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About the project
Thank you for visiting this campaign! I am a classical pianist and it gives me great joy to share my work with you. I am very happy and excited to be releasing my first album. It is going to feature a unique programme combining the works of two Russian composers: the eccentric genius - Alexander Scriabin and the unknown genius - Alexei Stanchinsky. Some compositions on this album are well known masterpieces, and some, I believe, have never been released on CD before. I hope this recording will help listeners enjoy, discover and rediscover both Stanchinsky and Scriabin.
About me
My name is Nafis Umerkulova, I was born and raised in Uzbekistan. I
started playing the piano at the age of 5, inspired by my mother who
is a pianist and a piano teacher. Soon after I started playing, I knew
that was what I wanted to do in life.
I came to the UK to study
at the Purcell School and later continued my studies at the Royal
Academy of Music and Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Today I live and
work in London and I love its creative, cultural atmosphere. In
addition to my performance career, I also enjoy teaching and am
currently a member of teaching staff at the Purcell School and at the
London Russian Music Academy.
Darkness illuminated
Many people will be familiar with Scriabin’s music, but I imagine
that very few would have heard about Stanchinsky and his works. I came
across this composer a number of years ago and immediately fell in
love with his music; it captivated me, and I soon knew that I wanted
to perform and to record it. Scriabin, and particularly his works from
the middle period, have been my long-lived passion, so it felt only
natural to put both composers together on this album.
All the
compositions from “Darkness illuminated” were written within a span of
17 years. My intention is to show how the styles of both composers
evolved during this period of time. In Scriabin’s Preludes op 16, we
can still hear his fascination with Chopin, and Scriabin’s influence
is very evident in the earlier works of Stanchinsky.
Who was Stanchinsky and why is his music unknown?
Stanchinsky was born in 1888, and he was a contemporary of Rachmaninov and Scriabin. He studied at the Moscow Conservatoire and demonstrated an extraordinary talent as a young composer. Many of his early works already reveal a unique approach to musical structure and harmony. Stanchinsky was held in high esteem by his colleagues, including Scriabin, who would normally not say anything good about anyone except himself. Unfortunately, Stanchinsky died at the age of 26, for reasons that remain unknown. A few years before that, he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and destroyed a number of his works in the fits of the illness. Shortly after Stanchinsky died, the Russian revolution broke out and the Soviet regime imposed strict censorship on all major forms of art. Many styles and works from the pre-soviet era were discredited and banned. These circumstances contributed to Stanchinsky remaining virtually unknown to us today.
What has already been done:
All audio materials for the album have been recorded and edited. It
has been such a joy working with the amazing sound engineer Veronika Tabakova.
I am very grateful to the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and especially to
John Thwaites and Simon Hall for their assistance with the recording
studio and the piano.
I am delighted to have an agreement with the Ulysses Arts Label to release
“Darkness illuminated”, which is planned for September 2019.
Photography, design and artwork will be done by Viktor Erik Emanuel and we are currently working
on the CD cover and the booklet.
Video - behind the scenes of "Darkness illuminated"
which you can find at the top of this campaign was filmed by Charlie Round Turner.
And finally, I am so thankful to Patrick
Matthiesen and the Matthiesen Foundation who agreed to support my
CD launch concert: https://www.sjss.org.uk/events/darkness-illuminated
What I am crowdfunding for and where your support will go:
- CD/booklet design and artwork
- Label fee + digital release
- PR and Marketing
- Remaining expenses for the launch concert
The full cost of the project comes up to £5000
Why this project is important, and what your contribution means:
Today we live in a time of openness to change and
introspection on a human and historical level. Through Darkness
illuminated, I wish to shed light on Stanchinsky and I would
like to help restore his music to its rightful place in the
performance repertoire.
Up to this point in my project, I have been able to cover
all relevant costs myself, but in order to continue successfully
sharing my work, I am in need of additional funding.
Your support will make it possible for me to release the
album and to hold the launch concert. While this
campaign is up and running, I am able to access your donations
immediately. This gives me the opportunity to proceed with every
aspect of my project, that I listed above, and to make sure
everything is ready for the release date.
I am deeply grateful for ANY support and involvement. It would also be a wonderful help if you could spread the word, and share this with anyone you think would be interested.
If you would like to receive a reward for your donation, please let me know your address. You can also choose to contribute without a reward and remain anonymous. If you are unable to contribute financially on this occasion, but would like to help in any other way, I would love to hear from you.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this!
Perks
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