Maya Badian : Orchestral Works

The orchestral works presented here reveal strongly Badian's inventiveness, mastery and versatility as a composer and brilliant orchestrator. These World Premiere live recordings were done at different times and different places. Violin Concerto, commissioned by the French violinist Jean-Jacques Kantorow, is structured in three movements unfolding in a continuous motion. Toccata and Passacaglia, commissioned by the Union of Romanian Composers, expresses Badian's homage to the major Western musical forms, into a contemporary meaning. Guitar Concerto, commissioned by the Brazilian guitarist Maria-Livia Sao Marcos, is both the first and a singular endeavor in the Romanian musical literature. Badian's creative personality is, again, obvious. She is, once more, a great master of unique orchestral combinations, using elaborated crystal-clear procedures. (Bucharest Music Magazine) The moving setting of the poem by Ana Blandiana Towards the Pinnacle for soprano and orchestra is more spatially oriented. Badian builds intriguing sonorities drawing on the complex partials of these particular combinations. (Dr. Elaine Keillor). Holocaust - In Memoriam, Symphony is dedicated to Elie Wiesel. Dear Maya Badian, I listened to your music and was moved by its pain as well as by its warmth. I am sure the audience was touched by your music. It is evocative and melancholy. (Elie Wiesel) In his article entitled Holocaust Symphony an important statement Richard Todd has written: Maya Badian's Symphony Holocaust In Memoriam has just been released in its first recording (Fate, Life, Death, Lucian Badian Editions CD 1002-97). It is a sober, introspective and powerful work, accessible to nearly every listener. This symphony will be reckoned as one of music's most important statements on the Holocaust. The symphony, inspired by Elie Wiesel's novel The Fifth Son, is in two connected sections. The first is based mainly on a single plaintive theme, repeated, examined, and subjected to a variety of orchestra manipulations. It's as though the symphony is looking for some kind of consolation in the simple tune. But consolation is denied. The second section, while imbued with a sense of courage and even dignity, is also an expression of mounting tragedy and rage. Despite the somber palette Badian uses, she shows herself to be a masterful orchestrator, exploiting the subtle differences between instruments and weaving a most affecting tapestry of timbre. (The Ottawa Citizen, September 13, 1997).