About this Release
“The framework for ‘The Planets & Humanity – Piano Reflections’ whilst conceptually an extension of my previous albums, came to me in a dream in mid-2018. The majority of the works evolved in 2020 in my apartment in Edinburgh (Scotland), during the first eight months of lockdown solitude owing to the COVID-19 global pandemic, with one of the works and parts of three others having evolved in 2018 and 2019. The works were concluded on 14th October 2020. It is with humility and gratitude that I share this musical representation of my personal journey during a particularly difficult period in human history, not only as an artiste, but as a human being in solidarity with the rest of humanity .” — Tanya Ekanayaka
EKANAYAKA, TANYA (b. 1977)
The Planets and Humanity – Piano Reflections
- Tanya Ekanayaka, piano
The eight works in this album explore reflections on the eight planets of the solar system and the earth’s seven continents. Most bear echoes of traditional melodies originating from indigenous peoples. Largely composed during the Covid-19 pandemic, Tanya Ekanayaka’s passionate awareness of the connections and congruences between the past and present is reflected in her vision of harmonious co-existence. In this cycle she presents a tapestry of moods – tenderness, fantasy and vivid ‘trans-creations’ of ancient melodies.
This recording was made on a modern instrument: Steinway, Model D
Tracklist
|
1
Neptune: Asháninka Kindled (2018/2020) (00:16:44)
|
|
2
Mercury with Antarctica (2019/2020) (00:05:11)
|
|
3
Uranus: Numbulwar Sustaining (2020) (00:05:50)
|
|
4
Venus: Sámi Traced (2019/2020) (00:05:22)
|
|
5
Saturn: Gond Inspired (2019) (00:10:12)
|
|
6
Earth - Life (2020) (00:05:01)
|
|
7
Jupiter: Cree Cast (2020) (00:05:26)
|
|
8
Mars: Hadzabe Touched (2020) (00:03:58)
|
The Artist(s)
Dr Tanya Ekanayaka is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning Sri Lankan-British concert composer-pianist. Although trained as a pianist, her compositional skills are the result of a purely intuitive and natural development. Influenced by her multifaceted background, multilingualism, ambidexterity and partial colour synaesthesia her works which she describes as ‘deeply autobiographical’ and which evolve when she is at the piano (and at times in her dreams), have not been scored in any form but remain precisely frozen in her memory once evolved. Consistent with her interdisciplinary background, she holds a doctorate for interdisciplinary research involving Linguistics and Musicology from The University of Edinburgh, where she has also been engaged part time in academic teaching since 2007, as well as advanced academic and professional qualifications in Music Performance, Linguistics and Literature. The Composer(s)
Dr Tanya Ekanayaka is an internationally acclaimed and award-winning Sri Lankan-British concert composer-pianist. Although trained as a pianist, her compositional skills are the result of a purely intuitive and natural development. Influenced by her multifaceted background, multilingualism, ambidexterity and partial colour synaesthesia her works which she describes as ‘deeply autobiographical’ and which evolve when she is at the piano (and at times in her dreams), have not been scored in any form but remain precisely frozen in her memory once evolved. Consistent with her interdisciplinary background, she holds a doctorate for interdisciplinary research involving Linguistics and Musicology from The University of Edinburgh, where she has also been engaged part time in academic teaching since 2007, as well as advanced academic and professional qualifications in Music Performance, Linguistics and Literature. Reviews
“Musically delightful reimagining, Tanya Ekanayaka evokes something deeper—the cosmic link with the heavens that emerged from prehistory in every indigenous culture.” – Fanfare
“The eight movements combine to create a potpourri of moods through which Ekanayaka is able to showcase a confident and precise technical command of the piano.” – The WholeNote
Grand Piano has gained a reputation for producing high quality recordings of rare keyboard gems. Dedicated to the exploration of undiscovered piano repertoire, the label specialises in complete cycles of piano works by many lesser-known composers, whose output might otherwise have remained unknown and unrecorded.
- info@grandpianorecords.com
