Carolyn Enger

Carolyn Enger, pianist

Lyricism Then and Now

Franz Schubert 1797-1828
Impromptu in A-Flat Major, Op. 142, No. 2

Felix Mendelssohn 1809-1847
Three Songs without Words
Op. 19, No. 6 “Venetianisches Gondellied”
Op. 30, No. 6 “Venetianisches Gondellied”
Op. 19, No. 1

Ned Rorem b. 1923
Piano Album l
Song Without Words (1978)
(For Jim, to help him on his birthday. With all my faith and most of my love.)
Carol-Pastiche (1984)
(To the only Jim in the world, this Carol-Pastiche to thank him for giving a point to the past seventeen years.)
Golden Notes on Nearing Fifty (1986)
(For Jim at forty-nine, this mirror-image of Christmas 1986 because any mirror into which he gazes turns to gold.)
Another Little Song Without Words (1987)
(For JH on another birthday. Since no words could even describe the depth of my feeling for you.)
For a Perfect Friend (1991)
(For Jim on Christmas Eve 1991)
Marriage Measures (1992)
(To John Simon and Pat Hoag)
Snapshot of Jack (1992)
(For Jack Mitchell)
For Jim (1993)
(On Christmas Eve 1993. With love for longer than forever…)
A Little Waltz for Jim at Fifty-Five (1994)
(For the only Jim in the world without whom I could not write this or any music.)
A Melody for Shirley (1994)
(For Shirley with love from Ned today and forever. A note for every year.)
A Sarabande for the Only Jim in the World (1998)
(For Jim on his birthday with love forever.)
Sixty Notes for Judy (1999)

Alexander Zemlinsky 1871-1942
Albumblatt “Erinnerungen aus Wien”

Arnold Schoenberg 1874-1951
Sechs Kleine Klavierstücke, Op. 19
I. Leicht, zart
II. Langsam
III. Sehr langsam
IV. Rasch, aber leicht
V. Etwas rasch
VI. Sehr langsam

Ludwig van Beethoven 1770-1827
Piano Sonata No. 31in A-Flat Major, Op. 110
I. Moderato cantabile molto espressivo
II. Allegro molto
III. Adagio ma non troppo
Fuga: Allegro ma non troppo

Biography

Pianist Carolyn Enger has gained critical acclaim for her lyrical and dynamic playing, her deeply felt interpretations of works from Beethoven and Schubert to contemporary music, and her warm personal approach. In addition to an active performance schedule, Ms. Enger has enjoyed remarkable success as a recording artist, particularly with her 2013release of piano music by Ned Rorem on Naxos Records. The album was selected as one of the “Best in Classical Recordings” by The
New York Times:

Among the 90th-birthday tributes this year to the essential American composer Ned Rorem, this recording especially stands out. The fine pianist Carolyn Enger plays Mr. Rorem’s complete Piano Album I, published in 2003, a collection of tender yet pungent miniatures written for friends, intimates and personal occasions from 1978 to 2001. – Anthony Tommasini, 12/2013

Renowned critic Laurence Vittes wrote in his review for Gramophone (2/2014): “Enger raises the miniatures to a higher level by taking the time and care to capture the emotional impact each must have had when their dedicatees read their inscription and title, and then heard the music for the first time.”

Ms. Enger has a special gift for creating original and intriguing programs that range from European masterworks to fresh discoveries among the compositions of such innovative American and Israeli composers as Ned Rorem, Caroline Shaw, John Luther Adams, Avner Dorman and Lior Navok. Her debut album, In Evening Air, released in 2009, offers a refreshing mix of music by Beethoven, Scriabin, Hanson, Copland, Liebermann and Rorem – all attesting to her command of a wide variety of musical idioms. MusicWeb International lauded her playing as “thoughtful and sensitive… expressive… She plays with fine nuance and tone shading. (10/2010)” And from Fanfare came praise for “Enger’s dynamic control and emotional sensitivity, her keen sense of timing and proportion. (9/2009)”

Ms. Enger’s latest creation, The Mischlinge Exposé, pays tribute to her father, Horst Joachim Enger, who survived forced labor and the Holocaust as a Mischling in Germany. It takes the form of a multimedia concert program set in the World War II period, combining music, literature and images that focus on the haunting memories of the lives of Mischlinge – half-Jews – and converts, in Germany before, during, and after the Holocaust, an experience reflected in Ms. Enger’s own family history. The Mischlinge project will be enriched by a new commission by the acclaimed composer Bruce Adolphe, which will premiere in 2017. Find out more about the project at www.mischlingexpose.com.

Highlights of Ms. Enger’s 2016/17 season include a performance at Michaelis Kirche in Erfurt, Germany; a Chicago residency with recitals at several Steinway Galleries and the Chicago Public Library; a performance at the Chelmsford Center for the Arts in Massachusetts; and a variety of recitals in the Tri-State area. Ms. Enger will present her ambitious multimedia concert experience, The Mischlinge Exposé, at community centers throughout New York and New Jersey, and will premiere a new work written by the acclaimed composer Bruce Adolphe especially for this project at the Center for Jewish History in Spring 2017.

Carolyn Enger is a Steinway Artist.