Cellist John-Henry Crawford to Release CORAZON On Orchid Classics

On Friday, June 17, 2022, Orchid Classics will release CORAZÓN, the second album of highly-decorated American cellist John-Henry Crawford. Crawford again joins forces with pianist Victor Santiago Asunción, and on three tracks with guitarist JIJI, perform a survey of Latin American music that includes works by Leo Brouwer, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Carlos Guastavino, Manuel Ponce, Egberto Gismonti, and Astor Piazzolla. Spanning over 140 years of Latin American music culture, CORAZÓN takes the listener on a musical tour through Argentina, Brazil, Cuba and Mexico. It was produced and engineered by multiple GRAMMY Award-winner Adam Abeshouse. A single of Piazzolla's Oblivion will be released on all platforms on May 27.

Crawford writes in the notes, "In the summer of 2019, I traveled to Mexico to compete in the IX International Carlos Prieto Cello Competition, and little did I know, the trip would transform my life musically. At the time I was very well acquainted with Latin American music, but after having the great fortune of winning first prize and returning to Mexico multiple times for performances, I fell in love with the music of Latin America, the culture, the history, and the Spanish language... As the title suggests, this music pulls at the heartstrings and exudes romance and passion."

In the liner notes, Joanna Wyld writes, "According to the Spanish guitarist Andrés Segovia, Mexican musician Manuel Ponce (1882-1948) was the most significant composer in the modern revival of guitar music. Ponce's body of guitar music is almost unparalleled in the 20th century, rivaled only by that of Heitor Villa-Lobos and Leo Brouwer. He was Mexico's first nationalist composer, but he also drew upon Spanish and Cuban styles, as well as European and American impressionism; his music ranges from romanticism to bitonality and atonality." Heard here are Ponce's two Canciones Mexicanas: the charming Estrellita "Little star" (1912), popularized by Jascha Heifetz, and the romantic title-track, Por ti mi corazón "For you my heart" (1925). Ponce's Sonata for cello and piano in G minor (1922), which was dedicated to Uruguayan cellist Oscar Nicastro, is an example of Ponce's Latin American modernism.

Wyld says, "Leo Brouwer (b.1939) helped to launch the avant-garde scene in Cuba in the 1960s... His output may be divided into three main phases: essentially nationalistic (c. 1955-62), avant-garde (1962-67), and then a mellowing of that modernism, especially after the 1980s, when what he described as a 'new simplicity' emerged." Crawford and JIJI perform a cello and guitar arrangement of Brouwer's Canción de cuna (Berceuse) from Dos temas populares Cubanos (1978), sometimes known as the "Afro-Cuban Lullaby."

"The Pequeña Suite ('Little Suite') of 1913 is Heitor Villa-Lobos' (1887-1959) earliest published work for cello and piano and reflects his love of J.S. Bach," says Wyld. "The suite was premiered in the summer of 1919 at the Salão Nobre in Rio de Janeiro, with Villa-Lobos playing the cello and Roberto Soriano at the piano. The composer's flair for writing beautiful melodies is demonstrated in the 'Melodia', the fifth of six movements." She continues, "O canto do cisne negro 'Song of the black swan' (1917) was adapted by Villa-Lobos from his 1916 symphonic poem Naufrágio de Kleônicos 'The Shipwreck of Kleônikos.' The piece opens with a rippling piano texture, over which the cello plays a seamless melody punctuated by exotic inflections. Ondulando (1914) "Rippling" was originally written for solo piano. John-Henry Crawford's arrangement brings out the work's captivating melodic line."

Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000) was an Argentine composer and pianist whose "output almost always possessed a national flavor, reflecting his love of Argentina and its wildlife especially and embracing folk cultures such as the Gauchesco (South American cowboys) and Criollo (people of Spanish descent born in the colonies). He favored tonal music and traditional forms, raising objections to aspects of modern music." (Wyld) Crawford and Asunción perform Pampamapa "Map of the plains" from his 12 Canciones populares (1968) originally a song by Hamlet Lima Quintana: "On the trail, my land, so sleepless. / I will give you my dreams, give me your calmness."

"Egberto Gismonti (b.1947) is a Brazilian composer who studied at the Nova Friburgo Conservatory and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. Influences have included music reflecting his own Arabic and Italian heritage, choro and bossa nova, Brazilian Indian themes, jazz, and the music of Villa-Lobos and Stravinsky; like Villa-Lobos, Gismonti taught himself to play the guitar. Arranged for cello and guitar by John-Henry Crawford, Água e Vinho (1972) is a hypnotically beautiful song from Gismonti's album of the same name, originally set to lyrics by Geraldo E. Carneiro." (Wyld)

Wyld says, "Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) was born in Buenos Aires before moving with his family to New York in 1924, escaping Argentina's economic crisis to the cultural melting pot of Greenwich Village, where Astor's father, Vincent, ran a barber's shop... Le Grand Tango dates from 1982, by which time Piazzolla's music was internationally acclaimed. In a single movement for cello and piano and dedicated to Mstislav Rostropovich, this passionate piece embodies the 'nuevo tango' style, combining tango rhythms with jazz syncopation. Dating from the same year, Oblivion is one of Piazzolla's most famous works, its mournful melody lending itself perfectly to the plangent tone of the cello."

About John-Henry Crawford

Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, cellist John-Henry Crawford has been lauded for his "polished charisma" and "singing sound" (Philadelphia Inquirer). In 2019, he won First Prize in the IX International Carlos Prieto Cello Competition and was named Young Artist of the Year by the Classical Recording Foundation, and in 2021, he was named the National Federation of Music Clubs' 2021-2023 Young Artist in Strings.

At age 15, Crawford was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music to study with Peter Wiley and Carter Brey. He continued to complete a Master of Music at The Juilliard School with Joel Krosnick, an Artist Diploma at the Manhattan School of Music with Philippe Muller, and furthered his studies in Chicago with Hans Jørgen Jensen. He has given concerts in 25 states as well as Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Mexico, and Switzerland at venues such as The International Concert Series of the Louvre in Paris, Volkswagen's Die Gläsern Manufaktur in Dresden, and the inaugural season of the Tippet Rise Arts Center in Montana. Crawford gave his solo debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra as First Prize Winner of the orchestra's Greenfield Competition.

In its first week, Crawford's debut album Dialogo (Orchid Classics - June 2021) appeared on the Billboard Top 10 chart as well as the top 5 on iTunes and #1 on Amazon's Classical New Releases. The Arts Fuse wrote, "Crawford's performance is, in equal parts, intense and exuberant... Even if their example won't resolve our age's absurd self-centeredness, props to Crawford and Asunción for reminding us that, while our predicaments aren't new, there might be ways through the darkness," while The Strad claimed, "The clean, close recording is like seeing everything through a very powerful lens... a striking interpretation."

While studying in Chicago, Crawford appeared on WFMT's Impromptu series and toured extensively with Steinway artist and pianist Victor Santiago Asunción. An advocate for the importance of artists leveraging social media, Crawford commands a strong Instagram presence, attracting tens of thousands of viewers to his project #The1000DayJourney, where he films artistic cinematic videos daily from his practice and performances for over 55,000 followers (@cellocrawford) to give a glimpse into the working process of a musician, recently passing the 1000-day mark.

Crawford's numerous competition prizes also include Grand Prize and First Prize Cellist at the 2015 American String Teachers National Solo Competition, the Lynn Harrell Competition of the Dallas Symphony, the Hudson Valley Competition, and the Kingsville International Competition. He has competed in the Tchaikovsky and Queen Elisabeth competitions and was accepted at the prestigious Verbier Academy in Switzerland for study under the tutelage of Ralph Kirshbaum and Torleif Thedeen.

John-Henry Crawford has been a fellow at Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico, the National Arts Centre's Zukerman Young Artist Program in Canada, The Fontainebleau School in France, and the Perlman Chamber Music Program. He was invited to perform at Boston's French Cultural Museum in a chamber music concert with Boston Symphony concertmaster Malcolm Lowe, Curtis President Roberto Diaz, and members of the Borromeo Quartet, and was the only student performer on a tour series to Costa Rica, Mexico, and Brazil, collaborating with artists Soovin Kim, Roberto Diaz, and Jason Vieaux as part of Curtis on Tour. While a student at Curtis, Crawford's recital performances were broadcast on WHYY public television in Philadelphia. He was interviewed for the recently released documentary Maestro about conductor Paavo Järvi, and is also interviewed and quoted in Dan Coyle's The Talent Code by Dan Coyle, a best-selling book about the science and neurology behind skill development.

Crawford is from a musical family and performs on a rare 200-year old European cello smuggled out of Austria by his grandfather, Dr. Robert Popper, who evaded Kristallnacht in 1938. He also performs on a fine French bow by the revolutionary bowmaker Tourte "L'Ainé" from 1790. Before attending Curtis, Crawford studied with concert cellist Andres Diaz of Southern Methodist University. In addition to music, he enjoys learning languages, reading about astrophysics, nature, performing magic tricks, and photography. Learn more at www.johnhenrycrawford.com.

About Victor Santiago Asunción

Hailed by The Washington Post for his "poised and imaginative playing," Filipino- American pianist Victor Santiago Asunción has appeared in concert halls in Brazil, Canada, Ecuador, France, Italy, Germany, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, Spain, Turkey and the USA, as a recitalist and concerto soloist.

A chamber music enthusiast, he has performed with artists such as Lynn Harrell, Zuill Bailey, Antonio Meneses, Joshua Roman, Giora Schmidt, the Dover, Emerson, and Vega String Quartets. He was on the chamber music faculty of the Aspen Music Festival, and the Garth Newel Summer Music Festival. He was also the pianist for the Garth Newel Piano Quartet for three seasons. Festival appearances include the Amelia Island, Highland-Cashiers, Music in the Vineyards, and Santa Fe.

His recordings include the complete Sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven for Piano and Cello, Sonatas by Shostakovich and Rachmaninoff with cellist Joseph Johnson, the Rachmaninoff Sonata with the cellist Evan Drachman, and the Chopin and Grieg Sonatas, also with cellist Evan Drachman. He is featured in the award-winning recording Songs My Father Taught Me with Lynn Harrell, produced by Louise Frank and WFMT-Chicago. Mr. Asunción is the Founder, and Artistic and Board Director of FilAm Music Foundation, a non-profit foundation that is dedicated to promoting Filipino classical musicians through scholarship, and performance. Victor Santiago Asunción is a Steinway Artist. Learn more at https://victorsantiagoasuncion.com/.

About JIJI

Applauded by The Calgary Herald as "...talented, sensitive...brilliant," JIJI is an adventurous artist known for her virtuosic performances that feature a diverse selection of music, ranging from traditional and contemporary classical to free improvisation, played on both acoustic and electric guitar. Through her impeccable musicianship, compelling stage presence, and constant premieres of new musical works, JIJI's intriguing programming solidifies her reputation as a 21st century guitarist. The Washington Post selected JIJI as "one of the 21 composers/performers who sound like tomorrow."

Recent highlights encompass a wide array of venues, including Lincoln Center, David Geffen Hall, Zankel Hall/Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall, 92nd Street Y, Moss Arts Center, Green Music Center, National Art Gallery, National Sawdust, Miller Theater, Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, and Purdue Convocations.
JIJI is currently an assistant guitar professor at Arizona State University. Learn more at http://jijiguitar.com.

CORAZÓN Track List

1. Leo Brouwer (b.1939) - Canción de cuna* [3:10]
2. Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959) - O canto do cisne negro, W122 [2:46]
3. Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000) - Pampamapa [1:46]
4. Manuel Ponce (1882-1948) - Por ti mi corazón [3:24]
5. Egberto Gismonti (b.1947) - Água e Vinho* [3:31]
6. Manuel Ponce (Arr. by JIJI & Jascha Heifetz) - Estrellita* [2:47]
7. Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992) - Le Grand Tango [11:01]
8. Heitor Villa-Lobos - Pequeña Suite: Melodia [2:34]
9. Heitor Villa-Lobos - Ondulando [4:00]
10-13. Manuel Ponce - Sonata in G minor for violoncello and piano
i. Allegro selvaggio [8:16]
ii. Allegro [5:17]
iii. Arietta [4:21]
iv. Allegro burlesco [6:03]
14. Astor Piazzolla - Oblivion [3:39]

Total time - 62:38

John-Henry Crawford, cello
Victor Santiago Asunción, piano
JIJI, guitar*

ORC100198
Producer & Engineer: Adam Abeshouse
Associate Engineer: Doron Schachter
Recorded at Abeshouse Productions on October 5-8, 2021
Photography: Lindsay Adler

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