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Cedille

Home

$19.99

Details

Composer
Claude Debussy, Gabriel Faure, Cyril Scott, Jean Sibelius, Augusta Read Thomas
Artist
Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
Format
CD
Label
Cedille
Released
Sep 12, 2025
Catalog #
CDR 239
UPC
735131923927

About

25-year-old rising American violinist Karisa Chiu, noted for her "easy virtuosity... humor, nuance... [and] playful[ness]" (Cleveland Classical), and renowned Chinese-American pianist Zhu Wang ("a thoughtful, sensitive performer" -New York Times) unite for Chiu's debut album, HOME. Influenced by her Chicago upbringing, pandemic discoveries, and Korean and Chinese family roots, the recording reflects on the various interpretations of "home" in Chiu's life, with works by Jean Sibelius, Claude Debussy, Augusta Read Thomas, Cyril Scott, and Gabriel Faure. A finalist in Cedille Records' inaugural Emerging Artist Competition in 2021, Chiu earned her Bachelor's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music and her Master's degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music. She is currently pursuing an Artist Diploma at the Juilliard School under the tutelage of Catherine Cho and Donald Weilerstein. She is the first new solo violinist to record for Cedille in 20 years. Although raised in a Swedish-speaking family, Jean Sibelius chose to root his artistic identity in Finnish culture. Written between 1915 and 1918, his Five Pieces blend Finnish folk influences with the elegance of salon music, reflecting a personal and creative claim of Finland as home. Composed in wartime exile and performed at his final public appearance, Debussy's Violin Sonata (1916-1917) is both a farewell and a return. Intended as part of a larger French sonata cycle, the work reaches toward distant tonalities and Iberian influences, yet remains anchored in a deeply personal language - a reflection on home as something both fragile and enduring. A lyrical, chant-inspired solo for violin, Thomas' Incantation unfolds with patience and quiet intensity. Chiu first encountered the work years before recording it, eventually collaborating with Thomas during her time as composer-in-residence at Curtis. With Thomas's deep ties to Chicago, the piece became a personal emblem of home - bridging Chiu's roots in the Windy City and a new sense of belonging at Curtis. In Kreisler's arrangement of Cyril Scott's dreamy Lotus Land, Chiu's violin floats above Zhu Wang's shimmering textures, rich with whole-tone and pentatonic color. Inspired by Tennyson's The Lotos-Eaters, the piece offers a brief, sensual escape, where lyricism and stillness evoke a world apart. Discovered by Chiu during the pandemic - a strange yet meaningful chapter in her life - the work recalls a fleeting but formative anchor amid uncertainty. Faure's Violin Sonata No. 1 balances classical structure with sweeping emotion and introspective calm - a work of youthful maturity. Chiu performed it during a return trip to Korea with her mother, reconnecting with family and cultural roots. The sonata evokes not only Faure's early voice but also a powerful emotional link to memory and belonging.

Tracklist 14 tracks

  1. 1 No. 1. Mazurka 03:01
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. Mazurka
    Duration
    03:01
    Composer
    Jean Sibelius
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  2. 2 No. 2. Rondino 01:58
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Rondino
    Duration
    01:58
    Composer
    Jean Sibelius
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  3. 3 No. 3. Valse 03:56
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Valse
    Duration
    03:56
    Composer
    Jean Sibelius
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  4. 4 No. 4. Aubade 03:04
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4. Aubade
    Duration
    03:04
    Composer
    Jean Sibelius
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  5. 5 No. 5. Menuetto 04:45
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 5. Menuetto
    Duration
    04:45
    Composer
    Jean Sibelius
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  6. 6 I. Allegro vivo 04:49
    Track
    6
    Title
    I. Allegro vivo
    Duration
    04:49
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  7. 7 II. Intermède: Fantasque et léger 04:23
    Track
    7
    Title
    II. Intermède: Fantasque et léger
    Duration
    04:23
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  8. 8 III. Finale: Très animé 04:45
    Track
    8
    Title
    III. Finale: Très animé
    Duration
    04:45
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  9. 9 Incantation 05:35
    Track
    9
    Title
    Incantation
    Duration
    05:35
    Composer
    Augusta Read Thomas
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu
  10. 10 2 Pieces, Op. 47: No. 1. Lotus Land (arr. F. Kreisler for violin and piano) 05:15
    Track
    10
    Title
    2 Pieces, Op. 47: No. 1. Lotus Land (arr. F. Kreisler for violin and piano)
    Duration
    05:15
    Composer
    Cyril Scott
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  11. 11 I. Allegro molto 09:23
    Track
    11
    Title
    I. Allegro molto
    Duration
    09:23
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  12. 12 II. Andante 06:57
    Track
    12
    Title
    II. Andante
    Duration
    06:57
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  13. 13 III. Allegro vivo 04:13
    Track
    13
    Title
    III. Allegro vivo
    Duration
    04:13
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang
  14. 14 IV. Allegro quasi presto 05:36
    Track
    14
    Title
    IV. Allegro quasi presto
    Duration
    05:36
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Karisa Chiu, Zhu Wang