Complete Youth Production For Violin & Piano 2 CD - Import

Certainly there are many steps before one reaches the heights of a world class wine: the variety of the grape, the weather and soil, the art of creating the wine with just the right amount of sweetness, acidity and texture, and lastly, the global market for new and better vintages. These are the instruments that the talented winemaker has to create a symphony of taste. Wine is Art. Indeed, wine is Life in a glass! So it did not seem difficult for me to interpret the noble grapes as musical pieces. My first step was to interview 'wine people'. To my surprise,I discovered that nearly everyone considered themselves to be a 'wine person'! The real wine people,however,I found to be the distributors, the wholesale buyers, the retailers and of course, the vintners themselves. I had a few simple questions: 1) what are the essential characteristics of each varietal 2) What are the meanings of terms like, balance, nose, body, finish etc.

3)Describe the cultures of the regions where these wines are produced. Needless to say, I was deluged with information! Many of my interviewees went on for hours waxing philosophic about the intrinsic "personalities" and "souls" of the different grapes. It was as if we were discussing God, Politics or Sports! After several months of research, (sober research) I felt I was finally ready to go to the piano and make attempts at capturing these grape personalities in music. Some of the pieces were directly correspondent to the taste of the wine itself. That is, a Chenin Blanc for example, is bright and acidic and so was my improvisation. Others pieces where ambient or evocative of a scene. My Sangiovese, for example, could be the soundtrack to an Italian family all gathered around the hearth to celebrate a festive event. My Pinot Noir: romantic. Tempranillo: Spanish Mysticism. Riesling: anthemic, patriotic. Shiraz: ancient Persia. All sixteen grapes have a specific musical motif. Of course, the accuracy of my music to grape is not an issue. I fully admit that these interpretations are exactly that: subjective interpretations that apply to me only. The listener may,for example,think that an Italian Tarantella has nothing to do whatsoever with the taste of a Pinot Grigio!In any case, (no pun intended) I firmly believe that wine is life and life is hard to pin down and categorize. Nevertheless, I have included my own short,poetic descriptions of the grapes which should help to make the music more accessible. (see below)I hope that you enjoy each of these snapshots of taste and culture. Be careful,however, not to drink samples of each of the sixteen wine varieties as you are listening to the CD. That could blur your judgment! Salu!THE NOBLE GRAPES- Descriptions CABERNET- Deep and rich, with glances that are subtle and sensuous. Complex, elegant and romantic, the taste lingers like a treasured memory.