NIMROD BORENSTEIN (b. 1969)

PIANO WORKS
12 ÉTUDES FOR PIANO • REMINISCENCES OF CHILDHOOD
WATER DROPLETS IN VENICE • LULLABY

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TRA NGUYEN

‘I had been already interested in Nimrod Borenstein’s music before so when he was talking about his 24 Études Project I was all ears. One aspect that makes all the études very difficult is that they are polyphonic by nature, and then the composer adds another layer of polyrhythm on top so that individual voices have individual pulses for musical expression. The result is that the music is mesmerisingly layered. But this is also the crux of key difficulties faced by the performer. Very often the music is dense with multiple voices that come with different pulses, starting at different points. The key is to understand their function to serve as musical expression. Half Moon Etude and the Kangding Quingge Etude are amongst my favourites for their sonority and the mesmerising colours. The progress of learning this new repertoire for me was an inspirational and rewarding one, full of challenges and surprises. It allowed me to hear the instrument with new timbres and to acquire a deeper understanding of the unique musical structures the composer was creating. The études require both virtuosity in physical aspects of playing, and virtuosity in listening and musical thinking.’ – Tra Nguyen