The Academy’s Bicentenary Scholarships afford students the opportunity to become part of a special group of outstanding musicians. They are accompanied by an ambitious and creative partnership with Linn Records, offering industry-level recording experience and the chance to release their music. Since 2020, over 20 digital recordings have been released as part of this series.
Today, Georgi Dimitrov-Jojo releases Tales of Being, his debut recording for Linn, in which he pairs two composers who lived nearly four centuries apart. John Dowland’s melancholy and feeling of loneliness are echoed by Hans Werner Henze’s musical portraits of Shakespearean characters which dive into the human condition: sorrow, suffering, hope, love.
‘The purpose of this album is to present psychological states that are deeply inherent to human nature. By incorporating the melancholic music of John Dowland with Hans Werner Henze’s musical portraits of Shakespearean characters, I am creating a universe where the messages of the two composers are enhanced.’
Georgi Dimitrov- Jojo
Next, on 5 December, pianist Emanuil Ivanov, who won first prize at the 2019 Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition in Italy, releases Frederic Rzewski’s sprawling 1975 masterpiece, The People United Will Never Be Defeated!. A maverick among composers of the recent past, Rzewski combined purposeful stylistic eclecticism and powerful, raw emotional content in this enormous cycle of variations on the Chilean song ¡El pueblo unido jamás será vencido!.
Listen to The People United Will Never Be Defeated!
'This album is a very special one for me. The People United Will Never Be Defeated! is a work of tremendous expressive power and has been so significant in my path so far. My wish is to share this amazing piece of music, and its message of unity and strength.’
Emanuil Ivanov
Finally, on 12 December, it’s the turn of Malaysian pianist Julian Chan who marks the centenary of the completion and publication of Leopold Godowsky’s Java Suite with his Linn debut recording. Full of fragrant, intoxicating sounds, the piece was inspired by the culture, landscapes, architecture and entrancing harmonies of the island of Java.
‘I sought to bring out all the intricate layering that Godowsky calls for in the Java Suite, in order to bring to life the work's various landscapes, scenes, and delicacies. I greatly look forward to the album's release, which I hope will capture the imagination of listeners and offer them an exhilarating tour of the island of Java and its multitudinous facets.’
Julian Chan
For nearly 30 years, recording has been an intrinsic part of Academy life. Since 1996, the conservatoire has produced critically acclaimed commercial recordings with leading artists and a generation of students. The Academy's discography includes over 50 records which chart the trajectory of many young musicians who have gone on to form partnerships with major labels. The Academy is proud to add these latest additions to its rich archive.