Thomas Larcher: What Becomes Tamara Stefanovich

• 1I. Very slow06:12
• 2II. Very fast03:41
• 3I. Sad yellow whale02:02
• 4II. Cantabile01:36
• 5III. Babu Chiri's house01:03
• 6IV. Waking up in Najing00:42
• 7V. (The day) When I lost my funny green dog00:49
• 8VI. A little piece for Ursu01:12
• 9VII. Frida falls asleep01:12
• 10VIII. MUI 101:08
• 11IX. One, two, three, four, nine02:45
• 12X. Twelve years old00:56
• 13XI. Don't step on the Regenwurm!02:12
• 14XII. A song from?03:01
• 15I. Wertfrei03:20
• 16II. Parabolic bike03:49
• 17III. Slow02:19
• 18IV. Scherzo02:05
• 19V. Fission04:10
• 20VI. Isaac01:13
• 21VII. Flowing03:13
• 22I. Ich schreibe heute durch - II. Almauftrieb00:08
• 23II. Almauftrieb03:30
• 24III. Hart am Herz02:10
• 25IV. Familie Numero drei03:11
• 26V. Hunger nach Heimat, die keine mehr ist00:21
• 27VI. Los los01:45
• 28VII. Ferdl04:03
• 29VIII. Und beim Weggehen schmilzt aus den Augen der Schnee01:45
• 30IX. Lange zögern die Steine02:26
• 31X. Dein Wort mein Blindenhund01:56
• 32XI. Der Körper des Vogels am Weg03:24
• Total Runtime01:13:19

Info for Thomas Larcher: What Becomes

Thomas Larcher’s fourth and most recent recording „What Becomes“ comprises three works for piano: Smart Dust (2005), Poems (2005–2010) and What Becomes (2009), as well as Larcher’s 20-minute song cycle, A Padmore Cycle, composed for tenor and piano. Set to short poems by Hans Aschenwald and Alois Hotschnig, Mark Padmore gave the UK première of A Padmore Cycle in 2011, and will give the world première of the orchestral version in London this November with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Edward Gardner.

The three pieces for piano, performed on this recording by Tamara Stefanovich, comprise a selection of works composed to elicit from the piano new sounds and means of expression that would turn it into a “different instrument”. In Smart Dust, composed for a piano completely prepared with rubber wedges and gaffer tape, which was premièred at the 2005 Lucerne Festival, Larcher wanted to return to the piano a sound with a sense of urgency. In contrast, when composing Poems, he was able to go back to the piano and rediscover its natural sound. Between these two works, What Becomes was written for Leif Ove Andsnes who premiered the piece accompanied by video projections by Robin Rhode in New York, prior to taking it on tour.

“Short, elliptical verses reveal hidden depths as Padmore wrenches every ounce of melancholy ardour, or sudden whispered ferocity, out of their syllables. Larcher, playing the equally elaborate piano parts, adds another line of provocative counterpoint.” (The Times)

“… a haunting, enigmatic work, with a taste for gnomic melodies ...” (Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times)

Tamara Stefanovich, piano (Tracks 1–21)
Mark Padmore, tenor (Tracks 22–32)
Thomas Larcher, piano (Tracks 22–32)

Recorded in November, 2012 at ORF Landesstudio Tirol, Innsbruck, Austria
Sessions Producer: Markus Heiland
Recording Engineer & Editor: Markus Heiland
Executive Producer: Robina G. Young

Tamara Stefanovich
Known for captivating interpretations of a wide repertoire, Tamara Stefanovich performs at the world’s major concert venues including Carnegie Hall New York, Berlin Philharmonie, Suntory Hall Tokyo and London’s Royal Albert and Wigmore Halls. She features in international festivals such as La Roque d’Antheron, Ravenna, Salzburger Festspiele, Styriarte Graz and Beethovenfest Bonn. Stefanovich has appeared with orchestras including The Cleveland and Chicago Symphonies, London Symphony and London Philharmonic orchestras, Bamberger Symphoniker, Britten Sinfonia, Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Swedish Chamber Orchestra.

The 2017/18 season will see her debut with the Orquestra Sinfonica do Estado de Sao Paulo where she will feature as ‘artist in focus’. She will be on tour throughout Europe with the Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and Vladimir Jurowski as well as the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain under George Benjamin, performing at Royal Albert Hall (BBC Proms), in Aldeburgh and Birmingham. Together with London Sinfonietta, she celebrates the orchestra’s 50th Birthday, performing Abrahamsen’s Concerto for Left Hand. She returns home to Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra to play Brahms’ Piano Concerto No.1 and is the soloist in Gershwin’s Piano Concerto with Saarländisches Staatsorchester Saarbrücken. Recitals will take her to Amsterdam’s Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ, Monte Carlo, Southbank Centre, Klavierfestival Ruhr, Edinburgh International Festival, Snape Maltings and Lucerne Festival.

Recent engagements have included performances with the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, MDR Sinfonieorchester Leipzig, WDR Sinfoniesorchester Köln, Chamber Orchestra of Europe and Iceland Symphony Orchestra. She also made an extensive US recital tour marking the 90th birthday of Pierre Boulez garnering exultant reviews.

Tamara Stefanovich has collaborated with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Osmo Vänskä and Susanna Mälkki, as well as leading composers including Pierre Boulez, Peter Eötvös and György Kurtág. She regularly leads educational projects at London’s Barbican Centre, Kölner Philharmonie and at Klavier-Festival Ruhr such as the innovative online project of interactive pedagogical analyses Boulez’ Notations: www.explorethescore.org. Tamara is cofounder and curator of a newly created festival “The Clearing” at Portland International Piano Series.

Her discography includes the Grammy-nominated recording of Bartók’s Concerto for Two Pianos, Percussion and Orchestra with Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Pierre Boulez and the London Symphony Orchestra for Deutsche Grammophon. Stefanovich has also recorded for the AVI and harmonia mundi labels new piano solo works by Thomas Larcher. Her latest recording of Hans Abrahamsen’s Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, and 10 studies for piano with WDR Symphonieorchester Köln released by Winter & Winter. She has recorded Quasi una fantasia and the Double concerto with Asko|Schönberg Ensemble and Reinbert de Leeuw/Jean-Guihen Queyras for ECM’s complete recording of Kurtág’s works for ensemble. The recording has just been released and has received a 5* review in The Guardian.

Booklet for Thomas Larcher: What Becomes