vent

Catherine Gregory, David Kaplan

Release Date: September 8, 2023

Award-winning flutist Catherine Gregory and acclaimed pianist David Kaplan present their debut duo album, Vent, which frames two world premiere recordings by Timo Andres and Gabriela Lena Frank within the chiaroscuro of Schubert, Prokofiev, and the title work by David Lang. The NY Times has lauded Gregory as “magically mysterious,” “her sound rich and fully present,” and Kaplan as “excellent and adventurous,” with “striking imagination and creativity.” Vent imbues new works with old soul, and reveals familiar works in a new light.

The duo of Australian flutist Catherine Gregory and American pianist David Kaplan has performed together since 2014, including at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, as guest recitalists for the Grand Junction Symphony Orchestra, and most recently at the Við Djúpið Festival in Iceland. They have performed live on WFMT Chicago as part of the Dame Myra Hess Series, as well as on WQXR New York as part of the late Bob Sherman’s Young Artists Showcase. Their recital programs creatively intertwine repertoire from the Baroque to the present day, with several pieces being written especially for them, including Timo Andres’ Steady Gaze (featured on this disc), and a new major work commissioned from Christopher Cerrone in the 2024-25 season. Both passionate about connecting directly with communities through music, they often perform together as Core-Artists of Decoda, the affiliate ensemble of Carnegie Hall, which aims to build a “more compassionate and connected world” through chamber music. Individually, they each enjoy dynamic portfolio careers as soloists, ensemble players, teaching artists, and creative collaborators. Both artists have been frequently cited by The New York Times, which has praised Catherine’s playing as “magically mysterious,” and David as “excellent and adventurous”. 

Catherine, who first came to the United States as a Fulbright Scholar, is the winner of the Pro Musicis International Award, and has given recitals and chamber music performances at Carnegie Hall, Caramoor, with the Chamber Music Societies of Philadelphia and Lincoln Center, Camerata Pacifica, and the Southern Cross Soloists. She has toured internationally with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Australian Chamber Orchestra, and has played numerous cycles as guest principal flute with the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Catherine’s current project, Just Breathe, embodies her creative spirit as a commissioner of new music and artist citizen: it is both a performance of new commissions from leading composers such as Clarice Assad, Viet Cuong, and Juhi Bansal, as well as a series of interactive performance workshops for cancer patients, providers and caregivers that explore the intersection of breath and music. She serves on the faculties of the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music and The Colburn School, and has given masterclasses and residencies at top music schools all over the world, from The Tianjin Juilliard School, to Curtis, to the Guildhall School in London. Catherine plays on a Nagahara flute.

Kaplan has consistently drawn critical acclaim for creative programs that interweave classical and contemporary repertoire, often with newly commissioned works. He has given recitals at the Ravinia Festival, Washington’s National Gallery, Strathmore, and New York’s Carnegie and Merkin Halls. Kaplan’s New Dances of the League of David, mixing Schumann with 16 new works, was cited in the “Best Classical Music of 2015” by The New York Times. His Quasi una Fantasia project pairs commissions from Anthony Cheung, Christopher Cerrone, and Andrea Casarrubios with works from Couperin to Beethoven to Saariaho, all linked by improvised preludes and transitions. Kaplan has previously recorded for Naxos and Marquis Records, as well as for Nonesuch as part of his longstanding duo with pianist/composer Timo Andres. As concerto soloist, David has appeared at the Barbican Centre with the Britten Sinfonia and Das Sinfonie Orchester Berlin in the Philharmonie, and this season makes debuts with the Symphony Orchestras of Hawaii and San Antonio. Kaplan serves as Assistant Professor and Inaugural Shapiro Family Chair in Piano Performance at the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, where he has taught since 2016. David is proud to be a Yamaha/Bösendorfer Artist, and for Vent, he plays on a Bösendorfer Model 214.

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vent

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TRACK LIST

Vent
by David Lang

Variations on "Trockne Blumen", D. 802:
by Franz Schubert

Introduction
Thema
Variation I
Variation II
Variation III
Variation IV
Variation V
Variation VI
Variation VII

Five Andean Improvisations for Flute and Piano:
by Gabriela Lena Frank

I. Quena
II. Ritmo del altiplano
III Pinkillo
IV. Chuta
V. Sombras

Steady Gaze
by Timo Andres

Flute Sonata in D major, Op. 94:
by Sergei Prokofiev

I. Moderato
II. Scherzo
III. Andante
IV. Allegro con brio