Manuscripts Don’t Burn is a recital/reading that delves into the world of Inna Faliks’s recently published memoir about her adventures as an acclaimed, Ukrainian-American, Jewish concert pianist: Weight in the Fingertips: a Musical Odyssey from Soviet Ukraine to the World Stage, Inna Faliks weaves together excerpts from her memoir with performances of old and new works that have been especially meaningfull to her. It also marks the Springs 2023 release of “Manuscripts Don’t Burn,” a new recording on Sono Luminus.
The music – Godai for speaking pianist by Clarice Assad, “Manuscripts Don’t Burn” by Maya Miro Johnson, “Master and Margarita Suite” by Veronika Krausas, “Sirota” by Ljova, and works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Shchedrin, Chopin, Bach, and Liszt, – mirrors the pianist’s identity as a Jewish immigrant, a book-lover, a woman performing in a male-dominated field. It highlights some favorite parts of her life story – immigration, Ukraine, love, grief, humor, and passion for music. It also explores music written in response to The Master and Margarita – the cult Russian novel by Bulgakov.
“Inna Faliks’s words have the same fluidity and assurance as her piano playing; both are well
worth your attention. There are a lot of musician’s memoirs out there; this one, about a piano prodigy turned professional, is a standout. Highly recommended.” – Anne Midgette
Program
Ljova: Sirota
J.S. Bach: Prelude and Fugue in G sharp minor Book II
Veronika Krausas: Selections from Master and Margarita Suite
Chopin-Liszt: The Maiden’s Wish
Rodion Shchedrin: Basso Ostinato
Maya Miro Johnson: Manuscripts Don’t Burn
Clarice Assad: Godai the Five Elements
Fanny Mendelssohn: Notturno
Frédérik Chopin: Polonaise Fantaisie, Op. 61
Paganini-Liszt: La Campanella