Violin and Cello Greats Inspire Collection of Romantic, Playful Virtuoso Miniatures in Bion Tsang: The Blue Rock Sessions

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Bion Tsang Music

Mar 13, 2017, 15:44 ET

AUSTIN, Texas, March 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Inspired by vintage recordings of strings giants Pablo Casals, Jascha Heifetz, Isaac Stern and more, Grammy-nominated cellist Bion Tsang presents eighteen virtuoso miniatures for cello and piano on Bion Tsang: The Blue Rock Sessions (BHM Media Productions), now available on iTunes and Amazon.com, a culmination of Tsang's lifelong fascination with the violin repertoire and the musicality and intimacy of miniature compositions such as Tchaikovsky's "Melodié in E Flat" and Giovanni Sgambati's "Serenata Napoletana."

Cellist Bion Tsang performance "Sabre Dance" by composer Aram Khachaturian from "Gayane," which he transcribed for Cello and Piano from its violin arrangement by Jascha Heifetz. Performed with Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao, piano. Directed by Sam Roden, Rodanti Films. Audio by Andy Murphy. Recorded at Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio, in 24-bit audio and 1080p video, made possible by the generous support of the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts (Boston).
Cellist Bion Tsang performance "Sabre Dance" by composer Aram Khachaturian from "Gayane," which he transcribed for Cello and Piano from its violin arrangement by Jascha Heifetz. Performed with Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao, piano. Directed by Sam Roden, Rodanti Films. Audio by Andy Murphy. Recorded at Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio, in 24-bit audio and 1080p video, made possible by the generous support of the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts (Boston).
Cellist Bion Tsang showcases 18 virtuoso miniatures in THE BLUE ROCK SESSIONS, inspired by influential performances and recordings by Pablo Casals, Jascha Heifetz, Isaac Stern, Gregor Piatigorsky and others. "Hearing a recording of violinist Isaac Stern with pianist Alexander Zakin play the Gluck "Melodie" years ago prompted me to transcribe it for cello," Tsang explains. "Stern's most subtle nuances in timing and use of portamenti are simply magical, and I love playing this piece."
Cellist Bion Tsang showcases 18 virtuoso miniatures in THE BLUE ROCK SESSIONS, inspired by influential performances and recordings by Pablo Casals, Jascha Heifetz, Isaac Stern, Gregor Piatigorsky and others. "Hearing a recording of violinist Isaac Stern with pianist Alexander Zakin play the Gluck "Melodie" years ago prompted me to transcribe it for cello," Tsang explains. "Stern's most subtle nuances in timing and use of portamenti are simply magical, and I love playing this piece."
Cellist Bion Tsang performance "Sabre Dance" by composer Aram Khachaturian from "Gayane," which he transcribed for Cello and Piano from its violin arrangement by Jascha Heifetz. Performed with Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao, piano. Directed by Sam Roden, Rodanti Films. Audio by Andy Murphy. Recorded at Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio, in 24-bit audio and 1080p video, made possible by the generous support of the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts (Boston).
Cellist Bion Tsang showcases 18 virtuoso miniatures in THE BLUE ROCK SESSIONS, inspired by influential performances and recordings by Pablo Casals, Jascha Heifetz, Isaac Stern, Gregor Piatigorsky and others. "Hearing a recording of violinist Isaac Stern with pianist Alexander Zakin play the Gluck "Melodie" years ago prompted me to transcribe it for cello," Tsang explains. "Stern's most subtle nuances in timing and use of portamenti are simply magical, and I love playing this piece."

Tsang's career began at age 11 when he made his solo debut with the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. He grew up with an ear for the virtuoso style that marked a "golden age" of string playing shaped by Casals, Heifeitz, Gregor Piatigorsky and others. Throughout his career, Tsang has polished showpieces and old chestnuts for encores including Antonín Dvořák's "Humoresque" and Aram Khachaturian's "Sabre Dance."

Recorded with pianist Cecilia Lo-Chien Kao at Blue Rock Artist Ranch and Studio in Wimberley, Texas, Bion Tsang: The Blue Rock Sessions opens with "Humoresque," followed by Gluck Melodie, and Camille Saint-Saëns' The Swan before venturing into Falla's Suite Populaire Espagnole and three works of Tchaikovsky. Rachmaninoff, Sgambati and Chopin lead to the triumphant finale, "Figaro," a Concert-Rhapsodie on Rossini's "Barber of Seville" (Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco), arranged by Tsang from a Heifetz score. Filmmaker Sam Roden directed videos for every performance on The Blue Rock Sessions, including a live action short film with animation for "Figaro" starring two of Tsang's children in a tale of sibling rivalry.

In liner notes for The Blue Rock Sessions, musician and radio host David Beck of Seattle, Wa., observes: "For a collection that so perfectly captures cello playing at the highest level, The Blue Rock Sessions contains very few pieces written originally for the instrument. Cellists have always had to be creative when it comes to finding pieces to play," calling Tsang's collection a "treasure trove of musical memories, interpretive insights, peerless pedagogy and deeply satisfying music making."

Bion Tsang: The Blue Rock Sessions was made possible by support from the Foundation for Chinese Performing Arts.

Recognized as one of the outstanding instrumentalists of his generation, cellist Bion Tsang counts among his honors an Avery Fisher Career Grant, an MEF Career Grant and the Bronze Medal in the IX International Tchaikovsky Competition. He earned a 2010 Grammy nomination for his performance on the PBS special A Company of Voices: Conspirare in Concert (Harmonia Mundi). He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Harvard) and Master of Musical Arts (Yale). At home in Austin, Texas, Tsang is Division Head of Strings and holds the Joe R. & Teresa Lozano Long Chair in Cello at the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music at The University of Texas at Austin.

Track listing and arrangements available at www.biontsang.com.

SOURCE Bion Tsang Music