositions feature a wordless soprano, even though I was urged by several of my friends to use a libretto at first. However, it occurred to me early on that the music could be vocal but without relying on words. Not only might a written text present a distraction for the audience, but even more so its rhythmic pattern would have interfered too much with the organic flow of the composition. Also, given the subject matter, I strongly felt that the music should speak for itself.

The pieces are written in a very lush romantic style, both lyrical in expression and epic in scale. At times notably nostalgic, sometimes opulent but never cloying. The soaring melodies are clearly a nod to the likes of Erich Wolfgang Korngold and Max Steiner, whose film music from the golden era of Hollywood has always been an inspiration.

This world premiere recording has been a long time in the making and I feel very fortunate to have received the generous support of so many incredibly talented people along the way: soprano Elena Moșuc is performing under the direction of conductor John Scott and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The recording took place at the legendary Abbey Road Studios in London.

Flavio Motalla, Los Angeles 2016

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Thinking back on my own life, classical music has truly made me who I am today. It has been a constant companion since my earliest childhood, and, whilst many may recall certain toys or birthday parties, my first memories all include music. My home was always filled with the sound of someone practicing or a marvellous radio broadcast. Everyone in our immediate family was musical, and neighbours who passed by our house always heard some kind of instrument or voice floating out through the windows. It was just a normal part of our everyday life.

When I was two, I received a Christmas present that would have a profound impact on my childhood: it was a book called “Mozart the Wonder Boy”. For some strange reason, little Wolferl (Wolfgang) and his sister Nannerl (Marianne) became my dearest fantasy playmates, and aspiring to become an accomplished musician (like they were), soon became a very cool thing for me. My mother was the first to introduce me to his works by singing me lieder and arias, while accompanying herself on the piano. Standing there by her side with my pigtails and all, I was so profoundly moved by the beauty of his melodies, that something inside me knew right away that I would never want that feeling to go away. Although we weren’t “well off’, seeing my growing passion for music, somehow my parents always managed to provide the right things to improve my artistic skills, including lessons in piano, violin, ballet, drama, and voice. My love for Mozart and his early genius grew year after year, and was a constant inspiration to me throughout my youth. It was this small seed that two decades later led to an international singing career and to the Mozart songs on this CD.

At the Curtis Institute of Music I had the privilege to live amongst some of the most talented musicians of my generation, and to get to know and perform many works of the great masters with them. My voice had not reached maturity yet, but the timbre and vocal range held a promise of the roles I would sing in the future. I was very lucky to work with teachers and coaches who respected my young voice, and didn’t push me into unsuitable repertoire. Thanks to this I was able to maintain the youth in my voice throughout my career, and to discover new facets of the same pieces year after year.
The songs of Mozart, Debussy, Faurè, Duparc, and Strauss have been in my repertoire for a long time, we are old friends who enjoy music – and the silence between the notes, together.

Special thanks to Jean Lemaire, my partner in many Lied projects, with his valuable insights as to repertoire and interpretation, and ready for the unexpected. I thank him for introducing me to Hubert Haas, who convinced us to let him produce this recital recording.