Tansman became friends with Maurice Ravel in Paris, and they toured America together in 1922-23, where they met Charlie Chaplin and George Gershwin, exploring American jazz clubs.
Composer Biography
Alexandre Tansman, a Polish composer of Jewish origin, was born in Łódź, the same city as Arthur Rubinstein, who later invited Tansman to be on the jury of his Tel Aviv Piano Competition.
Performer Biography
Diego Dini Ciacci, the oboist on this album, is considered one of the greatest Italian oboe players and was principal oboe at the Teatro alla Scala Orchestra of Milan at the age of sixteen.
Compositional Technique
Tansman's Adagio for Strings, dedicated to his wife Colette, makes extensive use of polytonality to emphasize expressive tension rather than energetic dissonances, leading to two fortissimo climaxes.
Historical Context
Due to growing Polish anti-Semitism, Tansman received his passport from Ignacy Jan Paderewski, a Polish composer and statesman, to move to Paris in 1919.
Performer Biography
Fabrizio Meloni, the clarinetist on this album, has been the first solo clarinet chair of the Orchestra and Philharmonic of the Teatro alla Scala in Milan since 1984.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Tansman's music is characterized by a multicultural nature and stylistic assimilation, influenced by jazz, American music, and his friendship with Igor Stravinsky, yet maintaining an expressive character often using polytonality.
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