Konstantia Gourzi: Whispers Nils Mönkemeyer & William Youn

• Konstantia Gourzi (b. 1962): wind whispers, Op. 85:
• 1 Gourzi: wind whispers, Op. 85: I. raindrops 03:41
• 2 Gourzi: wind whispers, Op. 85: II. floating leaf 02:17
• 3 Gourzi: wind whispers, Op. 85: III. gliding albatross 01:41
• 4 Gourzi: wind whispers, Op. 85: IV. shimmering light 02:23
• evening at the window II, Op. 75b:
• 5 Gourzi: evening at the window II, Op. 75b: I. The yellow moon 00:39
• 6 Gourzi: evening at the window II, Op. 75b: II. a rooster in the sky 03:14
• 7 Gourzi: evening at the window II, Op. 75b: III. the Yellow moon 00:54
• 8 Gourzi: evening at the window II, Op. 75b: IV. smoke from the chimney 03:13
• 9 Gourzi: evening at the window II, Op. 75b: V. the yellow Moon 00:53
• 10 Gourzi: evening at the window II, Op. 75b: VI. in your arms 02:17
• 11 Gourzi: evening at the window II, Op. 75b: VII. The Yellow Moon 01:08
• call of the bees, Op. 77b:
• 12 Gourzi: call of the bees, Op. 77b: I. attention 03:28
• 13 Gourzi: call of the bees, Op. 77b: II. a prayer for protection 07:26
• 14 Gourzi: call of the bees, Op. 77b: III. transition 01:28
• 15 Gourzi: call of the bees, Op. 77b: IV. unification 01:10
• Konstantia Gourzi:
• 16 Gourzi: messages between trees, Op. 84 06:48
• 17 Gourzi: a love song, Op. 63 03:28
• melodies from the sea, Op. 86:
• 18 Gourzi: melodies from the sea, Op. 86: I. wave 01:49
• 19 Gourzi: melodies from the sea, Op. 86: II. turtle 02:09
• 20 Gourzi: melodies from the sea, Op. 86: III. iceberg 04:12
• 21 Gourzi: melodies from the sea, Op. 86: IV. clouds 02:00
• 22 Gourzi: melodies from the sea, Op. 86: V. whale 03:19
• 23 Gourzi: melodies from the sea, Op. 86: VI. reflections 02:42
• 24 Gourzi: melodies from the sea, Op. 86: VII. lighthouse 04:45
• Total Runtime 01:07:04

Info for Konstantia Gourzi: Whispers

Nils Mönkemeyer's latest album "Vivaldi - Paganini - Tartini" received excellent reviews and, like all his past albums, entered the German classical music charts. Rbb Kultur chose the album as CD of the week and took the opportunity to call Mönkemeyer "one of the leading soloists of our time" and praised the intelligently chosen repertoire with numerous novelties. Mönkemeyer's new album, which he recorded with pianist William Youn, features only premiere recordings written especially for Nils Mönkemeyer and William Youn by composer Konstantia Gourzi. Both musicians are friends with the composer Konstantia Gourzi, who was born in 1962 and lives in Munich, and all three share a special love of nature. Almost all the works on the album "Whispers" also have a connection to nature. With her music, Konstantia Gourzi wants to convey appreciation and sensitivity for nature and inspire people to think about the beauty of nature. Pieces like "call of the bees", "messages between trees" or "melodies from the sea" suggest the stories and voices of whales, bees, waves and trees through expressive sound figures, rhythms, tempos and timbres. The majority of the works on the album are written for viola and piano. But there are also atmospheric solos for viola or piano like "wind whispers"". The composer herself is part of the recording in two works. On "evening at the window II" and "melodies from the sea" Konstantia Gourzi plays percussion instruments.

"Whispers" is an album with interesting, sonorous, atmospheric pieces of music and a topical reference to an important issue of our time.

Nils Mönkemeyer, viola
William Youn, piano, percussion
Konstantina Gourzi, piano, percussion

Nils Mönkemeyer
Artistic brilliance and innovative programming are the trademarks with which the Bremen native Nils Mönkemeyer has, in a short time, achieved international renown as a musician while drawing enormous new attention to the viola.

As an exclusive Sony Classical artist, he has brought out several critically acclaimed, award-winning CDs in the last years, all of which have made their way into the German classical charts. The programmes of this and Mönkemeyer’s previous recordings encompass discoveries and first recordings of original viola literature ranging from the 18th century to modern pieces, as well as his own transcriptions. 2017 will mark the release of the newest recording with works by Walton, Bruch and Pärt and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Markus Poschner.

Nils Mönkemeyer has collaborated with such conductors as Sylvain Cambreling, Elias Grandy, Christopher Hogwood, Cornelius Meister, Mark Minkowski, Michael Sanderling, Clemens Schuldt, Karl-Heinz Steffens, Markus Stenz, Mario Venzago and Simone Young, including orchestras like the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Helsinki Philharmonic, Musiciens du Louvre, Berne Symphony Orchestra, Konzerthaus Orchestra Berlin, Staatskapelle Weimar, Bremen and Hamburg Philharmonic, Dusseldorf Symphony Orchestra, MDR and NDR Radio Orchestras and the Berlin Baroque Soloists.

In the season 2017/18 he will appear as soloist at major international concert venues like the Musikverein Vienna, Salzburg, Helsinki Music Center, Liechtenstein, at the Philharmonie Berlin and Cologne, Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, Gasteig in Munich and the Alte Oper Frankfurt.g in Munich and the Alte Oper Frankfurt.

With his regular chamber music projects like the trio with Sabine Meyer and William Youn, the Julia Fischer Quartet and the duo with pianist William Youn, he will be heard on stages like the Wigmore Hall London, National Concert Hall Taipeh, Liszt Hall Budapest, Tonhalle Zurich, Philharmonie Luxembourg, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Prinzregententheater Munich, Boulez Hall Berlin and at numerous festivals.

Since 2011 Nils Mönkemeyer is a professor at the University for Music and Performing Arts in Munich, where he used to study himself with Hariolf Schlichtig. Previously, he was a professor at the University of Music in Dresden and assistant professor at the Escuela Superior Musica Reina Sofia Madrid.

Booklet for Konstantia Gourzi: Whispers