Debussy: Preludes for Piano, Book 1
Christian Erny, piano
Hartnett: Six Character Pieces for Solo Viola
Diana Wade, viola
“Colors, Characters, Collisions” is an hour-long, seamless performance featuring the Debussy Preludes for Piano intertwined with a composition for amplified solo viola by Kevin Hartnett. Pianist Christian Erny and violist Diana Wade will explore the boundaries between a diverse array of musical timbres, textures, and moods and the various ways they interact upon encountering one another.
Born in Winterthur in 1988, the young Swiss musician Christian Erny has drawn significant public attention with his highly diverse and profound musicianship. In April 2016, Erny released his debut CD “Les parfums, les couleurs et les sons se répondent...” with works by Liszt and Debussy on the Solo Musica label. The album was praised by critics including Schweizer Kulturtipp, Berliner Feuilletonscout, and un-Art Magazin and was broadcast on Radio Swiss Classic, SWR 3 and WDR 3.
In 2018, he released two new CDs on the label Ars-Produktion. His new solo recording of piano works by Russian composer Arthur Lourié was praised by the press and public and was nominated for the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis. His debut album as a choral conductor, Passio, was recorded by The Zurich Chamber Singers, the professional vocal ensemble he founded in 2015.
Last fall, Erny gave solo recitals in Valparaiso and Santiago, Chile and taught classes at the Swiss School of Santiago. Upcoming projects include his debut with the Lucerne Opera and a recording project and tour featuring the music of Arvo Pärt with the Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie.
Violist Diana Wade enjoys the richly varied musical life that she is cultivating in Los Angeles. Not only can she be heard recording for film and television, but also performing with ensembles such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic New Music Group, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, Los Angeles Master Chorale, wild Up and appearances in series such as Jacaranda, Tuesdays @ Monk Space, and the Hear Now Music Festival.
In a recent performance of Berio’s Sequenza VI, Diana was praised for playing with “both athletic and operatic ferocity” and “throwing herself into tremolo passages with a physical force that shook her and a sonic one that practically shook the walls” (Mark Swed, LA Times).
Recently, Diana has found herself turning to composition. Her bizarre vocal fry extravaganza "Fry on Fry" has been tickling audiences along the West Coast. Current projects include a new work for solo violin commissioned by Shalini Vijayan, an arrangement of Garth Knox’s Jonah and the Whale for viola, voice, and a 25-foot long drainage tube. Diana recently attended the retreat Artists at Albatross Reach as a violist and composer where she collaborated with fellow artists on the development of weird, fun new work.