Classic FM: This beautiful video brings together Arvo Pärt’s music and exquisite animated art
Take a moment to enjoy beautiful, relaxing Arvo Pärt from violinist Anne Akiko Meyers – accompanied by mesmerising animated watercolour paintings.
Classic FM
Rosie Pentreath
Take a moment to enjoy beautiful, relaxing Arvo Pärt from violinist Anne Akiko Meyers – accompanied by mesmerising animated watercolour paintings.
Click here to read more.
Gramophone: Video exclusive, Arvo Pärt's Estonian Lullaby played by Anne Akiko Meyers
Pärt's new arrangement of his Estonian Lullaby for violin and piano is performed by Anne Akiko Meyers and Reiko Uchida
Gramophone
Pärt's new arrangement of his Estonian Lullaby for violin and piano is performed by Anne Akiko Meyers and Reiko Uchida
We are pleased to present the world premiere recording of a new version of Arvo Pärt's Estonian Lullaby for violin and piano.
Commissioned and performed by Anne Akiko Meyers (with pianist Reiko Uchida) this premiere recording also boasts an animation produced in collaboration with Shazka Studios:
Meyers's recording of the Estonian Lullaby will be released by Avie Records on May 8 and is available to pre-order here: https://orcd.co/9edvjq4
DC Metro Theater Arts: Anne Akiko Meyers with Annapolis Symphony Orchestra
DC Metro Theater Arts
Charles Green
The Annapolis Symphony Orchestra’s continuing Masterworks Series, as part of this season’s celebration of Beethoven’s two hundred fiftieth birthday, takes the theme, “Beethoven Discovers America,” in which the Orchestra looks at Beethoven’s influence on American music, and as Music Director and Conductor Jose-Luis Novo explains, composers from Europe brought the European musical traditions to America and adapted it.
The violin concerto, Orchard in Fog, is, as Dr. Franklin commented, adventurous, charming, and inventive. Commissioned by violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, and performed for the first time in 2018, Schoenberg was inspired by a photograph hanging in his bedroom of the orchard where he and his wife married. The concerto’s three movements tell of an old man looking back on his life, remembering the youthful joy with his wife, and preparing to leave everything behind. As Maestro Novo explained, it is different from most concertos, in that the first and third movements are slow, and the second is fast, while most are the opposite. Another unique quality is the use of scordatura throughout, with Meyer’s G string tuned instead to an F while the rest of the strings maintain their normal tuning.
Meyers is an absolute joy to watch, playing the first movement meditatively and thoughtfully, with moments of powerful emotion. The Symphony blends well with her violin, a few unusual musical sounds working well with it. The second movement is all energy, with almost a pop music, heroic feel to it, drums beating along with the violins. It is thrilling.
The scordatura is used because Schoenberg wanted the piece to sound “closer to the earth.” It is again reflective and calm, with moments of emotional power. The ending slowly fades out, and there are a few beats of thoughtful silence. It is a beautiful work, delightfully unusual and complements the two other pieces.
To read the complete concert review, click here.
Los Angeles Times: Vicente Chamber Orchestra featuring Anne Akiko Meyers and Julian Schwarz
Featured in this week’s Los Angeles Times list of classical music performances are two of our artists, violinist Ann Akiko Meyers and cellist Julian Schwarz.
Los Angeles Times
Matt Cooper
Featured in this week’s Los Angeles Times list of classical music performances are two of our artists, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers and cellist Julian Schwarz. To view the full list, click here.
Vicente Chamber Orchestra All-Beethoven program features the composer’s Symphony No. 4, “Coriolan” Overture and the Triple Concerto featuring violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, cellist Julian Schwarz and pianist Wendy Chen. The Broad Stage, 1310 11th St., Santa Monica. Sat., 7:30 p.m. $15, $40. For tickets and more information, click here.
WFMT: Watch violinist Anne Akiko Meyers perform Bach and Gounod’s Ave Maria
Bach and Gounod's Ave Maria has always held a special place in violinist Anne Akiko Meyers' repertoire: she grew up playing the beloved work. "It's just one of the most beautiful pieces," Meyers shared during her August 16 Impromptu performance with pianist Marta Aznavoorian. Meyers visited WFMT ahead of her Sunday evening performance of Barber's Piano Concerto at Ravinia Festival with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra.
WFMT
Bach and Gounod's Ave Maria has always held a special place in violinist Anne Akiko Meyers' repertoire: she grew up playing the beloved work. "It's just one of the most beautiful pieces," Meyers shared during her August 16 Impromptu performance with pianist Marta Aznavoorian. Meyers visited WFMT ahead of her Sunday evening performance of Barber's Piano Concerto at Ravinia Festival with the Lucerne Symphony Orchestra.
Watch the performance below and read more here.
Clef Notes: Q&A with Celebrated Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers
One of the most gifted violinists of her generation, Anne Akiko Meyers embodies what a virtuoso violinist should be as a powerful interpreter of beloved repertoire that spans centuries and yet poised to open that same repertoire to new music, serving as a vanguard in what has traditionally been a guarded space.
Clef Notes
One of the most gifted violinists of her generation, Anne Akiko Meyers embodies what a virtuoso violinist should be as a powerful interpreter of beloved repertoire that spans centuries and yet poised to open that same repertoire to new music, serving as a vanguard in what has traditionally been a guarded space. Of course, only time will tell what new music survives to take its place alongside classic works of the cannon, but Meyers is a truly nimble artist open to the idea of breaking musical boundaries that remain only because those before her hesitated to breach them.
With ground-breaking collaborations with top artists from electro-pop to jazz, Meyers refuses to rest on her laurels, sated by her own dominance of the violin repertoire. Marshaling the potency of her storied career, she broadens the scope of the cannon she interprets and the scope of her own experience at the same time.
This summer, I had an opportunity to pose a few questions to the one-time wunderkind and gained a little more insight into just why today she is simply a wonder, not only in her mastery of the repertoire, but also in her advocacy for it.
Q: As a young violin student studying in Southern California, did you ever imagine the kind of career for yourself you now enjoy?
A: I dreamed of becoming a concert violinist at age 7 after hearing Tchaikovsky at the Hollywood Bowl. Little did I know what an incredible journey I would go on. I am so grateful to all the teachers I studied with, the amazing musicians and collaborators I have worked with, and my family, for their unconditional support. It takes one heck of a village, luck, patience and perseverance to accomplish one’s dream.
Read more here.
KUSC: Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers on Respecting the Old and Welcoming the New
Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers believes in respecting the old and welcoming the new. In this recent conversation with Jim Svejda, they discuss several of her recent commissions.
KUSC
Jim Svejda
Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers believes in respecting the old and welcoming the new. In this recent conversation with Jim Svejda, they discuss several of her recent commissions.
Listen below or here.
Violinist: Interview with Anne Akiko Meyers and Adam Schoenberg
When violinist Anne Akiko Meyers started getting the music for a new violin concerto that she had commissioned from composer Adam Schoenberg, she was in for a rather major surprise.
"The first movement was all done in scordatura, which was a first for me," said Meyers. In other words, Schoenberg's music required that she tune one of the strings of her famous 1741 "Vieuxtemps” Guarneri del Gesù down an entire step. Specifically, the G string would be tuned down to an F. "I thought, what am I supposed to do with this? What happens? Do you read the music the same way? Or do I need a crash course on how to play the violin in the key of F, with an F string?"
Violinist
Laurie Niles
When violinist Anne Akiko Meyers started getting the music for a new violin concerto that she had commissioned from composer Adam Schoenberg, she was in for a rather major surprise.
"The first movement was all done in scordatura, which was a first for me," said Meyers. In other words, Schoenberg's music required that she tune one of the strings of her famous 1741 "Vieuxtemps” Guarneri del Gesù down an entire step. Specifically, the G string would be tuned down to an F. "I thought, what am I supposed to do with this? What happens? Do you read the music the same way? Or do I need a crash course on how to play the violin in the key of F, with an F string?"
Read more here.
Strings: Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers & Guitarist Jason Vieaux Play the Green Center
Meyers floated in, 1741 “Vieuxtemps” del Gesù in hand, wearing a voluminous gown in a soft black, its overlaid geometric pattern a seeming nod to the hall’s distinctive woodwork. Vieaux, also in black, took his seat and with a quick smile between them, they jumped into the music. An arrangement of Arcangelo Corelli’s Sonata in D minor, Op. 5, No. 12, “La Folia,” with variations headed the program. Fleet fingerwork in both instruments marked the players as virtuosos, but the variations that showcased the artists at their best allowed Vieaux to indulge in a little head bobbing, as he navigated his guitar with astonishing ease, and Meyers to pull a sultry voice from her del Gesù.
Strings Magazine
Megan Westberg
Meyers floated in, 1741 “Vieuxtemps” del Gesù in hand, wearing a voluminous gown in a soft black, its overlaid geometric pattern a seeming nod to the hall’s distinctive woodwork. Vieaux, also in black, took his seat and with a quick smile between them, they jumped into the music. An arrangement of Arcangelo Corelli’s Sonata in D minor, Op. 5, No. 12, “La Folia,” with variations headed the program. Fleet fingerwork in both instruments marked the players as virtuosos, but the variations that showcased the artists at their best allowed Vieaux to indulge in a little head bobbing, as he navigated his guitar with astonishing ease, and Meyers to pull a sultry voice from her del Gesù.
Read more here.
San Francisco Classical Voice: Razzle-Dazzle From Anne Akiko Meyers and Jason Vieaux
Anne Akiko Meyers is a dazzling violinist with flawless technique, impassioned playing, a high-gloss violin, and even a voluminous Cinderella evening gown that easily covers a square yard of stage. She is impossible to miss.
San Francisco Classical Voice
Steve Osborn
Anne Akiko Meyers is a dazzling violinist with flawless technique, impassioned playing, a high-gloss violin, and even a voluminous Cinderella evening gown that easily covers a square yard of stage. She is impossible to miss.
To all that add an adventurous repertoire and a brilliant guitar accompanist, Jason Vieaux, and you have a surefire formula for a memorable evening. Such was the case on Saturday, when Meyers and Vieaux displayed their formidable talents to an appreciative audience at Sonoma State’s Green Music Center, playing works by Arcangelo Corelli, Philip Glass, Astor Piazzolla, Rentaro Taki, Antônio Carlos Jobim, John Corigliano, and Manuel de Falla.
Read more here.