Hilary Hahn IN 27 PIECES (The Hilary Hahn Encores)

Encores are addictive. Witty, moving, and challenging, they have been offered to enthusiastic audiences by the greatest musicians throughout history. The majority of the encores that we violinists learn today were shaped by the performers who preceded us. Their pieces are our classics. With so many to choose among, you might wonder why I am adding more. Toward the end of the twentieth century, those marvelous old chestnuts enjoyed a revival by way of remastered historical recordings, new albums, and printed collections. Contemporary encores, however, were not featured, nor were they commissioned with any frequency. I was intrigued by the future of the genre and how composers might wish to redefine the form. When I pictured a novel set of favorite miniatures catching on – pieces crafted by today’s minds – the idea of a commissioned-encores project planted itself in my head. The problem was that I had no starting point and couldn’t anticipate where such an undertaking would lead me. “Begin anywhere” is a famous nugget of advice from John Cage. I “began anywhere” multiple times, over the course of several years. One day, it dawned on me that I’d been agonizing over what I was supposed to do, instead of following my instincts. I sat down to revisit contemporary music that had been recommended to me. arked in front of my computer, I looked up each composer and clicked on links to their repertoire, colleagues, and influences. Mesmerized by the wealth of creativity I found, I listened for hours, until the sun started to rise. Uncovering works that I’d never imagined existed was intoxicating. In the months that followed, amply fueled by tea and chocolate, I searched every source I could, devouring sound samples available online. When a piece grabbed me, my breath would catch, and the urge to collaborate with that composer on this project was visceral. Then it was time for the next step. I made more than two dozen nerve-wracking cold calls to composers I hoped would create new encores. It was impossible to predict how anyone would respond. As it turned out, every conversation introduced me to a fascinating person. Twenty-six composers signed on. I gave them two parameters: each piece should be under five minutes and for acoustic violin and piano. (If an interpretation were to stretch a minute here and there, that would be alright.) (Hilary Hhan)