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Flowers we are…

KSENIA KOUZMENKO

Format: Digital

"Flowers We Are…" is a very poetic new album by pianist Ksenia Kouzmenko. The album contains 38 'flower pieces' by 15 composers, from the Renaissance to the present day, in which the flower not only stands as a symbol of eternal beauty, but also of fragility, the transience of time and the fleeting nature of life. The album's title is derived from a number of short pieces by Hungarian composer György Kurtág, 'Virág az ember…' ('Flowers We Are…'). The extreme intensity and almost aphoristic concentration of Kurtág's compositions create a very special listening experience, which places other music in a new light. A natural arc of tension connects the entire album from beginning to end. For almost two years, Ksenia Kouzmenko has been carefully selecting and arranging these pieces, constantly changing the order or adding new pieces. She was not only interested in different styles or periods, but also in composers who wrote beautiful music but have been forgotten over time. Ksenia Kouzmenko wishes to dedicate this album to the magnificent composer György Kurtág, who will turn one hundred years old in February 2026, and to his late wife Márta Kurtág. She had the privilege of working with both of them on several occasions and György Kurtág's musical world has become very dear to her.

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Tracklist

01 Flowers We Are, Frail Flowers... (1b) (Games book I) (1973) 00:32
02 Flowers We Are, Frail Flowers... (1a) (I) (1973 00:43
03 Flowers We Are... (VII) (2000) 01:18
04 ....Apple Blossom... (X) (1947) 01:01
05 All in a Garden Green 04:27
06 Flowers We Are... (4b) (I) (1973) 00:33
07 ... A Single Flower in Memory of Simone Verchaly (IX) (2005) 00:43
08 The Budding Lilies (XIII) (1722) 02:40
09 The Reeds (XIII) (1722) 03:48
10 Grassblades in Memory of Klára Martyn (V) (1982) 00:44
11 Flowers We Are... ( in memoriam Árpád Illés) (V) (1980) 01:02
12 6 Melodien von Franz Schubert: Trockne Blumen (1823/1844) 03:38
13 Heidenröslein, D.257 (1815/1953) 02:01
14 Flower, the Flower... (V)(1979) 00:46
15 A Flower for Gabriella Garzó (V) (1981) 01:21
16 Fantasy on ''The Last Rose of Summer'', Op. 15 (1827) 06:45
17 Why Are the Roses so Pale? (1837/2025) 02:11
18 Flower and Thistle to S.W. (V) (1989) 00:24
19 Flowers We Are... (from the Sayings of Péter Bornemisza) (V) 00:44
20 A Gilly Flower for Márta (VII) (1997) 00:59
21 The Silent Lotus Flower, Op. 13/6 (1843/2025) 03:00
22 Blumenstück Op. 19 (1839) 06:42
23 A Little Flower From Me (...lovely greetings to Grete Spinnrad) (V) (1987) 00:23
24 A Flower (X) (1984. XII. 24) 00:41
25 To a Violet, Op. 49/2 (1868/1906) 03:02
26 Song of the Roses Op. 39/4 (1896) 02:19
27 Thistle (III) (1979) 00:31
28 Bluebell (II) (1979) 00:41
29 Bluebell, Op. 85/5 (1916) 02:10
30 Bluebells, Op. 22/5 (1908) 02:08
31 A Sprig of Heather for Witold (in memoriam Witold Lutoslawski) (VII) (1994) 02:21
32 Narcissus, Op. 90 (1910) 02:56
33 Lotus Land, Op. 47/1 (1905) 04:02
34 Flowers We Are... (3) (I) (1973) 00:54
35 Like the Flowers of the Field... (in memoriam Ligeti Ilona) (V) (1982) 01:35
36 Daisies, Op. 38/3 (1916/1924) 02:23
37 Lilacs, Op. 21/5 (1902/1914) 02:33
38 ...and once more: Flowers We Are... (I) (1973) 00:54