A new CD by Dr. Julia Mortyakova, chair of the Department of Music at Mississippi University for Women, celebrates some famous women composers who have influenced the pianist.
“The music of women composers is often left out of the performance canon, even though some of the composers were very famous musicians during their lifetimes,” Mortyakova explained. “I have been thinking about a CD celebrating women composers due to my commitment in performing their music, which has been the focus of my performance activities since 2009.”
Mortyakova performed a solo recital tour titled “A Celebration of Women in Music” this past spring which led to the recording of the CD by the same name. She toured at Tennessee State University, South Carolina University, Women Composers Festival of Hartford, University of Southern Mississippi, the Chaminade Music Club of Jackson and at The W.
“Since I was already performing the music it was easy enough to transfer it to a CD format, but I needed funding. The CD was made possible as a result of the opportunity to apply for and receive MUW Faculty Research Funds,” she said. “I would not be able to release this CD without these funds, and I am very grateful that my project was approved,” Mortyakova said.
The recordings are classical, solo piano works. Selections by Elisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre are from the Baroque time period, while Cecile Chaminade and Clara Schumann are Romantic in style. Olga Harris is a modern composer, but she is a neo-Romantic, Mortyakova said.
“Therefore, it is a CD filled with beautiful melodies and lots of passion meant to showcase the contribution of women in music throughout history. While the CD is only a tiny sample of all of the beautiful music by women composers, it is my hope to ignite a passion for this music in the listeners, and to inspire other performers to add it to their performance repertoire,” she added.
Mortyakova’s specialty is Cecile Chaminade, whose music recently entered the public domain.
“I have been an advocate of the French composer Cecile Chaminade for the past seven years. She was a prolific composer and a concert pianist who was immensely popular during her lifetime,” said the pianist. “Unfortunately, music history has somehow managed to forget her contributions, and I am doing my part to bring her back unto the concert stage.”
Mortyakova received the Sigma Alpha Iota Career Performance Grant in 2012 and an award in The American Prize competition in 2014 for the performance of Chaminade’s music.
A special connection
The Russian American composer Olga Harris, who is a professor at Tennessee State University and the last composition student of Aram Khachaturian, is Mortyakova’s mother.
“‘Rhapsody for Julia,’ as well as all of the other Harris pieces on the CD, were composed specifically for me,” said Mortyakova. “Mermaid Dreams,” “Don’t Let Me Go, My Sorrow” and “Prelude Assisi” were all composed in 2016.
Mortyakova also noted Clara Schumann, a child prodigy from Germany. “She is one of the first virtuoso solo pianists in the history of the instrument, a composer and teacher and an inspiration to me as a concert pianist.”
Half of the CD was recorded in Connie Sills Kossen Auditorium in Poindexter Hall in May, with James Beville as the engineer. There are four recordings engineered by Andy Coburn in Michigan a few years back. Coburn passed away, and Mortyakova wanted to honor him and his work by including it on the CD. The remaining pieces are live recordings from recitals in Kossen during the past four years at The W, engineered by Dr. Richard Montalto, professor of music.
How to get it
The CD is available on cdbaby.com physically and digitally. CD Baby has sent it to all major online music distributors, including Apple iTunes, Rhapsody, Spotify, Amazon Mp3, Google Play, YouTube Music, SoundExchange, iHeartRadio and others.
Mortyakova spent most of her summer recording the CD and working on the design and distribution. The cover photo is by Jonathan Levin, a pianist, photographer and artistic director of the Clayton Piano Festival.
“Currently, I am preparing for my upcoming trip to Italy to perform a solo recital and appear as concerto soloist performing Olga Harris’ ‘Concerto No.2’ with the Assisi Performing Arts Orchestra in Assisi this July,” Mortyakova said.
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