Thomas Adès: Illuminating from within Winston Choi

• Thomas Adès (1971 - ):
• 1 Traced Overhead 1: Sursum 00:52
• 2 Traced Overhead 2: Aetheria 02:27
• 3 Traced Overhead 3: Chori 07:45
• 4 First Mazurka 01:52
• 5 Second Mazurka 02:15
• 6 Third Mazurka 04:11
• 7 Thrift, mazurka-cortège 04:10
• 8 Darknesse Visible 07:20
• 9 Still Sorrowing 10:28
• 10 Concert Paraphrase on Powder her Face I 06:23
• 11 Concert Paraphrase on Powder her Face II 01:35
• 12 Concert Paraphrase on Powder her Face III 09:23
• 13 Concert Paraphrase on Powder her Face IV 02:07
• Total Runtime 01:00:48

Info for Thomas Adès: Illuminating from within

Thomas Adès, British composer and well known as a concert pianist has composed eight piano works. These works, written between 1992 and 2011 were recorded by Winston Choi here and it's a great first because if some of these works had already been recorded by Thomas Adès is the first time the entire work piano of this prominent composer was proposed disk.

Adès completely reinvented with each piano work by exploring different techniques of composition, modes of expression, stylistic concerns and the use of the instrument. A unique and singular voice.

The interpreter Winston Choi, Canadian pianist based in Chicago, was the winner in 2002 of the International Competition of Orleans, is a great advocate of the works of contemporary repertoire.

Winston Choi, piano

Winston Choi
Winner of the 2002 Orléans Concours International and Laureate of the 2003 Honens International Piano Competition, Chicago-based Canadian pianist Winston Choi is an inquisitive performer whose fresh approach to standard repertory, and masterful understanding, performance and commitment to works by living composers, make him one of today’s most dynamic young concert artists.

Choi maintains an active international performing schedule. In demand as a concerto soloist, orchestras he has appeared with include the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, the CBC Radio Orchestra, the Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra, the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra, the East Texas Symphony Orchestra, the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Collins Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony Orchestra, the Kamloops Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra Iowa, the New Philharmonic, the Northwest Indiana Symphony Orchestra, the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra, La Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Colombia, l’Orchestre Symphony d’Orléans, l'Orchestre National de Lille, l’Orchestre Symphonique d’Orléans, the Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, the Peninsula Music Festival Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony Orchestra, and the Victoria Symphony Orchestra.

Known for his colorful approach to programming and insightful commentary from the stage, Choi has recently appeared in recital at the National Arts Centre of Canada, the Glenn Gould Studio in Toronto, New York’s Carnegie-Weill Recital Hall and Merkin Recital Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Library of Congress in Washington D.C., the Kravis Center in Florida, and the “Cicle Grans Solistes' in Spain. Choi performs extensively in France, having played venues such as the Salle Cortot, Lille’s Festival Rencontre Robert Casadesus, the Messiaen Festival, and the Strasbourg Festival. Frequently in demand throughout his native Canada, his numerous performances can often be heard on CBC radio broadcasts. Recently, he toured Eastern Ontario and Quebec under the auspices of Jeunesses Musicales and embarked on a 10-city Prairie Debut tour of the Canadian Prairie provinces. An accomplished chamber musician, he tours regularly with his wife, violinist MingHuan Xu as Duo Diorama, as well as with the Pivot Chamber Soloists. He has also performed with the Aeolus, Avalon, Philomusica and Spektral string quartets, and is a member of the Civitas Ensemble.

As a dedicated champion of contemporary music, Choi has premiered and commissioned over 100 works by young composers as well as established masters. A composer himself, being involved with the creative process is an integral part of his artistry. He was the first pianist to perform Pierre Boulez’s last version of Incises in North America and made the South American premiere of Luciano Berio‘s Sonata for pianoforte solo. He also regularly appears in concert at IRCAM, the world’s most renowned institution for contemporary music. Composers he has collaborated with include William Bolcom, Elliott Carter, John Corigliano, Brian Ferneyhough, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Bright Sheng, Christian Wolff, Chen Yi and John Zorn. He is also a core member of one of the country's most exciting new music groups, Ensemble Dal Niente. A frequent performer on the Chicago Symphony Orchestra's MusicNOW Series, Choi has also performed with Contempo and the Fulcrum Point New Music Project.

Already a prolific recording artist, Choi’s debut CD, the complete piano works of Elliott Carter (l’Empreinte Digitale in France) was given 5 stars by BBC Music Magazine. He has also recorded the complete piano music of Jacques Lenot for the Intrada label, having won the Grand Prix du Disque from l’Académie Charles Cros for Volume I. His recording of the piano works of Thomas Adès will soon be released on the Buisonne label. Other labels he can be heard on include Albany, Arktos, Crystal Records, Naxos and QuadroFrame.

Choi obtained his Bachelor and Master of Music from Indiana University, and his DM from Northwestern University. His studies were with Vivienne Bailey, James Tweedie, Menahem Pressler and Ursula Oppens. An accomplished teacher, he is also in demand as a master class clinician and lecturer on a variety of pedagogical topics. Previously on the faculties of Bowling Green State University and the Oberlin Conservatory, he is Associate Professor and Head of Piano at the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

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