Trade Winds

Disc One explores the musical ties between Canada and Japan a theme that Rachel and Mark McGregor have great affection for, given that they’re both Hapa (a mixture of Japanese and Western heritage). This cultural exchange is explored from a number of angles: Japanese composers with ties to Canada, Canadian composers of Japanese lineage, and Canadian composers of Western heritage who had been influenced by some aspect of Japanese culture.

Works on this disc include staples of the 20th century flute/piano repertoire by Toru Takemitsu and Jo Kondo, as well as new and recent works by Canadian composers Kara Gibbs, Elliot Weisgarber, Anthony Genge, Hiroki Tsurumoto, and Derek Charke. Disc Two showcases the music of three generations of West Coast Canadian composers: Jean Coulthard, Paul M. Douglas, and Christopher Kovarik. These works continue in the vein of Brahms, Mahler, and Debussy, reveling in lush harmonic tapestries and unabashed lyricism. Both programmes are incredibly diverse, ranging from the dissonant savagery of Derek Charke’s Distant Voices to the virtuosic post-Romanticism of Christopher Kovarik’s Sonata for Flute and Piano to the Asian-inflected melodies of Elliot Weisgarber and Paul M. Douglas.

Track list:

Disc 1

1. – 3. Untitled Scenes: two remembered and one imagined
Kara Gibbs

4. Kasa (Halo of the Moon)
Anthony Genge

5. – 8. Miyako Sketches
Elliot Weisgarber

9. Walk
Jo Kondo

10. murmur
Hiroki Tsurumoto

11. Piano Distance
Toru Takemitsu

12. Voice for solo flute
Toru Takemitsu

13. Distant Voices
Derek Charke

Disc 2

1. – 3. Sonata for flute and piano
Christopher Kovarik