A World Class Orchestra, At Your Service

“Ravel Virtual Studios brings an invaluable service to composers. The state-of-the-art technology, combined with the great sensibility and artistry of the music director, Ron Artinian, produced a high-quality performance, comparable to a good session with live musicians. They gladly and easily can make needed changes to draft versions of performances. The final performance is very satisfying, and can be used promotionally to increase the chances a piece will be performed live.”

Dan Lazarescou
Composer

Spotlight - Two Maria

Composer Dan Lazarescou recently contacted Ravel Virtual Studios to perform his piece Two Maria, an intriguing concerto for violin and orchestra that combines influences from Romanian folk music and Leonard Bernstein. The composer has this to say about his piece:

Two Maria, written at the request of a French friend, is my humble homage to two musicians who opened the world of music to me, a world including the East side and the “West Side.” Years ago, I was fascinated by Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts. Today, I still hear the deeply touching voice of the beloved Romanian singer Maria Tănase.

Two Maria received a regional “First Prize” and was promoted to the National level in the SCI/ASCAP 2010 Student Composition Competition.

We had the pleasure of involving professional violinist Hannes Frischat in Mvt. 1 of our recording. Mr. Frischat provided a powerful and emotive interpretation of the solo violin part for the first movement.

He notes, “Mr. Lazarescou’s writing shows remarkable knowledge of violin technique. I think this composition is very deep and could be quite significant for the violinist scene.”

We are pleased to be able to share our full performance of Two Maria with you!

(Please note, our performances are very large audio files, so it may take a few moments for them to load fully. If you have a slower Internet connection, try the MP3 version.)


Mvt. I - “Rhapsody for Maria”

The first movement, “Rhapsody for Maria,” contrasts themes inspired by Maria Tănase’s folk songs, united by a motif made of the first three notes of Leonard Bernstein’s Maria. The orchestra listens to, supports, and complements the rhapsodic story told by the solo violin.


Mvt. II - “Voices of the Past”

The second movement, “Voices of the Past,” alternates in an arch form a sixteenth century-like contrapuntal theme with a lullaby. With increased polyphony and tension, the solo violin continues the story, in counterpoint with the orchestra.


Mvt. III - “East Side Blues”

Finally, the third movement, “East Side Blues,” builds on a characteristic group of four consecutives notes, found in both the minor harmonic scale typical to Eastern Europe, and the American blues scale. The energetic and atonal introduction of short motifs is interrupted by a slow and longing 12-bar blues progression.

The solo violin resumes the rapid motifs and, leading a restless orchestra, transforms them into recognizable short quotes from one of Maria Tănase’s songs and Leonard Bernstein’s America. The solo violin completes the story-homage with the final chords made of the three notes of the “Maria” theme.



About Dan Lazarescou

Dan Lazarescou (b. 1953) was born in Romania. After receiving his first degree (MS) in electrical engineering, Mr. Lazarescou spent over 20 years working in avionics, robotics, automation systems and the airline industry. He served in different roles ranging from computer engineer to vice president of flight operations systems.

In 2002 Mr. Lazarescou decided to return to school and resume the music training that had been interrupted in his teen years. He studied music composition at Richland College with Dr. Jerry Wallace and at Southern Methodist University (SMU) with Dr. Kevin Hanlon and Dr. Martin Sweidel, completing the program, summa cum laude, in 2007.

Mr. Lazarescou has been elected a member of the Society of Pi Kappa Lambda. He is also a member of the American Society of Composers, Authors & Publishers (ASCAP), the Society of Composers, Inc., and of the American Composers Forum.

Mr. Lazarescou’s works include pieces for symphonic orchestra, wind ensemble, violin concerto, string quartet, woodwind trio, piano, clarinet, saxophone, and small jazz combo.

He currently resides in the Dallas area with his wife and three daughters.

Visit Mr. Lazarescou on the web at www.danlazarescoumusic.com.