The Encore Gets a Refresher

The Encore Gets a Refresher
0289 479 1725 0 2 CDs DDD GH2
A number of new short works by Music Sales composers go center stage on Hilary Hahn's recent CD release, "In 27 Pieces." With great dedication, Hahn commissioned 27 composers to write an "encore" piece in the style of their choice for this ambitious revival of a genre greatly in need of a 21st-century makeover. She had only three requirements: five-minute limit, for violin and piano, and an online presence so listeners could get to know each composer better.

Gramophone chamber review describes David Lang's folk-influenced light moving as part of the disc's "true ingenuity." And Hahn says, "the world of frenetic syncopation" in Avner Dorman's Memory Games "is so catchy that people were leaving the hall with [it] stuck in their heads."

Additional pieces contributing to this "satisfyingly cohesive collection of new works," in the words of critic Caroline Gill (Gramophone):
  • Impulse by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh
  • Speak, Memory by Lera Auerbach
  • Levitation by Søren Nils Eichberg
  • Two Voices by Nico Muhly
  • Mercy by Max Richter
"think of the most powerful short stories you've read: the impact of a carefully crafted vignette can be every bit as visceral, powerful and profound as the longest novel…"

"no one can question this violinist's advocacy of the genre, or doubt her passionate commitment to showing that the short piece is an art that should not be forgotten."
— Martin Cullingford for Gramophone

"I wanted the composer to feel completely free to write in their current style, or in another style, or maybe try to conjure up memories of previous favourite encores of the past, or maybe redefine the genre entirely."
— Hilary Hahn interviewed by Gramophone
Learn more at Deutsche Grammophon


"In 27 Pieces: the Hilary Hahn Encores" album trailer

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