Francesca dePasquale, violin Meng-Chieh Liu, piano Produced and engineered by Adam Abeshouse Edited, mixed, and mastered by Adam Abeshouse Recorded at the American Academy of Arts and Letters, 2015 Piano by Steinway & Sons Oceanic Fantasy for Solo Violin and Electronics by composer Paola Prestini commissioned 2015 by Francesca dePasquale with support from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts This recording was made possible by the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts and in part by an award from the Classical Recording Foundation Ioulex, album photography Mogollon, album design A to Z Media, production © 2015 Francesca dePasquale All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. For my self-titled debut album, I chose works that were not only near and dear to my heart, but that also showed a wide range of who I am as an artist, the origins of which are embedded in my musical roots. Growing up in a family of distinguished musicians, I feel that the Bach Partita no. 2 in D minor aptly shows an appropriate beginning to my artistic journey, one that gives the origin of harmony as well as intimacy of expression. The Messiaen Thème et Variations explores timeless melody soaring over clustered, sometimes difficult harmony. Oceanic Fantasy by Paola Prestini shows the contemporary exploration of Southern Italian songs through a distinctive language of field recordings, sound samples, and solo violin, resulting in an immensely personal work that nods to the Southern Italian heritage of both Paola’s work in Lecce and my father’s family. The Intermezzo by Robert Schumann and Korngold’s own transcription of Marietta’s Lied from his opera Die Tote Stadt both explore in different ways a romanticism and nostalgia of expression through heartfelt, lyrical writing, with a depth of sound and phrasing that, for me, emanates strongly from the Philadelphia Orchestra string sound that surrounded me as a child. Finally, the Bartók Rhapsody no. 1 ties together field recordings with Western expression, resulting in a work that encompasses two parts: the first earthy and rhythmic, the second joyous and full of life. There are an incredible number of people to thank, however I would like to give special thanks to the people who made this album possible, as well as those who have made me the person and musician I am today. To the Leonore Annenberg Fellowhip Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts, thank you for making my dreams into reality. To Meng-Chieh Liu and Paola Prestini, thank you for bringing your incredible artistry to this project. To Adam Abeshouse, without whom this album would literally not exist, you have my eternal gratitude. To my teachers, Itzhak Perlman, Catherine Cho, and Robert Lipsett, thank you for your dedication and for giving so much of yourselves to my musical and personal development. Thank you to Toby Perlman and the Perlman Music Program for changing my life. To Gloria dePasquale, my family, and Radu Marian Paponiu, thank you for your endless love and support. To William dePasquale, my father, who inspired me from the age of three to be just like him and pick up the violin—thank you for instilling me with strength, love, your sound and musicianship, and the confidence to be myself. I dedicate this album to your memory. Biographies: Described by critics as “scintillating” and celebrated for her “rich, expressive playing” (MusicalAmerica), violinist Francesca dePasquale leads a dynamic career of performance, pedagogy, and community engagement. Francesca is the First Prize winner of the 2010 Irving M. Klein International String Competition and recipient of the prestigious 2014-2016 career grant from the Leonore Annenberg Fellowship Fund for the Performing and Visual Arts. Earning her the 2015 Classical Recording Foundation Young Artist Award, her self-titled debut album encompasses works that scope from Bach to a new commission from composer Paola Prestini for violin and electronics. Since her debut as soloist at age 9 touring Spain with the Main Line Chamber Orchestra, Francesca has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras, including the Bach Festival of Philadelphia, Colburn Orchestra, Galesburg Symphony, Peninsula Symphony, and Santa Cruz Symphony. As recitalist, she has collaborated with artists Meng-Chieh Liu, Natalie Zhu, John Root, and Reiko Uchida on series such as the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, In Situ at National Sawdust, California Music Center, and the Perlman Music Program. An avid chamber musician, Francesca has performed with renowned artists such as Paul Coletti, Thomas Cooley, Jennifer Frautschi, Nicholas Kitchen, Ronald Leonard, Robert Levin, Merry Peckham, Itzhak Perlman, Jeffrey Sykes, Roger Tapping, Richard Todd, and Donald Weilerstein. She has performed for Marinus Ensemble, Fort Worth Chamber Music Society, Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players, Manhattan Chamber Players, Music in the Vineyards, Olympic Music Festival, Music@Menlo, Colburn Chamber Music Society, and the Perlman Music Program. Additionally, she has collaborated with dancers Isabella Boylston and James Whiteside for the Fall for Dance Festival alongside composer Stefan Levin, as well as performed with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and the Brooklyn based orchestral collective The Knights. Francesca is a member of the violin faculty at Rutgers University Mason Gross School of the Arts and the Starling Fellow teaching assistant to Itzhak Perlman at the Juilliard School, where she is also teaching assistant to Catherine Cho. Committed to classical music outreach and its power to connect entire communities, Francesca has served as a mentor for the Youth Orchestra Los Angeles program, appeared on the Philadelphia Orchestra Sound All Around series, and traveled to São Paulo, Brazil for an educational residency of Juilliard Global. Francesca graduated from the Juilliard School with a Master of Music degree, where she studied with Itzhak Perlman and Catherine Cho. As a student of Robert Lipsett, Francesca earned a Bachelor of Music degree from the Colburn School Conservatory of Music. Previous teachers include Hirono Oka and William dePasquale, with additional mentorship from Norman Carol and Arnold Steinhardt. Francesca performs on a 1968 Sergio Peresson violin and a François Nicolas Voirin bow. Please visit http://francescadepasquale.instantencore.com for more information. A recipient of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Meng-Chieh Liu first made headlines in 1993 as a 21-year-old student at The Curtis Institute of Music when he substituted at last minute's notice for André Watts at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia. The concert earned high acclaim from critics and audience alike, and was followed by a number of widely praised performances, including a recital at the Kennedy Center and a concert on the Philadelphia All-Star Series. Already an accomplished artist at the time, Mr. Liu had made his New York orchestral debut two years earlier. Following Mr. Liu's triumph in Philadelphia, an appearance with the Philadelphia Orchestra was immediately scheduled, but it was not to be. The stellar beginning of his career was abruptly halted by a rare and debilitating illness that affected his connective tissues. Hospitalized and almost immobile for a year, doctors believed his chances for survival were slim and, should he survive, playing the piano would be "absolutely impossible." With arduous determination and relentless physical therapy, Mr. Liu has been restored to full health and is now once again performing on the concert stage. Since then, he has performed throughout the world as a soloist in recitals and with orchestras under conductors Christoph Eschenbach, Gustavo Dudamel and Alan Gilbert. In 2002, Liu received the Avery Fisher Career Grant and the Philadelphia Musical Fund Society Career Advancement Award. A sought-after musician and strong advocate of chamber music, Liu performs in music festivals across the globe and has worked with international musicians Shmuel Ashkenasi, David Soyer, Bernard Greenhouse, James Buswell, Wendy Warner as well as the Borromeo and St. Lawrence Quartets. Liu also collaborates with artists in varied disciplines, such as Mikhail Baryshnikov and the White Oak Dance Project, among other dance companies. His concerts have been heard over the airwaves around the world, and a biography on his life was broadcast. Meng-Chieh Liu began his piano studies early, and at age thirteen was accepted by The Curtis Institute of Music to study with Jorge Bolet, Claude Frank, and Eleanor Sokoloff, and received first prizes in the Stravinsky, Asia Pacific and Mieczyslaw Munz piano competitions. Since 1993, Liu served on the piano and chamber music faculties at The Curtis Institute of Music where he coordinated the piano chamber music program from 1999-2009, and in 2006, he was invited to teach at Roosevelt University. Starting in the Fall of 2014, Liu also joined the faculty at the New England Conservatory. Liu also joined Chicago Chamber Musicians in the fall of 2009, and served as Artistic Director of the ensemble from 2011-2014, where performances have already been acclaimed for his "faultless, discreetly balanced pianism" (Chicago Classical Review).