West of the Sun Joel Fan

• 1 Vem cá Branquinha 02:49
• 2 Suis-moi! (Follow Me! Vamos a la azotea), Op. 45 03:08
• 3 3 Preludes: No. 2. Flora's game: Milonga 06:45
• 4 I. Allegro marcato 04:08
• 5 II. Presto misterioso 02:26
• 6 III. Adagio molto appassionato 04:19
• 7 IV. Ruvido ed ostinato 02:51
• 8 Choros No. 5, Alma brasileira 04:38
• 9 4 Sketches, Op. 15: No. 4. Fireflies 03:10
• 10 Troubled Water 05:28
• 11 9 Bagatelles 09:26
• 12 I. Allegro energico 06:41
• 13 II. Allegro vivace 02:01
• 14 III. Adagio 05:15
• 15 IV. Fugue 04:36
• Total Runtime 01:07:41

Info for West of the Sun

West of the Sun, Joel Fan's second recital for Reference Recordings, further solidifies his reputation for innovative programming and dazzling keyboard technique. Drawing on composers from North and South America, Fan makes brilliant work of major sonatas by Ginastera and Barber, along with 'entertainments' by Gottschalk, Piazzolla, and Villa-Lobos. Of particular interest are two little-known but audience-friendly works by Amy Beach and the African-American composer Margaret Bonds. Another highlight is the premiere recording of Nine New Bagatelles by William Bolcom, which Fan coached with the composer. Any piano enthusiast will find much to enjoy in this wide-ranging recital, recorded at Skywalker Sound in California by RR's renowned technical guru, 'Prof.' Keith O. Johnson

„In contrast to Joel Fan's previous mixed recital for the Reference label (World Keys), West of the Sun focuses on composers of the Americas, stopping short of Canada. Fan is just marvelous. His extroverted swing and idiomatic phrasing brings Ernesto Nazareth's Vem cá, Branquinha to vivid life, followed by equal virtuosic flair and color throughout Gottschalk's Suis Moi! Caprice. Similar comments describe the pianist's treatment of Villa-Lobos' Chôros No. 5, while the difficult double notes of Amy Beach's Fire-flies boast attractive light and shade.“

„Troubled Water is a bravura arrangement of the traditional spiritual Wade in the Water, and Fan makes its best possible case. Fan also perfectly illuminates the dark underpinnings and rhythmic snap in Piazzolla's Flora's Game, while serving up what may be the best characterized recording available of Ginastera's First piano sonata. While certain pianists treat its ostinato finale in a machine-like fashion, Fan's subtle inflections deliver more musically satisfying goods. Bolcom's clever, pianistically resourceful eclecticism delights in his Nine New Bagatelles, and inspires Fan accordingly, especially in the quieter, more lyrical movements. Although more individually shaped Barber Sonata interpretations grace the catalog (Earl Wild, John Browning, and Marc-André Hamelin, for example), Fan's rock solid, impeccably controlled and impassioned reading is never less than world-class. A well-curated, excellently engineered program of this caliber warrants our highest recommendation.“ (Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com)

Joel Fan, piano

Joel Fan
is one of the most dynamic and accomplished musicians performing before the public today. He is consistently acclaimed for his recitals, recordings, and appearances with orchestras throughout the world. His concerts attract a wide range of audiences, as he has eagerly embraced traditional piano literature as well as an eclectic range of repertoire, including new music commissioned especially for him, world music, and his own transcriptions. Mr. Fan's engaging personality, technical assurance, lyricism, and sheer musicality win over audiences wherever he performs. As a recording artist, Mr. Fan scored two consecutive Billboard Top 10 Debuts with his solo CDs, World Keys and West of the Sun.

From recitals at Ravinia Festival in Chicago, Jordan Hall in Boston, the Metropolitan Museum of Arts in NYC and The National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., to the University of Calgary Celebrity Series, and performances with the chamber orchestra, A Far Cry, performing Mozart at the Gardner Museum in Boston, the Newman Center in Denver and the Vilar Center in Beaver Creek, Colorado, Joel has found an enthusiastic following that landed his first CD at No. 3 on the Billboard Classical Chart. Joel's past appearances also include performances with Yo-Yo Ma with the New York Philharmonic, The Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as performances with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, The New Hampshire Festival Orchestra, and the Singapore Philharmonic. He has worked with conductors such as Alan Gilbert, Zubin Mehta, David Alan Miller, Gustav Meier, and David Robertson, all the while traversing an ever-expanding repertoire of piano music. Playing composers such as Olivier Messiaen, Leon Kirchner, William Bolcom, Derek Bermel, Eliot Carter, Alexander Scriabin, Mozart, Beethoven, Gershwin and Rachmaninoff, and bringing to the fore music of the East and South America, Fan has been hailed by critics as having "uncanny technical skill..." (Washington Post) and as possessing playing that is "the picture of textural clarity," and a "probing intellect and vivid imagination," (New York Times).

Joel is now moving forward with an even more assertive path towards commissioning younger composers who are on the rise and creating programs that reflect a pianist who "takes you inside the music offering a deeper, more rewarding experience..." (Minnesota Public Radio). With two impressive CDs, Joel has established himself as a seeker of unusual works and the way they intermingle with classic standards of the past. World Keys, is an album featuring five world premiere recordings, ten composers from ten different countries including Peteris Vasks, Dia Succari, Qigang Chen, Adnan Saygun, as well as Prokofiev, Liszt, and Schumann, and West of The Sun, displays his "spice and pizzazz ..." with readings of Barber, Bolcom, Ginastera, Gottschalk, Piazzolla and Villa-Lobos and two little-known works by Amy Beach and the African-American composer Margaret Bonds.

In collaboration with cellist Yo-Yo Ma as a member of the Silk Road Ensemble, Joel has appeared in numerous venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and on the popular nationally televised programs Good Morning America and Late Night with David Letterman. He also shared the stage with Mr. Ma for performances of Beethoven's Triple Concerto with the New York Philharmonic under the baton of David Zinman. Mr. Fan has appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras throughout the world, including the New York Philharmonic, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic, London Sinfonietta, Singapore Symphony, New Symphony Orchestra of Bulgaria, and Odessa Philharmonic, among others.

As a "champion of new music" (Boston Globe), Mr. Fan commissioned, performed and recorded the world premiere of Leon Kirchner's Sonata No. 3, "The Forbidden." His album West of the Sun includes the world premiere recording of William Bolcom's "Nine New Bagatelles." He is active as a chamber musician as well having played with The Shanghai String Quartet, The Enso String Quartet and the Imani Winds. Joel Fan began his performing career with the New York Philharmonic at age 11, as a winner of the Philharmonic's Young People's Concert Auditions. A native New Yorker, he studied at the Juilliard Pre-College Division as a student of Katherine Parker and Martin Canin. He received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University, where his teachers included the composer Leon Kirchner. He holds a Master of Music Degree in Piano Performance from the Peabody Conservatory, where he studied with Leon Fleisher. He is also a prize winner of several international competitions, including the Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy. He was also the winner of the Kosciuzko Foundation's Chopin Prize and named a Presidential Scholar by the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. Joel Fan is a Steinway Artist.

Booklet for West of the Sun