San Antonio-born violinist's Nancy Zhou released her debut album this week. Stories (re)Traced is now out on Orchid Classics, and it's a tour-de-force of solo violin.
Says Zhou, "It's a response to the classic question of what it means to be human."
It's certainly an exploration of what it means to be a violinist: the album includes works by four composers, Eugène Ysaÿe, Béla Bartók, J.S. Bach, and Fritz Kreisler — some of the greatest violin composers in the book.
And some of the most challenging music, too. But the real challenge is to tell the stories these composers tell, stories that, she says, "accompanied me throughout my childhood."
What about that intriguing title, Stories (re)Traced? Says Zhou, "At the end of the day, music-making, communication, is all speaking to our tendency to tell stories — about each other, about ourselves — and see what overlaps. And that's the beautiful thing."
Listen to the album, and you might conclude that the beautiful thing is the musicianship and humanity captured on this exciting new album from one of San Antonio's best musicians.
Use the audio player at the top of this page to hear more from Nancy Zhou, and check out her debut video from the album embedded below. Disclaimer: by using the Amazon link in this story, TPR will receive a small percentage of any purchase made.
