Grisha Krivchenia Releases Solo Album

Darkness & Light: Grisha Krivchenia – courtesy Grisha Krivchenia

Many Islanders know Grisha Krivchenia through the music program that he founded and ran at the Spring Street International School. I used to hear him regularly when my mother was living at the Village at the Harbour and Grisha would come in and play, sometimes classical piano, sometimes modern, and sometimes with his jazz trio. This talented musician has been very generous with his gifts to the benefit of our community. Grisha now releases his new solo album, “Darkness and Light”. Here is how to listen to it and the artist’s album notes…

“I am overjoyed to announce the release of my new solo album! You can stream the entire work here for a limited time “Darkness and Light”. Please enjoy the album for free for now. You can buy CDs or mp3s if you wish to have the tracks on your own device or if you wish to support my musical life. Thank you for listening!”

Album Notes: “After a tour of the Western United States, I arrived in Washington State with a lot of great music under my fingers, in very polished form. So I splurged on a couple hours of studio time in one of the finest studios in the Seattle area, Rikki Swin Studio on San Juan Island.

The program I was running in the summer of 2015 was an attractive mix of Classical and contemporary masterpieces. I love how this set-list brought together fans of old music and fans of new music, allowing them to connect with their favorite genres in new contexts and also find beauty in the other half of the concert.

I waited for a couple of months to listen to the recording, and when I did it floored me. This was clearly my best work, lovingly recorded on a 9-foot Yamaha Concert Grand with exquisite microphones. After listening through all the takes, it became clear that I needed to assemble an album soon. “Darkness and Light” was born.

After the opening prelude, the tracks exemplify either the “Dark” or “Light” side of human emotions. The opening movement of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata is followed by the carefree minuet of the second movement. The final, cataclysmic movement of that Sonata is followed by Chopin’s exquisitely openhearted Etude, Op 25 no. 1.

Towards the end of the album, I choose two pieces (Liszt’s Vallee D’Obermann and my own Sonata no. 3) that demonstrate a clear narrative progression from the darkest emotions to ecstatic triumph.”

Please Note: Grisha’s CD is currently “out of stock” at CD Baby. A second run of 500 CDs has been printed, and a handful of those should be in the warehouse by January 15. In the meantime, folks can message Grisha directly and he will mail out CDs from Santa Fe.

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