Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein performs works by Ronn Yedidia on a CD to be released by Naxos on March 27

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Clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein performs works by contemporary composer and pianist Ronn Yedidia in a recording to be released by Naxos Records on Tuesday, March 27 as part of Naxos’s American Classics Series. The recording features works for clarinet and piano including Impromptu, Nocturne and World Dance, Farewell, Nathaniel, and Poème performed by Mr. Fiterstein and Mr. Yedidia; and Concertino, a work for clarinet, piano and string trio, performed by Mr. Fiterstein, Ronn Yedidia, violinist Arnaud Sussmann, violist Melissa Reardon, and cellist Nicholas Canellakis. The album will be available on Amazon.com, Arkivmusic.com, and iTunes.

Alexander Fiterstein was introduced to Ronn Yedidia’s music in 2006 through friend and pianist Alon Goldstein who was then performing one of Mr. Yedidia’s piano works in recital, and the following year Concertino was commissioned for Mr. Fiterstein. Concertino began as a clarinet and piano piece but quickly became a larger and more ambitious work that grew to include a string trio. Mr. Fiterstein explains that the work “rapidly shifts from one mood to the next and has many different musical elements; European 'chanson,' Mediterranean and Balkan dance, and klezmer music are all formative components of the piece. Concertino is a large scale work, in one continuous movement and quite symphonic in parts.” The work was premiered by Mr. Fiterstein in 2007.

Farewell, Nathaniel is dedicated to Ronn Yedidia’s colleague, Dr. Nathaniel Amadeus Yangco, who lost his life in a tragic scuba diving accident. It is scored for clarinet and piano in honor of Nathaniel’s father, Dr. Bienvenido Yangco, who is a clarinetist. The work was premiered at New York ’s Merkin Concert Hall in the spring of 2008 by Alexander Fiterstein .

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