New Album: E Pluribus Unum (Navona Records)
Release Date: August 28, 2020
Solo piano music by nine renowned American composers with immigrant backgrounds, including Lera Auerbach, Anna Clyne, Gabriela Lena Frank, Kamran Ince, Reinaldo Moya, Pablo Ortiz, and world premiere recordings of works by Chaya Czernowin, Badie Khaleghian, and Eun Young Lee.
Born out of the political climate of 2017, E Pluribus Unum is an artistic response to the immigration policies implemented by the American government at that time. Stepanova explains, “Many of my colleagues, friends, and students in the music world found themselves or their communities to be directly affected. One of them was the wonderfully gifted young composer Badie Khaleghian, at the time my piano student, whose Iranian parents were barred from traveling to attend his graduation recital at the University of Georgia. In response to this situation, I decided to commission him for a new work that became the centerpiece of a recital program and this recording.”
While some of the works address the urgency of historical, cultural, and political calls for justice – above all, the music on this album reflects the composers’ roots, celebrates their immense contributions to American musical life, and a confluence of voices, narratives, and ideals.
WATCH A VIDEO of Liza Stepanova performing Kamran Ince’s “Symphony in Blue” live at National Sawdust
READ MORE: track listing, credits, program notes, and more videos