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Hilary Hahn Releases New Album, Retrospective, with Cover and Internal Artwork by Fans

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Hilary Hahn Releases New Album, Retrospective, with Cover and Internal Artwork by Fans

 

"A recording permanently strengthens my connection to that composition, composer, and group of colleagues. Once the sessions end, I feel that the piece is really, truly part of me, rooted deeply in my musical DNA. A recording leaves other traces: it reaches into people’s homes and daily lives in ways that a live performance - for all of its vibrancy and ambiance - can’t. In that way, it heightens the connection between musician and audience." - Hilary Hahn

 

15 December 2017 (Toronto, ON) - On January 19, Hilary Hahn will release Retrospective via Deutsche Grammophon/Universal Music Canada, the country’s leading music company. The album will showcase all of her recordings for Deutsche Grammophon along with new, unedited live performance recordings which provide the full immediacy of the concert experience. The artwork for the album was sourced from Hahn's fans. The LP version was recorded in the rare direct-to-disc technique.

Retrospective includes at least one track from each of her twelve Deutsche Grammophon albums as well as live recordings from Hahn's Meistersaal concert in Berlin (an event specially dedicated to her fans), live performances of Mozart's Sonata KV 379, Max Richter's “Mercy”, and Tina Davidson's “Blue Curve of the Earth” with pianist Cory Smythe, from In 27 Pieces: The Hilary Hahn Encores.

With the double-disc LP of Retrospective, Hahn is the first artist to present a direct-to-disc pressing on Deutsche Grammophon since the end of the shellac era. Direct-to-disc is the most artistically challenging recording technique due to the complete absence of editing, which provides the full immediacy of the live concert experience. While the LP version has fewer tracks overall, it incorporates some additional favourite tracks such as the live recording of Mark-Anthony Turnage's “Hilary’s Hoedown”.

For many years, Hahn has received unsolicited works of art from fans of all ages at concerts which she features on her website and social media. To include her fans in this retrospective and acknowledge their longtime presence in her career, Hahn decided to use fan art for both the cover and the internal booklet. She chose pieces by professional and amateur artists in Turkey, Switzerland, Canada, and the U.S., and the artists will be compensated for the use of their work.

Christine Fraser, who drew the cover art says, “Fan art seems like a way to honour a person and to visually say, 'thank-you.' In Hilary's case, she has provided me with such a wonderful array of music that I frequently listen to while drawing or painting, I wanted to show her my appreciation by creating something to convey that message. For me, it's exciting to see an artistic exchange like this, as music has always been a huge influence in my own creative process. I am both honoured and inspired by this opportunity and it is an incredible feeling to be part of a collaboration that includes artists of different age groups with different styles and from various locations around the world.”

Hahn adds, "I feel so lucky to have the fans that I have. They are a unique, thoughtful, and vivacious bunch and they propel me forward. I’m glad to have this chance to showcase their contributions."

 

Hahn made her first record, Hilary Hahn Plays Bach, at the age of 17. Since then, she has released another sixteen albums, an Oscar-nominated movie soundtrack, an award-winning recording for children, and has won three Grammy awards. This latest release, Retrospective, references Hahn’s latest decade and a half of recording activity, from age 23 to the current day.

 

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Hilary Hahn – Retrospective

CD1

1.-3. Violin Sonata in G minor K 379, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) *

i Adagio

ii Allegro

iii Tema. Andante cantabile – Var. I–V – Tema. Allegretto

  1. Blue Curve of the Earth, Tina Davidson (1952) **
  2. Mercy, Max Richter (1966) **
  3. Double Concerto for 2 Violins, Strings and Continuo in D major BWV 1043, J. S. Bach (1685–1750) - ii Largo ma non tanto
  4. The Lark Ascending, Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872–1958)
  5. Sonata for Violin and Piano in A major K 526, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) - iii Presto
  6. Violin Concerto No. 1 in D major op. 6, Niccolò Paganini (1782–1840) - iii Rondo

* New previously unreleased live recordings

** New recordings (earlier versions featured on Hilary’s “24 Encores” album)

 

CD 2

      1. Violin Concerto op. 36, Arnold Schoenberg (1874–1951) - i Poco Allegro

  1. St Matthew Passion, J. S. Bach (1685–1750) - ii Aria: Gebt mir meinen Jesum wieder
  2. Violin Concerto (Dedicated to Hilary Hahn), Jennifer Higdon (1962)

i 1726

  1. Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1, Charles Ives (1874–1954) - i Andante – Allegro vivace
  2. Godot, Hahn & Hauschka
  3. When A Tiger Meets A Rosa Rugosa, Du Yun (1977)
  4. Two Voices, Nico Muhly (1981)
  5. Violin Concerto No. 4 in D minor op. 31, Henri Vieuxtemps (1820–1881) - ii Adagio religioso

 

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