13 WAYS OF LOOKING AT THE GOLDBERG is a set of new re-imaginings
of Bach's Goldberg Variations, written by a group of today's most
renowned composers, including 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer
Higdon. These brilliant and perceptive works
celebrate both the eternal beauty of Bach's music and the musical evolutions of the past 250 years.
13 WAYS
was released as a CD on Tritone Records in September 2011.
·
J.S. Bach: Aria
from Goldberg Variations BWV 988
· Fred Lerdahl:
Chasing
Goldberg
· Jennifer Higdon:
The Gilmore
Variation
· Bright Sheng:
Variation
Fugato
· Lukas Foss:
Goldmore
Variation
· Derek Bermel:
Kontraphunktus
· Fred Hersch:
Melancholy
Minuet
· C. Curtis-Smith:
Rube Goldberg
Variation
· Stanley Walden:
Fantasy
Variation
· Ryan Brown:
Ornament
· Mischa Zupko:
Ghost
Variation
· David Del
Tredici: My
Goldberg
· William Bolcom:
Yet Another Goldberg
Variation
· Ralf Gothóni:
Variation on Variation with Variation
· J.S.
Bach: Aria (Reprise), from Goldberg Variations
Long Time Coming
was given its triumphant world premiere performance at the Mondavi
Center for the Performing Arts in April 2011. Conceived and created by
Lara, this piece features a new work written for her by acclaimed
composer David Sanford, performed along with its inspiration, Duke
Ellington's 1943 piano masterpiece New World A-Comin’
.
Long Time Coming
combines
music, spoken word, and film in a poignant reflection on Ellington's
enduring legacy, the power of hope in troubled times, and the dramatic
impact of American music on our nation's history.
LONG TIME COMING was supported by a commissioning grant from the Barlow Endowment for Music Composition
Lara's brilliant virtuosity and infectious onstage energy are showcased in THE AMERICANS, a fascinating recital program celebrating distinctly American voices of the 20th century. Called "an American-vernacular celebration, delivered with finesse" (Seattle Times), THE AMERICANS presents music of hope, tracing the creation of art in the face of economic and cultural adversity with an emerging new sound for the future.
Samuel Barber: Excursions
Aaron Copland: Dance Episodes from Rodeo
Roy Harris: American Ballads
Florence Price: Fantasie Negre
George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
Benny Golson: On Gossamer Wings
THE AMERICANS was selected by the National Endowment for the Arts for funding support as part of the
University of Washington World Series 2010-11 performance season.
BAILEY/DOWNES DUO - American Icons
Lara Downes, piano and Zuill Bailey, cello - Part 1
Lara joins internationally acclaimed American cellist Zuill Bailey in a performance partnership forged at the El Paso Pro Musica festival. Their duo program AMERICAN ICONS includes Samuel Barber's transcendent Cello Sonata, Roberto Sierra's Suite de Canciones y Danzas, and other dynamic works for cello and piano by noted American composers including Gershwin, Copland and Foss.