Mind Meld ZOFO Duet

• 1 Candide Overture 04:20
• 2 I. Very slowly - 06:05
• 3 II. Slowly - 04:54
• 4 III. Fast - 03:52
• 5 No. 1. Pour invoquer Pan 02:10
• 6 No. 2. Pour un tombeau sans nom 03:24
• 7 No. 3. Pour que la nuit soit propice 02:04
• 8 No. 4. Pour la danseuse aux crotales 01:58
• 9 No. 5. Pour l'egyptienne 03:03
• 10 No. 6. Pour remercier la pluie au matin 02:16
• 11 Part I - Adoration of the Earth - Introduction - 03:13
• 12 Part I - Adoration of the Earth - The Augurs of Spring - Dances of the Young Girls - 03:04
• 13 Part I - Adoration of the Earth - Ritual of Abduction - 01:12
• 14 Part I - Adoration of the Earth - Spring Rounds - 03:53
• 15 Part I - Adoration of the Earth - Ritual of the River Tribes - 01:38
• 16 Part I - Adoration of the Earth - Procession of the Sage - 00:34
• 17 Part I - Adoration of the Earth - The Sage - 00:22
• 18 Part I - Adoration of the Earth - Dance of the Earth 01:09
• 19 Part II - The Sacrifice - Introduction - 04:28
• 20 Part II - The Sacrifice - Mystic Circles of the Young Girls - 03:18
• 21 Part II - The Sacrifice - Glorification of the Chosen One - 01:30
• 22 Part II - The Sacrifice - Evocation of the Ancestors - 00:46
• 23 Part II - The Sacrifice - Ritual Action of the Ancestors - 03:53
• 24 Part II - The Sacrifice - Sacrificial Dance 04:33
• Total Runtime 01:07:39

Info for Mind Meld

Musical compatriots. Collaborators. Teachers. Friends. Pianists. These are the links that bound the four remarkable 20th century composers, whose one-piano-four-hands works are brought together by Sono Luminus on this first album from the dynamic ZOFO duet. Whether performing public duet concerts together or using the piano four-hands form to explore their symphonic visions, Bernstein, Shapero, Debussy and Stravinsky all understood the musical power of sharing the bench.

'These two fine pianists have been playing together under the name Zofo since 2009, and have toured America and Japan. They display tight ensemble and are of one mind in matters of tempo and expression, as duo-piano teams need to be, without having the individuality of the drily austere Kontarsky brothers or the showy and virtuosic Labèque sisters. (But then, Zimmermann and Nakagoshi are not twins!)

Their program contains some interesting music. I have never been fully convinced of the worth of Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring in a four-hand piano transcription. From the very first bars, which depend so much on the unique sound of the bassoon in its high register, this work needs the colors and weight of an orchestra. Even so, this arrangement has been recorded several times, most notably for Angel by the young Michael Tilson Thomas and Ralph Grierson in an exciting and convincing account. Zofo is by comparison rather straightforward. While they find the primitive energy the score demands, they are at their best in quiet moments like the opening of the Second Part, The Sacrifice . In Charlie Harmon’s arrangement of Bernstein’s overture to Candide they are bright and thankfully not rushed (as some orchestral versions are), but again I find the music does not gain a lot from being experienced in black and white.

The best parts of this program are the pieces originally intended for the medium. Debussy’s languorous Épigraphs Antiques are ideal for this duo, which responds winningly to the subtle colors and delicacy of the writing. I would go so far as to say this is the finest recording I know of this sensual work. The real find, however, is the four-hand sonata by Harold Shapero, an American composer who was a contemporary of Bernstein and is still with us (as of this writing) at the age of 92. As a young man Shapero studied with Krenek, Piston, and Hindemith, but his most distinguished teacher was Nadia Boulanger. This three-movement, 16-minute sonata shows the influence of Stravinsky overall, unsurprisingly, in its sharp edged textures and rhythms, yet there is also a lyrical impulse that I can only describe as American. Like the best of the American neoclassicists, Shapero took a pared-back, unemotional European style and brought warmth to it. The piece was premiered in 1941 by the composer and Bernstein, who played two-piano and four-hand music together for a few years until Lenny became too busy with other projects. (Indeed, there is more than a hint of Bernstein in a couple of Shapero’s melodic figures.) Zofo responds to both the hard edge and the underlying lyricism, and once again the tempos seem absolutely right. The sound quality is excellent, spacious and clear. Recommended, particularly for the Debussy and the Shapero.' (Phillip Scott, FanFare)

Eva-Maria Zimmermann, piano Keisuke Nakagoshi, piano

Eva-Maria Zimmermann
Dynamic Swiss pianist Eva-Maria Zimmermann maintains a robust career in Europe and the United States, offering performances that are "breathtakingly intense" (Der Bund) and "passionate and deeply expressive" (Berner Oberlander). Her solo appearances involve recitals as well as concerto performances with major symphonies, including the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande.

Winner of the prestigious Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship, Ms. Zimmermann has appeared at international festivals worldwide, including the “Festival Piano en Saintonge” France, the “Sommerfestspiele Murten” Switzerland, and San Francisco's “Other Minds Festival of New Music." A graduate with highest honors from the Conservatory of Geneva, Eva-Maria has studied with many distinguished musicians - Leon Fleisher, György Sebök, Leonard Hokanson, Tomasz Herbut and Dominique Merlet, among others.

Ms. Zimmermann is a musician of broad interests. In addition to her solo appearances, she is dedicated to chamber music, lieder recitals, and teaching. She has partnered worldwide with many other professional musicians and ensembles in her career, including soprano Lara Bruckmann, the Del Sol String Quartet, violinist Iris Stone, and bass-baritone René Perler. Eva-Maria was a founding member of the award winning Swiss Charmillon Piano Quartet. Many of her chamber music and Lieder recitals have been broadcast on Swiss Radio DRS2, and Radio de la Suisse Romande. As an educator, Eva-Maria has been a faculty member of the University of San Francisco and currently teaches in the music program at the Nueva School in Hillsborough, CA, founded by Sir Yehudi Menuhin.

Keisuke Nakagoshi
began his piano studies at the age of ten, arriving in the United States from Japan at the age of 18. Mr. Nakagoshi earned his Bachelors degree in Composition and Masters degree in Chamber Music from the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Graduating as the recipient of multiple top awards, Keisuke was selected to represent the SFCM for the Kennedy Center's Conservatory Project, a program featuring the most promising young musicians from major conservatories across the United States.

Mr. Nakagoshi has performed to acclaim on prestigious concert stages across the United States, including the Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall, the Hollywood Bowl, and Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco. He has received training from some of the most celebrated musicians of our time - Emanuel Ax, Gilbert Kalish, Menahem Pressler, Robert Mann, Norman Fisher, The Peabody Trio - and enjoys collaborating with other accomplished musicians such as Lucy Shelton, Ian Swensen, Jodi Levitz, Robin Sutherland, the Afiara String Quartet and San Francisco Contemporary Music Players.

In addition to performing with symphonies and playing an expansive repertoire of chamber music, Keisuke tours as principal pianist and slide guitarist with conductor George Daugherty's award-winning "Bugs Bunny on Broadway" and "Bugs Bunny at the Symphony," performing with American orchestras from coast to coast.

Mr. Nakagoshi is Pianist-in-Residence at The San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Opera Parallele.

Booklet for Mind Meld