The Etudes Project, Vol. 1: Iceberg Jenny Lin

• Max Grafe (b. 1988):
• 1 Accretion 02:19
• Olivier Messiaen (1908 - 1992):
• 2 Etude de rythme No. 1, I/32 "Ile de feu" 02:22
• Victor Baez (b. 1985):
• 3 Etude No. 1 "Corona" 02:43
• Unsuk Chin (b. 1961):
• 4 Etude No. 6 "Grains" 04:16
• Yu-Chun Chien (b. 1987):
• 5 To the Convergence 02:26
• Toshio Hosokawa (b. 1955):
• 6 Etude for Piano No. 1 "2 Lines" 03:45
• Will Healy (b. 1990):
• 7 Etude for Melancholy Robots No. 3 "Trains" 03:54
• György Ligeti (1923 - 2006):
• 8 Etude No. 1 "Désordre" 02:31
• Derek Cooper (b. 1987):
• 9 Etude No. 1 "Unleashed" 02:29
• Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901 - 1953):
• 10 Study in Mixed Accents 01:14
• Stephanie Ann Boyd (b. 1990):
• 11 Lilac (Flower Catalog) 03:22
• Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918):
• 12 12 Etudes, L. 136, Livre 2: No. 11, Pour les arpèges composés 04:56
• Drake Andersen (b. 1987):
• 13 Walk 02:36
• Alexander Scriabin (1871 - 1915):
• 14 Etude in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 8 No. 2 02:16
• Harry Stafylakis (b. 1982):
• 15 Piano Études, Book 1: No. 1, Obstinata 1 (Barbed Wire) 04:18
• Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873 - 1943):
• 16 Etude-Tableaux in D Minor, Op. 33 No. 4 03:36
• Jonathan Russ (b. 1985):
• 17 Knuckles 03:31
• Philip Glass (b. 1937):
• 18 Etude No. 13 03:57
• Alex Burtzos (b. 1985):
• 19 Should the Wide World Roll Away 03:36
• Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849):
• 20 Etude in C-Sharp Minor, Op. 10 No. 4 "Torrent" 02:15
• Total Runtime 01:02:22

Info zu The Etudes Project, Vol. 1: Iceberg

The term étude first started to turn up in musical literature in the late 1700s, and came into common usage in the first half of the 19th century—either because of, or in close proximity to, the Paris Conservatoire, where the form was polished and promulgated. The notion of a piece of music exactingly engineered to promote some specific aspect of technique was nothing new; in her public presentations of “The Etudes Project,” pianist Jenny Lin traces the concept back to Johann Sebastian Bach’s Clavier-Übung, four volumes of keyboard exercises published between 1726 and 1741— the final volume known more widely as the “Goldberg” Variations. A certain degree of rigor is embedded into the concept: the word étude translates as “study,” and most early examples of the genre favor praxis over poetry. But with the advent of Chopin and Liszt, with their astonishing technical skills and abundant imaginations, the étude would transcend its workmanlike origin. The genre characteristically would remain a test of manual dexterity. But increasingly, the challenge intrinsic to the étude was not only to strengthen a particular technique or skill, but also to transform a practical exercise into a pleasing utterance: the concert étude, as the form would become known.

Countless composers have risen to the challenge of the étude. This album, the first documentation of a sweeping project conceived by Lin, includes some of the most famous examples—Debussy, Scriabin, Rachmaninoff, Messiaen, Ligeti, and Glass—alongside equally noteworthy contributions to the format by such mavericks as Ruth Crawford Seeger, Toshio Hosokawa, and Unsuk Chin. Lin further pairs each of her canonical selections with an entirely new work by a member of ICEBERG New Music, a determinedly heterodox collaborative of 10 gifted young composers who represent a broad range of stylistic inclinations, but who are united by their enduring faith in substance and craft.

Bucking a current fad, the new études were not proposed as sequels or responses to existing works. Lin simply asked the ICEBERG composers to challenge her, and then used her own 4 5 keen ear and sure instincts to find sympathetic pairings. Driving rhythms and rich harmonies link pieces by Alex Burtzos and Chopin. Rangy scatterings of notes present a frolicsome affinity between Victor Baez and Unsuk Chin. Stephanie Ann Boyd and Debussy both deploy dreamy arpeggios in rippling waves; and so on. In each case, hearing the new piece enhances your understanding of the older one—and vice versa.

Identifying affinities among old and new music, and among familiar and unknown pieces, is a knack Lin has demonstrated again and again throughout her career—and it’s part of what makes her not only a persuasive interpreter, but also an invaluable guide and companion. Stated simply: you are in extraordinarily sure hands, here. (Steve Smith)

Jenny Lin, piano

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Booklet für The Etudes Project, Vol. 1: Iceberg