African Pianism Rebeca Omordia

• Ayo Bankole (1935 - 1976): Egun Variations in G Major:
• 1 Bankole: Egun Variations in G Major 07:36
• J. H. Kwabena Nketia (1921 - 2019): African Pianism (Excerpts):
• 2 Nketia: African Pianism (Excerpts): Play Time 01:18
• 3 Nketia: African Pianism (Excerpts): Dagarti Work Song 01:20
• 4 Nketia: African Pianism (Excerpts): Builsa Work Song 01:06
• 5 Nketia: African Pianism (Excerpts): Volta Fantasy 02:55
• Christian Onyeji: Ufie:
• 6 Onyeji: Ufie: I. Moderately Fast 06:49
• 7 Onyeji: Ufie: II. Slow 05:37
• 8 Onyeji: Ufie: III. Fast 02:03
• Fred Onovwerosuoke (b. 1960): 5 Kaleidoscopes for Piano:
• 9 Onovwerosuoke: 5 Kaleidoscopes for Piano: No. 1, With Vigor 02:28
• 10 Onovwerosuoke: 5 Kaleidoscopes for Piano: No. 2, Adagio molto parlando 01:48
• 11 Onovwerosuoke: 5 Kaleidoscopes for Piano: No. 3, Larghetto espressivo 03:05
• 12 Onovwerosuoke: 5 Kaleidoscopes for Piano: No. 4, Lentissimo e languendo 04:41
• 13 Onovwerosuoke: 5 Kaleidoscopes for Piano: No. 5, Vivace con brio 03:08
• David Earl (b. 1951): Scenes from a South African Childhood:
• 14 Earl: Scenes from a South African Childhood: II. Princess Rainbow 04:33
• Nabil Benabdeljalil: Nocturne No. 4 for Piano Solo:
• 15 Benabdeljalil: Nocturne No. 4 for Piano Solo 05:09
• Nocturne No. 5 for Piano Solo:
• 16 Benabdeljalil: Nocturne No. 5 for Piano Solo 05:00
• Nocturne No. 6 for Piano Solo:
• 17 Benabdeljalil: Nocturne No. 6 for Piano Solo 08:05
• En attente du printemps:
• 18 Benabdeljalil: En attente du printemps 04:24
• Akin Euba (1935 - 2020): 3 Yoruba Songs Without Words:
• 19 Euba: 3 Yoruba Songs Without Words: No. 1, Ore meta 01:53
• 20 Euba: 3 Yoruba Songs Without Words: No. 2, Mo ja'we gbegbe 02:04
• 21 Euba: 3 Yoruba Songs Without Words: No. 3, L'ori oke ati petele 02:15
• Total Runtime 01:17:17

Info for African Pianism

SOMM Recordings is thrilled to announce African Pianism, a revelatory collection of music by seven African composers. Released to coincide with Black History Month in the United States, it marks the label’s solo debut of Nigerian-Romanian pianist Rebeca Omordia.

First recordings include three haunting Nocturnes and percussion- enhanced En attente du printemps by Moroccan, Nabil Benabdeljalil. And Five Kaleidoscopes for Piano by Ghanaian-born to Nigerian parents, Fred Onovwerosuoke, best known for Bolingo, featured in the 2006 Robert de Niro film, The Good Shepherd. They evocatively reference a beehive, love of homeland, Nubian folklore and the elemental power of Nature.

African Pianism takes its title from Ghanaian J.H. Kwabena Nketia’s set of Twelve Pedagogical Pieces, richly influenced by the rhythmic, tonal accent of African percussion music. Ayo Bankole’s Egun Variations, remarks Robert Matthew-Walker in his booklet notes, “skilfully melds… Nigerian musical language within a European G major tonal structure”.

Fellow Nigerians Christian Onyeji and Akin Euba also interrogate African drumming technique to brilliant effect in the former’s Ufie (Igbo Dance), the latter’s Three Yoruba Songs Without Words celebrating indigenous song. David Earl’s ‘Princess Rainbow’, from his autobiographical Scenes from a South African Childhood, is a touching memory of fly-fishing with his father.

Hailed as an “African classical music pioneer” (BBC World Service) and “a classical music game changer” (Classical Music), award-winning pianist Rebeca Omordia is an exciting virtuoso with a wide-ranging career as soloist, chamber musician and recording artist.

She is artistic director of the African Concert Series in London, part of Wigmore Hall’s Family of Partners. The 2022 series launches at London’s Africa Centre on January 25.

Rebeca’s previous SOMM release, The Piano Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams (SOMMCD 0164), was hailed by MusicWeb International as “spellbinding music”. Gramophone declared her collaboration with Mark Bebbington “a classy anthology… [both] finding a unremitting logic, sweep and concentration that thrill to the marrow”.

Rebeca Omordia, piano

Rebeca Omordia,
"Rebeca Omordia is half Romanian, half Nigerian – and it’s a powerful combination! Rebeca’s technique knows no bounds but, more importantly, she plays with a depth of insight and understanding which is all too rare today." (Julian Lloyd Webber, London Magazine)

Described as “A Classical Music Game Changer” by the Classical Music Magazine, London based award-winning Nigerian-Romanian pianist Rebeca Omordia is known as a vibrant, exciting virtuoso throughout the UK and overseas whose work has changed the face of classical music. She enjoys a busy and creative professional career as a soloist, chamber musician, recording artist and artistic director.

Rebeca was born in Romania to a Romanian mother and a Nigerian father. Having begun to establish a profile in her native country, she moved to the UK to study at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and later at Trinity College of Music in London with Professor Mikhail Kazakevich. She holds Doctor in Music degree from the National University of Music in Bucharest, Romania.

An “African classical music pioneer”, in 2018 Rebeca released her CD “EKELE: Piano Music by African Composers” on Heritage Records, the first CD of its kind ever released in the UK described by the Gramophone Magazine as a "fascinating programme”. In 2019 she launched the world's first ever African Concert Series, London, a series of monthly concerts featuring music by African classical composers. The series was given recognition in 2021 by joining Wigmore Hall’s Family of Partners.

Described by the Guardian, Nigeria as “the pianist who cast a spell on Lagos”, in recent seasons Rebeca has toured Nigeria as a recitalist and she has performed as a soloist with MUSON Symphony Orchestra in Lagos and Abuja. She has worked with an array of international musicians, including a three year- partnership with world renowned British cellist Julian Lloyd Webber, an on-going partnership with South African double bass virtuoso Leon Bosch consisting of several recordings for Meridian Records and collaborations with cellists Raphael Wallfisch and Joseph Spooner. Rebeca's CD with pianist Mark Bebbington for SOMM Records, “The Piano Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams”, reached no. 3 in the UK’s Specialist Classical Music Chart.

Rebeca is also a talented arranger, her arrangement for cello and harp of the choral work “Seal Lullaby” by Eric Whitacre was released on Deutsche Grammophon with Julian Lloyd Webber, cello and Catrin Finch, harp.

Rebeca was a jury member in the 13th HRH Princess Lalla Meryem International Piano Competition in Rabat, Morocco.

In 2016 she was awarded the Honorary Membership Award from Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for her services to music.

This album contains no booklet.