Happy Birthday

Submitted by nonesuch on
Release Date
DescriptionExcerpt

Honoring Kremerata Baltica's sixth anniversary, violinist Kremer and his ensemble perform, with wit and virtuosity, variations on such celebratory themes as "Happy Birthday" and "Auld Lang Syne." "Beautifully programmed and beautifully played," says the Boston Herald, "Kremer's Happy Birthday is the best present you could ask for."

Description

Gidon Kremer, in describing Happy Birthday, his 2003 album with Kremerata Baltica, said, “Our intention has always been to awaken the listener by a kind of shock to the senses, which, in this case, is a humorous one; to make him or her aware that music is able to not only glide easily on the surface of our senses, but also permeate more deeply, enriching us (the listeners) with emotions, fantasies, laughter and insights.”

Although the works on Happy Birthday share seemingly transparent origins, the performances reveal a new sensibility, unexpected elegance, naïve playfulness and exquisite virtuosity. They not only afford us the pleasure of recognition, but also serve to nudge us out of our listening rut, by hearing familiar themes in unaccustomed ways.

In the title track, the world’s most familiar theme is given eleven new sets of stylistic clothes in variations by Peter Heidrich. Tunes such as Auld Lang Syne (in variations by Franz Waxman) and God Save the King are re-interpreted as well, offset by less expected works such as Alfred Schnittke’s PolkaElegy. The juxtaposition of works on and Tchaikovsky’s Happy Birthday is a gallant flirtation with cultural memory and collective perception. It affords the listener the opportunity to listen in startlingly new ways, with equal parts virtuosity and good humor.

Kremerata Baltica, whom the Los Angeles Times calls “extraordinary young players ... [who] animate everything their bows touch,” was founded by Gidon Kremer in 1996. An orchestra of young musicians from the three Baltic States, they first performed in Riga, Latvia in February 1997 and have gone on to tour throughout the world. Kremerata Baltica recently signed an exclusive, six-record agreement with Nonesuch Records, inaugurated in 2000 with the release of Eight Seasons, a re-orchestration of Piazzolla’s Cuatro estaciones porteñas paired with the Vivaldi classic. The group went on to release the Grammy Award-winning recording After Mozart in 2001, followed by a recording of two works by Enescu in 2002 to much critical acclaim.

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Helmut Mühle and Gidon Kremer
Edited by Gudrun Maurer
Engineer: Philipp Nedel
Assistant Engineer: Niels Müller
Except tracks 2-13, Engineer: Peter Laenger (Tritonus)
Track 18, Engineer: Niels Müller; Assistant Engineer: Sibylle Strobel
Track 1 recorded December 2001 at Studio Nalepastraße, Berlin; tracks 2-13 recorded June 1999 at Reitschule, Grafenegg; tracks 14-17 & 19-25 recorded September 1999 at Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin; track 18 recorded November 2001 at Probesaal der Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Ludwigshafen
Production Coordinators: Matteo Tradardi and Sonia Simmenauer

Design by Evan Gaffney
Cover image by Trujillo/Paumier – Getty Images

Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz

Nonesuch Selection Number

79657

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
ns_album_artistid
66
ns_album_id
487
ns_album_releasedate
ns_genre_1
0
ns_genre_2
0
Album Status
Artist Name
Gidon Kremer
Kremerata Baltica
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
Gidon Kremer, violin
Ula Ulijona, viola
Marta Sudraba, cello
Vato Kakhidze, piano, vocals
Louis Lortie, piano

Kremerata Baltica:
Violin: Indre Andruskeviciute, Dzeraldas Bidva, Eva Bindere, Migle Diksaitiene, Andrejs Golikovs, Inga Gylyte, Elo Ivask, Miroslava Kotorovytch, Ruta Lipinaityte, Lasma Mucenice, Marija Nemanyte, Migle Serapinaite, Sandis Steinbergs, Andrei Valigura, Rasa Vosyliute, Sanita Zarina
Viola: Janis Lielbardis, Vidas Vekerotas, Kaspars Vilnitis, Ula Ulijona, Zita Zemovica, Guy Ben Ziony
Cello: Peteris Cirksis, Giedre Dirvanauskaite, Ilze Grudule, Eriks Kirsfelds, Marta Sudraba
Bass: Danielis Rubinas, Indrek Sarrap
Harpsichord/Piano: Reinut Tepp
Percussion: Andrey Pushkarev

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
CD+MP3
Price
0.00
UPC
075597965728BUN
Label
MP3
Price
10.00
UPC
075597965766
  • 79657

News & Reviews

  • Congratulations to violinist Gidon Kremer, who has been named the 2016 Praemium Imperiale Laureate in Music. The award is presented by the Japan Art Association in Tokyo to honor artists who have contributed significantly to the development of international arts and culture. The 2016 laureates in other fields are Cindy Sherman, Annette Messager, Paulo Mendes da Rocha, and Martin Scorsese. Past music laureates include Philip Glass, Steve Reich, and Leonard Bernstein. Each laureate receives 15 million yen ($146,000); a medal will be presented by Prince Hitachi in a ceremony held in Tokyo on October 18, 2016.

  • The Royal Conservatory's Koerner Hall in Toronto has announced its 2014–15 concert season, the organization's sixth anniversary season, which will feature performances from several artists familiar to readers of the Nonesuch Journal: Jeremy Denk, Richard Goode, and Natalie Merchant, making their Koerner Hall debuts, and a return visit from Gidon Kremer. Tickets are on sale now.

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  • About This Album

    Gidon Kremer, in describing Happy Birthday, his 2003 album with Kremerata Baltica, said, “Our intention has always been to awaken the listener by a kind of shock to the senses, which, in this case, is a humorous one; to make him or her aware that music is able to not only glide easily on the surface of our senses, but also permeate more deeply, enriching us (the listeners) with emotions, fantasies, laughter and insights.”

    Although the works on Happy Birthday share seemingly transparent origins, the performances reveal a new sensibility, unexpected elegance, naïve playfulness and exquisite virtuosity. They not only afford us the pleasure of recognition, but also serve to nudge us out of our listening rut, by hearing familiar themes in unaccustomed ways.

    In the title track, the world’s most familiar theme is given eleven new sets of stylistic clothes in variations by Peter Heidrich. Tunes such as Auld Lang Syne (in variations by Franz Waxman) and God Save the King are re-interpreted as well, offset by less expected works such as Alfred Schnittke’s PolkaElegy. The juxtaposition of works on and Tchaikovsky’s Happy Birthday is a gallant flirtation with cultural memory and collective perception. It affords the listener the opportunity to listen in startlingly new ways, with equal parts virtuosity and good humor.

    Kremerata Baltica, whom the Los Angeles Times calls “extraordinary young players ... [who] animate everything their bows touch,” was founded by Gidon Kremer in 1996. An orchestra of young musicians from the three Baltic States, they first performed in Riga, Latvia in February 1997 and have gone on to tour throughout the world. Kremerata Baltica recently signed an exclusive, six-record agreement with Nonesuch Records, inaugurated in 2000 with the release of Eight Seasons, a re-orchestration of Piazzolla’s Cuatro estaciones porteñas paired with the Vivaldi classic. The group went on to release the Grammy Award-winning recording After Mozart in 2001, followed by a recording of two works by Enescu in 2002 to much critical acclaim.

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    Gidon Kremer, violin
    Ula Ulijona, viola
    Marta Sudraba, cello
    Vato Kakhidze, piano, vocals
    Louis Lortie, piano

    Kremerata Baltica:
    Violin: Indre Andruskeviciute, Dzeraldas Bidva, Eva Bindere, Migle Diksaitiene, Andrejs Golikovs, Inga Gylyte, Elo Ivask, Miroslava Kotorovytch, Ruta Lipinaityte, Lasma Mucenice, Marija Nemanyte, Migle Serapinaite, Sandis Steinbergs, Andrei Valigura, Rasa Vosyliute, Sanita Zarina
    Viola: Janis Lielbardis, Vidas Vekerotas, Kaspars Vilnitis, Ula Ulijona, Zita Zemovica, Guy Ben Ziony
    Cello: Peteris Cirksis, Giedre Dirvanauskaite, Ilze Grudule, Eriks Kirsfelds, Marta Sudraba
    Bass: Danielis Rubinas, Indrek Sarrap
    Harpsichord/Piano: Reinut Tepp
    Percussion: Andrey Pushkarev

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Helmut Mühle and Gidon Kremer
    Edited by Gudrun Maurer
    Engineer: Philipp Nedel
    Assistant Engineer: Niels Müller
    Except tracks 2-13, Engineer: Peter Laenger (Tritonus)
    Track 18, Engineer: Niels Müller; Assistant Engineer: Sibylle Strobel
    Track 1 recorded December 2001 at Studio Nalepastraße, Berlin; tracks 2-13 recorded June 1999 at Reitschule, Grafenegg; tracks 14-17 & 19-25 recorded September 1999 at Jesus Christus Kirche, Berlin; track 18 recorded November 2001 at Probesaal der Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, Ludwigshafen
    Production Coordinators: Matteo Tradardi and Sonia Simmenauer

    Design by Evan Gaffney
    Cover image by Trujillo/Paumier – Getty Images

    Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz

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