Recording in Berlin's Teldex Studios with the newly formed Berlin Academy of American Music
Berlin Academy of American Music
Photography by Kiran West
In January and February of 2021, in the middle of the Corona Pandemic, plans with a good friend, American bassist and fellow Berliner, Rosie Salvucci, came together in an amazing way as we began to found a top level orchestra focused on performing great American repertoire. The back story of this first recording began with impromptu, distanced rehearsals of Stravinsky and Copland in Kreuzberg during the summer of 2019 which were fun and very successful. Then in November of 2020 while I was conducting at the Finnish National Opera two great musician friends, American composer Craig Urquhart and the Greek Flutist Stathis Karapanos called to discuss the possibility of recording Craig’s new Lamentation for Flute and Strings. The project was intriguing and they had already booked the great young producer Benedikt Schroeder at Berlin’s Teldex Studios. I told them that Rosie and I could put together a very talented orchestra and then seemingly things were off to the races. Over the next weeks things moved very quickly with Stathis and I on the phone multiple times per day. The ideas for the recording grew into a full seventy minute CD with soprano Chen Reiss also jumping on board, a recording plan that ONYX Classics of London decided work with us in order to produce and distribute the recording worldwide.
We developed a program around the concept of connecting Europe to America. It is focused around American and American immigrant composers such as Aaron Copland, Igor Stravinsky, Craig Urquhart, Töru Takemitsu, Avner Dorman. As well, the orchestra is made up of a tapestry of international and American orchestral musicians from Rosie’s network. All of our players are regulars from orchestras such as the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Staatskapelle Berlin, DSO Berlin, as well as the Berlin Philharmonic Karajan Academy. The connection of an American conductor with a Greek flutist, an Israeli Soprano, a Jewish American violinist, and and American-Israeli composer all seemed to resonate with us. Furthermore, it is a way to thank and celebrate our great friend Craig Urquhart, the perfect time to present Stravinsky as 2021 is the 50th anniversary of his passing in New York City. Copland’s Appalachian Spring, a true masterpiece of 20th century music is not heard so often in Europe. Stathis brought in Takemitsu’s Debussy-like Toward the Sea II for alto flute, harp and orchestra, a work commissioned for and premiered in America, Berlin Philharmonic harpist Marie-Pierre Langlamet joined us for this part of the adventure, Chen suggested the wonderful aria written in Los Angeles from Stravinsky’s Rake’s Progress, No Word From Tom. They both played on Israeli-American composer’s wonderful song cycle Nofim, the amazing concertmaster of the Berlin Philharmonic, Noah Bendix-Balgley joined us for that work as well.
The Berlin Academy of American Music aspires to record each and every year with major artists, to present concerts focused on great American composers including a focus on youth, diversity and women, and there are already plans for the orchestra to tour in Europe. A new website is coming in May and we will be incorporated as a nonprofit in Germany.
Very thankfully a major sponsor was found for this first recording, it is being released worldwide on October 29, 2021, as a compact disc and via all major streaming services on the ONYX Classics label.
Conductor Garrett Keast and Flautist Stathis Karapanos
Photography by Kiran West
Berlin Academy of American Music
Artistic Director & Founder: Garrett Keast
Orchestra Manager & Founder: Rosie Salvucci
Booking and Tour Manager: David Bjaoiux
Recording for ONYX Classics in Berlin’s Teldex Studios
STRAVINSKY: Concerto in E flat, Dumbarton Oaks
URQUHART: Lamentation for Flute and String Orchestra
DORMAN: Nofim, Four Songs for Chamber Ensemble
TAKEMITSU: Toward the Sea II
STRAVINSKY: No Word From Tom, from The Rake’s Progress
COPLAND: Appalachian Spring (original version for 13 instruments)
Soloists:
Stathis Karapanos, Flute & Alto Flute
Chen Reiss, Soprano
Noah Bendix-Balgley, Violin
Marie-Pierre Langlamet, Harp