African Pianism: Ayo Bankole, J.h. Kwabena Nketia, Christian Onyeji, Fred Onovwerosuoke, David Earl, Nabil Benabdeljalil & Akin Euba

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Volta Fantasy, otherwise free-flowing and melodic, is enhanced by a percussive undertone. This idea is taken further by Christian Onyeji, who transfers Nigerian drumming patterns to the piano;... — BBC Music Magazine, April 2022, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 18th Feb 2022
Catalogue No: SOMMCD0647
Label: Somm
Length: 77 minutes

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February 2022
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Finalist 2022

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Bankole: Egun Variations in G major

Work length7:36

$2.00

$2.40

Rebeca Omordia (piano)

Nketia: African Pianism

Work length6:39

$4.00

$4.80

Rebeca Omordia (piano)

Play Time

Track length1:18

$1.00

$1.20

Dagarti Work Song

Track length1:20

$1.00

$1.20

Builsa Work Song

Track length1:06

$1.00

$1.20

Volta Fantasy

Track length2:55

$1.00

$1.20

Onyeji: Ufie (Igbo Dance)

Work length14:29

$3.00

$3.60

Rebeca Omordia (piano)

I. Moderately Fast

Track length6:49

$1.00

$1.20

II. Slow

Track length5:37

$1.00

$1.20

III. Fast

Track length2:03

$1.00

$1.20

Onovwerosuoke: Kaleidoscopes (5) for Piano

Work length15:10

$5.00

$6.00

Rebeca Omordia (piano)

No. 1, With Vigor

Track length2:28

$1.00

$1.20

No. 2, Adagio molto parlando

Track length1:48

$1.00

$1.20

No. 3, Larghetto espressivo

Track length3:05

$1.00

$1.20

No. 4, Lentissimo e languendo

Track length4:41

$1.00

$1.20

No. 5, Vivace con brio

Track length3:08

$1.00

$1.20

Earl, D: Scenes from a South African Childhood: II. Princess Rainbow

Work length4:33

$1.00

$1.20

Rebeca Omordia (piano)

Benabdeljalil: Nocturne IV

Work length5:09

$1.00

$1.20

Rebeca Omordia (piano)

Benabdeljalil: Nocturne V

Work length5:00

$1.00

$1.20

Rebeca Omordia (piano)

Benabdeljalil: Nocturne VI

Work length8:05

$2.00

$2.40

Rebeca Omordia (piano)

Benabdeljalil: En attente du printemps

Work length4:24

$1.00

$1.20

Rebeca Omordia (piano), Abdelkader Saadoun (percussion)

Euba: Yoruba Songs (3) without Words

Work length6:12

$3.00

$3.60

Rebeca Omordia (piano), Abdelkader Saadoun (percussion)

No. 1, Ore meta

Track length1:53

$1.00

$1.20

No. 2, Mo ja'we gbegbe

Track length2:04

$1.00

$1.20

No. 3, L'ori oke ati petele

Track length2:15

$1.00

$1.20

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About

SOMM Recordings is thrilled to announce African Pianism, a revelatory collection of music by seven African composers. Released to coincide with Black History Month in the United States, it marks the label’s solo debut of Nigerian-Romanian pianist Rebeca Omordia. First recordings include three haunting Nocturnes and percussionenhanced En attente du printemps by Moroccan, Nabil Benabdeljalil. And Five Kaleidoscopes for Piano by Ghanaian-born to Nigerian parents, Fred Onovwerosuoke, best known for Bolingo, featured in the 2006 Robert de Niro film, The Good Shepherd. They evocatively reference a beehive, love of homeland, Nubian folklore and the elemental power of Nature. African Pianism takes its title from Ghanaian J.H. Kwabena Nketia’s set of Twelve Pedagogical Pieces, richly influenced by the rhythmic, tonal accent of African percussion music. Ayo Bankole’s Egun Variations, remarks Robert Matthew-Walker in his booklet notes, 'skilfully melds… Nigerian musical language within a European G major tonal structure'. Fellow Nigerians Christian Onyeji and Akin Euba also interrogate African drumming technique to brilliant effect in the former’s Ufie (Igbo Dance), the latter’s Three Yoruba Songs Without Words celebrating indigenous song. David Earl’s ‘Princess Rainbow’, from his autobiographical Scenes from a South African Childhood, is a touching memory of fly-fishing with his father. Hailed as an 'African classical music pioneer' (BBC World Service) and 'a classical music game changer' (Classical Music), award-winning pianist Rebeca Omordia is an exciting virtuoso with a wide-ranging career as soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. She is artistic director of the African Concert Series in London, part of Wigmore Hall’s Family of Partners. The 2022 series launches at London’s Africa Centre on January 25. Rebeca’s previous SOMM release, The Piano Music of Ralph Vaughan Williams (SOMMCD 0164), was hailed by MusicWeb International as 'spellbinding music'. Gramophone declared her collaboration with Mark Bebbington 'a classy anthology… [both] finding a unremitting logic, sweep and concentration that thrill to the marrow'.

Reviews

April 2022

Volta Fantasy, otherwise free-flowing and melodic, is enhanced by a percussive undertone. This idea is taken further by Christian Onyeji, who transfers Nigerian drumming patterns to the piano; Omordia effectively turns the instrument into a piece of tuned percussion.

Nov/Dec 2022

[Omordia] her commitment to this repertoire is palpable in her rhythmic control, her suave sense of melodic line, and her timbral sensitivity. Fine sound, and excellent notes by Robert Matthew-Walker. All around, a first-rate release.

May 2022

one cannot escape a sense of gratitude to Omordia, whose musical curiosity and imagination, bolstered by an admirably versatile technique, bring us a bounty of largely unfamiliar yet richly rewarding music

February 2022

This brilliantly curated and executed programme from the Nigerian-Romanian pianist is a real ear-opener, featuring works by seven African composers and encompassing a dazzling range of styles and pianistic techniques along the way. Christian Onyeji's Igbo Dance (translating traditional drumming techniques onto the keyboard) stands out.

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