Love at Last Lara Downes

• Jaroslav Ježek (1906 - 1942): Dawn (Arr. J. Siskind for Solo Piano):
• 1 Ježek: Dawn (Arr. J. Siskind for Solo Piano) 01:29
• Johann Sebastian Bach (1685 - 1750): Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645 (Arr. I. Friedman for Solo Piano):
• 2 Bach: Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645 (Arr. I. Friedman for Solo Piano) 03:21
• Debbie Friedman (1951 - 2011): Laugh at All My Dreams (Arr. J. Siskind for Solo Piano):
• 3 Friedman: Laugh at All My Dreams (Arr. J. Siskind for Solo Piano) 02:36
• Margaret Bonds (1913 - 1972): Credo:
• 4 Bonds: Credo: No. 2, I Believe (Arr. L. Downes for Solo Piano) 02:35
• Clarice Assad (b. 1978): A World of Change:
• 5 Assad: A World of Change 03:22
• Gabriel Kahane (b. 1981): Little Love (Version for Piano):
• 6 Kahane: Little Love (Version for Piano) 03:16
• Franz Schubert (1797 - 1828): Frühlingsglaube, D. 686 (Arr. A. Horn for Solo Piano):
• 7 Schubert: Frühlingsglaube, D. 686 (Arr. A. Horn for Solo Piano) 03:20
• Iván Enrique Rodríguez (b. 1990): Tree of Life:
• 8 Rodríguez: Tree of Life 03:58
• Karen Tanaka (b. 1961): Earth:
• 9 Tanaka: Earth 02:14
• Nyokabi Kariũki (b. 1998): It Only Ever Rains in November:
• 10 Kariũki: It Only Ever Rains in November 03:19
• DeVon Russell Gray (b. 1980): Even This Laughter; Even Your Tears:
• 11 Gray: Even This Laughter; Even Your Tears 04:26
• Jimmy López Bellido (b. 1978): By Loving You (Arr. L. Bellido for Solo Piano):
• 12 Bellido: By Loving You (Arr. L. Bellido for Solo Piano) 02:22
• Sean Hickey (b. 1970): Fluid:
• 13 Hickey: Fluid 03:48
• Calliope Tsoupaki (b. 1963): Meeting Point:
• 14 Tsoupaki: Meeting Point 02:45
• Timo Andres (b. 1985): Parting Friends:
• 15 Andres: Parting Friends 03:23
• Sammy Fain (1902 - 1989): I’ll Be Seeing You (Arr. M. Mayz for Solo Piano):
• 16 Fain: I’ll Be Seeing You (Arr. M. Mayz for Solo Piano) 02:43
• Dobrinka Tabakova (b. 1980): Simple Prayer for Complex Times:
• 17 Tabakova: Simple Prayer for Complex Times 05:27
• Patricio Molina: Blessing:
• 18 Molina: Blessing 03:20
• Vijay Iyer (b. 1971): Crown Thy Good:
• 19 Iyer: Crown Thy Good 05:20
• Milad Yousufi (b. 1995): Healer:
• 20 Yousufi: Healer 02:56
• Juhi Bansal: Mirror the Stars:
• 21 Bansal: Mirror the Stars 01:27
• Hooshyar Khayam (b. 1978): Bright Night:
• 22 Khayam: Bright Night 02:51
• Valentin Silvestrov (b. 1937): Lullaby:
• 23 Silvestrov: Lullaby 02:42
• Traditional: Amazing Grace (Arr. S.E. Okpebholo for Solo Piano):
• 24 Traditional: Amazing Grace (Arr. S.E. Okpebholo for Solo Piano) 02:58
• Audio Commentary:
• 25 Audio Commentary 02:23
• Total Runtime 01:18:21

Info for Love at Last

"Love at Last" ist das erste Pentatone-Album der Pianistin Lara Downes, inspiriert von dem Gedicht Sachki, Sachki des in Odessa geborenen jüdischen Schriftstellers Shaul Tchernichovsky. Downes präsentiert 24 Stücke, viele davon in Weltersteinspielungen, von lebenden Komponisten rund um den Globus. Diese unterschiedlichen Stimmen, die Generationen, Kontinente und Kulturen umspannen, sind vereint in einem hartnäckigen Glauben an die Möglichkeit der Menschlichkeit, der Brüderlichkeit, des Friedens und des Mitgefühls sowie an die immerwährende Kraft der Liebe.

"Shaul Tchernichovsky war ein sehr junger Mann, als er dieses Gedicht 1894 in Odessa schrieb. Jahrhunderts brachte Wellen brutaler Gewalt gegen seine jüdische Gemeinde in der Ukraine, Revolution in Russland, Krieg in ganz Europa und der ganzen Welt. Eine dunkle Zeit des Hasses. Als er 1943 in Jerusalem starb, hatte er in seinen sieben Jahrzehnten die schlimmsten Verbrechen und Grausamkeiten gesehen, die sich Menschen gegenseitig antun können. Aber er war auch Zeuge von Aufbegehren, Widerstand und Widerstandskraft - ein Beweis für den größtmöglichen menschlichen Mut, Mitgefühl und Wandel. Ich hoffe, dass er bei alledem an seinem jugendlichen Glauben an seine Mitmenschen festhielt, an unsere Fähigkeit, einander zu lieben, und daran, dass unsere Liebe uns eines Tages endlich retten wird.

Hier stehe ich nun und schreibe diese Worte im Oktober 2022, in einer Zeit, die von Katastrophen und Zerstörung geprägt ist - russische Raketen, die auf die Ukraine niedergehen; Terror im Iran; ein Ebola-Ausbruch in Uganda; der schlimmste Massenmord in der Geschichte Thailands; der alltägliche Horror amerikanischer Waffengewalt hier zu Hause. Und überall auf der Welt werden Menschenleben durch Wirbelstürme und Überschwemmungen, Dürren und Brände vertrieben und zerstört. In dieser Dunkelheit ist das einzige Licht die Liebe; die einzige Wahl ist, aneinander und an die hellere Verheißung der nächsten Jahre zu glauben.

Die Komponisten dieses Albums sind meine Freunde und Weggefährten, die gemeinsam ihren Weg in einer Welt des Wandels finden. Sie haben ihre Musik mit mir geteilt, als ich sie am meisten brauchte, eine Rettungsleine für Verbindung und Gemeinschaft. Und hier sind unsere musikalischen Vorfahren - Bach, Bonds, Schubert - mit Zeugnissen ihres eigenen Glaubens und ihrer Hoffnung in unruhigen Zeiten. Diese Musik drückt Liebe und Verlust, Licht und Dunkelheit, Erneuerung und Erlösung aus. Sie stammt von vielen verschiedenen Stimmen, die über Generationen, Kontinente und Kulturen hinweg durch den festen Glauben an die Möglichkeit der Menschlichkeit, der Brüderlichkeit, des Friedens und des Mitgefühls sowie an die immerwährende Kraft der Liebe vereint sind." (Lara Downes)

Lara Downes, Klavier

Lara Downes
American pianist Lara Downes has been called "a delightful artist with a unique blend of musicianship and showmanship" by NPR, and praised by the Washington Post for her stunning performances "rendered with drama and nuance". Known for her eclectic presentations of the piano repertoire - from iconic favorites to newly-commissioned works – her solo performances bridge musical genres and traditions, and engage a wide range of audiences with what San Francisco Classical Voice has called “an elegant example of how accessibility and a breezy relevance can exist, organically, in a classical music concert.’

Downes is the 2016 laureate of the Sphinx Organization Medals of Excellence award, recognizing her influence as an extraordinary artist of her generation and her leadership in expanding audiences for classical music.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Europe, Downes' musical outlook reflects the diversity of her personal heritage and extensive travels. Her interest in connecting music to a wide and inclusive breadth of human experience mines her own mixed African American and Eastern European background and the impressions of her transatlantic adventures to produce a unique range of creative projects, from an exploration of the music of Jewish composers in exile to a centenary tribute to Billie Holiday, from an intimate portrait of the marriage of Robert and Clara Schumann to a sweeping look at the musical breakthroughs of the American 20th Century, all captured with timeless relevance and a deeply personal style that the Huffington Post has called "addicting - Downes plays with an open, honest heart."

Downes' European training under Hans Graf and Rudolph Buchbinder led to early debuts at the Queen Elizabeth Hall London, the Vienna Konzerthaus and the Salle Gaveau Paris, and has won over audiences at diverse venues ranging from Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center to Le Poisson Rouge and Classical Revolution. Recent performances include the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, Bargemusic, San Francisco Performances, Maverick Concerts, the Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Portland Piano International and the University of Washington World Series, among many others. Her musical collaborations include diverse partnerships with artists including cellist Zuill Bailey, violinist Rachel Barton Pine, the Brubeck Institute Jazz Quintet, the Musical Art Quintet, composers David Sanford, Benny Golson, Daniel Felsenfeld, Mohammed Fairouz and Daniel Bernard Roumain, and former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove. Her original solo performance projects have received support from prominent organizations such as the National Endowment for the Arts, the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition, the Mellon Foundation, the Center for Cultural Innovation and American Public Media.

Lara’s solo recordings have met tremendous critical and popular acclaim. Exiles’ Café (Steinway & Sons, 2013) topped the bestseller charts and was called “ravishing” by Fanfare magazine. Some Other Time (Steinway & Sons, 2014), a duo recording with cellist Zuill Bailey, debuted in the Billboard Top 10 and was called "luscious, moody and dreamy" by the The New York Times. Her recent chart-topping release, A Billie Holiday Songbook, has been embraced by both jazz and classical critics and listeners, called “possibly the most intriguing Holiday tribute” of this centenary year by Jazz Weekly.

Lara’s live performances and recordings are heard regularly on national radio programs with features including NPR Music, Marketplace, Performance Today, Sirius XM Symphony Hall, WNYC's New Sounds, and WFMT’s Impromptu. She is the producer and host of The Green Room, a radio show about the lives of classical musicians, distributed nationally by the WFMT Network. Her writing has been published in Listen Magazine, The Rumpus, Arts Journal and San Francisco Classical Voice. She is the founder and director of The Artist Sessions, a pop-up concert series featuring international soloists and ensembles at the forward edges of classical music.

Lara serves as Artist in Residence at the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, UC Davis where she mentors the next generation of young musicians as Director of the Mondavi Center National Young Artists Program. She is the Founder and President of the 88 KEYS Foundation, supporting arts education experiences in California public schools through instrument donations and teaching artist presentations.

Booklet for Love at Last