Kiss on Wood Rachel Yonan & Kwan Yi

• Arvo Pärt (b. 1935): Fratres (Arr. for Viola & Piano by Lars Anders Tomter):
• 1 Pärt: Fratres (Arr. for Viola & Piano by Lars Anders Tomter) 10:38
• James MacMillan (b. 1959): Kiss on Wood (Arr. for Viola & Piano by Rachel Yonan):
• 2 MacMillan: Kiss on Wood (Arr. for Viola & Piano by Rachel Yonan) 07:04
• Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856): Märchenbilder, Op. 113:
• 3 Schumann: Märchenbilder, Op. 113: I. Nicht schnell 03:09
• 4 Schumann: Märchenbilder, Op. 113: III. Rasch 04:02
• 5 Schumann: Märchenbilder, Op. 113: II. Lebhaft 02:36
• 6 Schumann: Märchenbilder, Op. 113: IV. Langsam, mit melancholischen Ausdruck 04:28
• Arvo Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel (Version for Viola & Piano):
• 7 Pärt: Spiegel im Spiegel (Version for Viola & Piano) 08:51
• Total Runtime 40:48

Info for Kiss on Wood

Revolving around the first recording of Sir James MacMillan’s Kiss on Wood for viola and piano arranged and performed by Rachel Yonan, this album explores the polarity of light and darkness. Minimalist composer Arvo Pärt’s beloved Fratres and Spiegel im Spiegel bookend the program. The concept of light infuses these pieces with their intense clarity and search for transcendent meaning. Fratres (Brotherhood) evokes the struggle between good and evil with its contrasting voices. Spiegel im Spiegel (Mirror in Mirror) is pure and stable as it sonically imagines the infinite reflection between two mirrors. Pärt’s deeply spiritual music links to MacMillan’s devotional Kiss on Wood which invites the listener into a place of stillness and silence as it reaches for an essence of meaning beyond words. MacMillan sounds out the darkness of loss, yet finds delicate rays of hope to fill the long spaces. Paired with these intense yet static twenty-first century works are Schumann’s miniature character pieces Märchenbilder (Fairytale Pictures) that use an emotional palette ranging from bright and playful to deeply melancholic. The programmatic title of each work—Fratres, Kiss on Wood, Märchenbilder, Spiegel im Spiegel—hints at meaning that cannot be expressed by words alone, but must be illuminated by the music. (Rachel Yonan)

Rachel Yonan, violin
Kwan Yi, piano

Rachel Yonan
Recognized for her expressive playing and elegant style, violist RACHEL YONAN enjoys a rich and varied career as recitalist, artistic director, commentator and champion of chamber music. She has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician in concert halls across the United States, England, Switzerland, Italy, Austria and China; and on National Public Radio and Canadian Public Radio.

A lover of chamber music, Rachel co-founded the Marinus Ensemble with her brother, cellist Joseph Kuipers. Praised by the Philadelphia Inquirer as “perfectly balanced”, Marinus is a passionate group of artists, dedicated to engaging audiences through interactive performance of great music. They have performed for such series as the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Curtis Presents, and WRTI Performance Studio. Integrating her interest in music and philosophy, Rachel is a Visiting Scholar at Jesus College, University of Cambridge where her scholarship focuses on the role of music in personal formation and flourishing. She received funding for this project through Duke University as the inaugural McDonald Agape Fellow in Theology and Music. Beyond her own innovative work with Marinus, Rachel has been invited to perform at prestigious festivals such as the Marlboro Music Festival, Open Chamber Music Prussia Cove, Festival Mozaic and Taos Music Festival. Ms. Yonan has collaborated with Itzhak Perlman, Roberto Díaz, Joseph Silverstein, James Dunham and Robert Levin; joined the Dover and Escher Quartets for chamber concerts; and worked extensively with Pamela Frank, Peter Wiley and Edgar Meyer.

While Ms. Yonan has had the honor of performing around the world in major concert venues such as Carnegie Hall, Verizon Hall and King’s College Chapel Cambridge, she is equally at home engaging audiences in more intimate venues through her work with Marinus. She successfully launched a new series—Marinus Concerts—that offers immersive and inviting concert experiences in scenic Virginia wineries. Rachel is Creative Director of Marinus, and has taught viola performance and chamber music at Duke University. She is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and Rice University. Rachel plays a Gabrielle Kundert viola modeled on a Camillo Camilli viola from 1739.

Booklet for Kiss on Wood