AEQUORA Mystery Sonata

• María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir (b. 1980): Aequora:
• 1 Sigfúsdóttir: Aequora 10:01
• Daníel Bjarnason (b. 1979): First Escape:
• 2 Bjarnason: First Escape 04:26
• Páll Ragnar Pálsson (b. 1977): Notre Dame:
• 3 Pálsson: Notre Dame: 1. La Tour Nord 05:49
• 4 Pálsson: Notre Dame: 2. La Tour Sud 03:52
• Anna Thorvaldsdottir (b. 1977): Reminiscence:
• 5 Thorvaldsdottir: Reminiscence 07:53
• María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir: Re/fractions:
• 6 Sigfúsdóttir: Re/fractions: I 05:38
• 7 Sigfúsdóttir: Re/fractions: II 04:24
• Total Runtime 42:03

Info for AEQUORA

[AEQUUS] is a smooth or level surface, expanse, surface; a level stretch of ground, plain. Until the present recording, Mina Gajić and Zachary Carrettin have recorded under their given names. Occasionally performing live under the duo’s moniker, Mystery Sonata. Especially in non-classical settings presenting a diversity of repertoire and styles.

This is the first recording for which the duo has chosen to use the name Mystery Sonata. Embracing the inherent mystery in presenting contemporary music and new arrangements and instrumentations for the first time.

Aequora for grand piano and electronics by María Huld Markan Sigfúsdóttir was originally commissioned for the Iceland Arts Festival in 2015 by the pianist Árni Heiðar Karlsson. The work is inspired by a text of Anne Carson from her book Nox, (including the segment above). In meeting María, she expressed to Mina and me that she had been thinking about adding a texture, an element, a new voice to the composition.

“She and I connected in sharing stories of our violin studies and we even found that many years ago we both studied with the same great violinist at a summer festival. Not only did María successfully and beautifully create and integrate the violin into this work, she also composed a coda of new material, a melody that seems to exist without pulse and beyond time; it is extraordinarily effective and magical. María writes, “The manuscript is hand-written without time signature. The electronic part creates a certain atmosphere and a frame over which the instruments play. The piano part is more fixed and the violin is written as a counterpoint to the other layers, creating tension and release. The piece evolves from uncertainty towards a clearer structure and demands from the performers a close listening and attention to delicate nuances.”

Mystery Sonata:
Zachary Carrettin,violin
Mina Gajic, piano

Zachary Carrettin
is an internationally acclaimed violinist, music director, and innovator, having performed in more than twenty-five countries across four continents. Renowned for his thoughtful and dynamic programming, he masterfully bridges centuries of repertoire, presenting works from the 16th to the 21st Century on historical, modern, and electric instruments.

Carrettin’s extensive discography on the Sono Luminus label showcases his versatility, featuring Boundless (Schubert sonatinas with Mina Gajić on original instruments), Metamorphosis (Bach Cello Suites on baroque viola), Confluence (Balkan dances and Tango Nuevo), Boulder Bach Festival (concertos and vocal works with BBF's CORE ensemble), and Bach UnCaged (Bach’s solo works on electric violin paired with Cage's prepared piano). His upcoming release, Aequora (2025), will feature new music from Iceland. Praised by Gramophone Magazine for infusing “everything with poetry” and by Early Music America for offering performances that “counsel we can see the world anew,” Carrettin’s recordings reflect his profound artistry.

Early in his career, Carrettin performed at notable venues such as the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, the Wolf Trap Center, and the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. His collaborations span diverse genres, including performances for the Sultan and Royal Family of Oman, appearances with Project Bandaloop, and tours with Chanticleer. In the realm of historically inspired performance, Carrettin has appeared as a concerto soloist and guest concertmaster with American Bach Soloists in San Francisco and served as concertmaster on Ars Lyrica’s GRAMMY-nominated recording of Hasse’s Marc’ Antonio e Cleopatra. He performed as guest concertmaster with Musica Angelica in Los Angeles, and toured internationally with El Mundo, performing baroque music from Mexico and South America.

Carrettin’s chamber music collaborations are equally distinguished, partnering with luminaries such as the Vadim Gluzman, Joyce Yang, the Dover and Tokyo Quartets, and in early music collaborations with Monica Huggett, Giovanni Antonini, Nicholas McGeegan, as well as genre-defying artists like Yanni: with whom he toured one hundred cities internationally. Carrettin’s original compositions and recordings have been featured on CBS Sunday Morning, 60 Minutes, and NPR's Sunday Baroque.

A dedicated educator, Carrettin holds degrees in violin performance from Rice University and orchestral conducting from the University of Illinois, having also studied conducting at the National University of Music in Bucharest. He pursued doctoral studies in viola at Rice University and has served on faculties at Sam Houston State University, where he was Director of Orchestras, and the University of Colorado Boulder, where he directed early music ensembles and Eklund Opera’s production of Händel’s Ariodante.

Currently in his twelfth year as Music Director of Boulder Bach Festival, his co-founding and cultivation of the festival’s ensemble-in-residence resulted in the transformation of the non-profit’s brand and mission statement. COmpass REsonance, a recording and touring ensemble of dynamic soloists with a diverse repertoire, now hosts the annual Bach festival in addition to its other activities. Carrettin and COmpass REsonance continue to captivate audiences with their shared commitment to innovative and historically inspired performance.

Mina Gajic
has garnered an international reputation for insightful and dynamic performances of a vast and ever-evolving repertoire including many new works by living composers, concertos and recitals performed on historic Romantic Era pianos, and collaborations on harpsichord and fortepiano. She started her education and music career in Yugoslavia and subsequently performed as concerto soloist and recitalist in Italy, France, the Czech Republic, Serbia, Montenegro, China, Bolivia, and across the United States. As duo partner with violinist Zachary Carrettin, she has appeared on four continents, focusing on a diverse repertoire spanning the centuries and various styles—on historic period pianos in addition to modern concert instruments, and including new works composed for the duo.

Notable performances have included critically-acclaimed period instrument renditions of works by Chopin, Brahms, Britten, Ives, Berg, Antheil, and Bartók. Her doctoral dissertation and subsequent research on the work of Yugoslav composer Josip Slavenski connect Balkan folkloric traditions and approaches to twentieth century music between the two World Wars.

Her performances of Brahms and Schumann (Érard piano, 1895) can be heard on the audio book Escapement, by award-winning author Kristen Wolf. Additionally, Gajic and Carrettin's recording of Schubert sonatas on historical instruments (Érard piano, 1835), Boundless, was released in 2020 and became a Top 10 on Billboard Charts "Traditional Classical" the following month. Her recording of Balkan Dances & Tango Nuevo, Confluence was released in 2022 on the Sono Luminus label. She performs as harpsichord concerto soloist on the 2023 Boulder Bach Festival album, also on Sono Luminus, and her album titled Sonic Alchemy is released in October, 2023.

Gajic holds degrees from the Academy of Fine Arts in Belgrade, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Shepherd School of Music at Rice University, and holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder.

Gajic is the founder and Artistic Director of Boulder International Chamber Music Competition—Art of Duo. Former faculty at Sam Houston State University, in 2019 she became Artistic and Executive Director of Boulder Bach Festival.

Booklet for AEQUORA