For those unaware, Anne Akiko Meyers has amassed a multitude of fans and admirers for her exquisitely curated recordings, often exploring her passion for new music, and old music in new guises.

Her quest for creative collaborations has inspired countless commissions and world-premieres, with the results infusing Shining Night (whose release coincides with International Astronomy Day, May 7th 2022, via Avie Records), an album that embraces themes of love, poetry and nature.

Shining Night is based on a poem by James Agee and describes a man going on a walk and thinking back over his life. That inspired this collection of pieces that metaphorically begins in the morning and explores the vast musical history through Baroque, Romantic, Popular, and current genres.

ARCANGELO CORELLI (1653–1713), arr. Poxon
1. La Folia* (8:32)

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685–1750), arr. Campbell – adapted Poxon
2. Air on G* (5:26)

NICCOLÒ PAGANINI (1782–1840)
3. Cantabile (3:39)

MANUEL PONCE (1882–1948), arr. Heifetz – adapted Poxon
4. Estrellita* ‘Little Star’ (3:28)

HEITOR VILLA-LOBOS (1887–1959)
5. Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No.5 (5:12)

DUKE ELLINGTON (1899–1974), arr. De Rosa
6. In My Solitude* (3:12)

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA (1921–1992), arr. Varelas
Histoire du Tango
7. Bordel 1900 (3:54)
8. Café 1930 (7:29)
9. Night-club 1960 (5:50)
10. Concert d’aujourd’hui (2:53)

HUGO PERETTI (1916–1986), LUIGI CREATORE (1921–2015)
GEORGE DAVID WEISS (1921­–2010), arr. Poxon
11. Can’t Help Falling in Love* (3:13)

LEO BROUWER (1939–)
12. Laude al Árbol Gigante*
‘Laude to the Giant Sequoia Tree’ (2020) (4:33)

MORTEN LAURIDSEN (1943–)
13. Dirait-On* (4:55)
14. Sure On This Shining Night* 4:56)

Jason Vieaux, guitar - 1,2,3,5,6,7-10,11,12
Fabio Bidini, piano - 4,13,14
For Anne* 1,2,4,6,11,12,13,14

As aforementioned, the common themes throughout the music reflect on one’s relationship with nature, love, and poetry and this new recording opens on the aching yearn of both Arcangelo Corelli’s colorful La Folia and the simply stunning, veritably crystalline J.S. Bach’s famous Air on G (both arranged for violin and guitar), and then we get the gently playful Niccolo Paganini’s Cantabile, the Latin-tinged Estrellita (Little Star) by Manuel Ponce and the longingly heartfelt Aria from Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5.

Up next is a tender new arrangement of Duke Ellington’s (In My) Solitude, Astor Piazzolla’s four-part Histoire du Tango, and then comes a new arrangement of Elvis Presley’s Can’t Help Falling in Love (Peretti, Creatore & Weiss), the recording rounding out with Leo Brouwer’s almost translucent Laude al Árbol Gigante (‘Laude to the Giant Sequoia Tree’ (2020), culminating with two from Morten Lauridsen: the impassioned Dirait-On and the ornate, orchestrated mastery of Sure On This Shining Night.

Anne’s fruitful association with composer Morten Lauridsen led to the arrangement of his popular choral work Sure on this Shining Night, for violin and piano, lending its name to the album’s title.

From there springs forth an album imbued with music of light and hope, spanning the history of music through Baroque, Romantic, Popular, and current genres.

Anne’s collaborators are eminent Italian pianist Fabio Bidini and Grammy Award-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux.

Official Anne Akiko Meyers Shining Night Trailer

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