Trio Latitude 41 Release New Album

Internationally acclaimed Trio Latitude 41 - Bernadene Blaha, piano; Livia Sohn, violin; and Luigi Piovano, cello - is releasing its second CD on the French label Eloquentia: the two Piano Trios of Camille Saint-Saëns (EL 1547).

While the ensemble's well-received debut CD featured a staple of the chamber music repertoire (Schubert's E-flat Trio), its follow-up recording focuses on lesser-known music by a composer more famous for works such as the "Organ" Symphony, Carnival of the Animals and Danse macabre.

Written almost 30 years apart, the two trios are completely diverse in composition and character. From the charming clarity of the first trio to the monumental breadth and intensity of the five-movement second trio, they represent all facets of this prolific composer.

Violinist Livia Sohn comments, "Nearly a century after his death, Saint-Saëns is now regarded by many, unfortunately, as a lesser composer. He was a powerful figure who wrote powerful music - one of the most inexhaustibly fertile composers of his day. Perhaps, in time, he will become popular again.

"Meanwhile," she continues, "we feel passionately about championing these great works. There is an earnest and unfiltered quality about Saint-Saëns' music that makes it so satisfying and appealing to play. Best of all, for us, is the unapologetic romanticism at its core. These trios have found their place in our musical hearts."

Violinist Livia Sohn, cellist Luigi Piovano, and pianist Bernadene Blaha came together to form Latitude 41 in the summer of 2009, as a result of their previous musical collaborations and mutual passion for chamber music.

Since then, highlights of Latitude 41 appearances have included Carnegie Hall's Zankel Hall in New York, the Chamberfest Summer Festival in Ottawa, Music in the Morning in Vancouver, Noe Valley Chamber Music in San Francisco, Maverick Concerts in New York, Music in Deerfield in Massachusetts, Bay Chamber Concerts in Maine, the Da Camera Society in Los Angeles, the Port Townsend Chamber Music Festival in Washington, South Windsor Cultural Arts in Connecticut, the Newport Music Festival in Rhode Island, the L'Ermitage Foundation in Los Angeles, and "Sundays Live" at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Upcoming engagements include return recitals for Maverick Concerts, Music in Deerfield and Ottawa Chamberfest; the Tertulia chamber music series in Brooklyn, New York; Bay Chamber Concerts in Maine; and concerts in Rome, Italy as part of the prestigious Filarmonica Romano series.

Latitude 41 released its debut CD in 2011 on the Eloquentia label, containing music of Franz Schubert: the monumental Piano Trio in E-flat and Notturno.

The origin of the Trio's name stems from the fact that both its first performance venue in Newport, Rhode Island, and Rome, the home of cellist Luigi Piovano in Italy, share the same Latitude - 41 North. www.latitude41trio.com

About Bernadene Blaha

Bernadene Blaha's command of the piano, as recitalist, concerto soloist and chamber musician, has been hailed throughout North America, Europe and Asia. Recent highlights have included performances with the Amati Ensemble at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, and at Schloss Mirabel in Salzburg.

A highly regarded chamber musician, Ms. Blaha has appeared at the Newport Music Festival, Tucson Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest (San Diego), Bard Music Festival (New York), Australia Festival of Chamber Music, Banff Festival of the Arts (Canada) and the San Miguel de Allende Festival (Mexico).

Ms. Blaha won prizes in the Montreal Symphony Orchestra Competition; the Young Keyboard Artists International Piano Competition, Grand Rapids, Michigan; the Masterplayers International Competition, Lugano, Switzerland; and the 11th Annual International Piano Competition, New York City. This last resulted in recital appearances at Carnegie Recital Hall and the Lincoln Center Library. Soon afterward, she was featured in the opening orchestra concert and a solo recital at the XXIX International Chopin Festival in Mariánské Lázn?, Czechoslovakia, followed by solo recitals at the Phillips Collection in Washington, D.C. and in London, England.

Originally from Canada, Bernadene Blaha currently resides in Los Angeles and, since 1993, has been a member of the Keyboard Faculty at the Thornton School of Music, University of Southern California, where she is an Associate Professor. www.BernadeneBlaha.com

Livia Sohn performs widely on the international stage as concerto soloist, recitalist, and festival guest in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Africa, and New Zealand.

In recent seasons, Ms. Sohn has performed concertos ranging from Paganini, Bruch and Dvo?ák to Barber, Britten and Rorem, with orchestras in North America as well as in China, Italy and Hungary. In 2007, a concerto called Jiyeh by Israeli-American composer Jonathan Berger was written for and premiered by Ms. Sohn, and subsequently released on CD by Eloquentia together with the Britten Violin Concerto. She has also recorded for the Naxos label.

Livia Sohn gave her first public performance at the age of eight. In 1989, at age 12, she won First Prize in the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. She attended the Juilliard Pre-College Division from age seven, when she began her studies with Dorothy DeLay and Hyo Kang. She continued under their tutelage at The Juilliard School, where she also studied chamber music with the legendary Felix Galamir.

Livia Sohn plays on a J. B. Guadagnini violin, crafted in 1770, and also a Samuel Zygmuntowicz, made in 2006. She has been on faculty at the Music Department of Stanford University in California since 2005. www.liviasohn.com

Principal cellist of the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome and guest principal cellist of the Tokyo and Seoul Philharmonic Orchestras, Luigi Piovano has been enjoying growing international recognition as both a cellist and a conductor. He first attracted international attention after his participation in the Pollini Project, which led to a highly successful debut at the Salzburg Festival, as well as performances in Tokyo, New York's Carnegie Hall and Rome.

Mr. Piovano has performed as a soloist under the batons of Andrey Boreyko, Myung-Whun Chung, Yehudi Menuhin and Mikhail Pletnev, among others, and in chamber music concerts with artists such as Malcolm Bilson, Myung-Whun Chung, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Dmitry Sitkovetsky and Antonio Pappano, with whom has performed regularly in duo since 2007. He has recorded for EMI, Nuova Era, Opus 111 and Eloquentia.

Luigi Piovano's musical education began at age five under the tutelage of his father, pianist and composer Antonio Piovano. At age seventeen, after completing his studies, he won a scholarship at the International Menuhin Music Academy, performing around the world as a soloist under the baton of Lord Menuhin. He then earned a diploma in cello and chamber music at the European Conservatoire of Music in Paris.

Luigi Piovano plays a cello by Alessandro Gagliano dated 1710. www.LuigiPiovano.it.

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