| The La Bayadère Class (2019) |
Listen to Class Tracks and Purchase Music here |
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The La Bayadère Class (2019): On a rainy day in 2015 at San Francisco Ballet School, Parrish Maynard asked pianist Jamie Narushchen: “Can you give me a La Bayadère class today?” Jamie quickly paged through the Minkus score as students took their places at the barre, and starting with plié, he began adapting the music written for the stage to fit the exercises in a ballet class. Each time Parrish asked for a La Bayadère class, Jamie added new adaptations to the collection, infusing each exercise with his brilliant improvisations, catchy rhythms, and his use of the entire keyboard by "doubling up" with octaves in both the bass and melody. Sometimes he found music in the score that was ready to go for class, like Act Three’s Scarf Duet used for rond de jambe à terre. Other times there wasn’t music for certain exercises like grand battement, so he changed the meter of the Golden Idol from a 5/4 to a 4/4 to make it work for grand battement. Jamie had 70 percent of the La Bayadère class finished when Parrish accepted a ballet master position at Kansas City Ballet. Knowing that it worked as a fun tool to introduce young students to ballet repertoire, and that it brought smiles to adult students, Jamie finished and recorded the class in 2019 as a first in a series of class CDs adapted from great story ballets. After playing ballet classes every day at San Francisco Ballet for 33 years, Jamie has come to the conclusion that “There will be sunny days, and then days when you'll need a La Bayadère class.” |
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At the Movies with Narushchen (2011) |
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At the Movies with Narushchen (2011): San Francisco Ballet pianist Jamie Narushchen goes to the movies with his new CD of classic movie songs that will delight dancers and motivate them to learn exercises more quickly. Over the span of a decade, Mr. Narushchen hand-picked 28 movie songs and skillfully developed them to capture the feeling and motion of common ballet exercises. A movie buff whose fortes are improvisation and composition, he enlivened the songs with signature harmonies, brilliant dissonances, and bravura that can’t be found anywhere else. Don’t forget the popcorn! The regular price of this CD is higher than other JAN Records CDs due to the additional licensing fees of copyrighted songs. Exercises are printed on the back of the case and on its one-page CD insert. A New York Steinway concert grand piano was used during the recording. |
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| Narushchen Sunrise (2009) |
Listen to Class Tracks and Purchase Music here |
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Best Original Music From His Morning Ballet Classes Before he starts his day at the San Francisco Ballet, Jamie Narushchen rises early to play and improvise music for a morning ballet class at a nearby dance studio. Known for his vast harmonic vocabulary and punchy rhythms, it’s no surprise that Narushchen produced another 51 tracks in less than a year. Whether it’s exercises that roll on ragtime syncopation or harmonies that echo Ravel and Bill Evans, Narushchen Sunrise offers some of Jamie’s most spirited improvisations that were captured live during the recording. Notes: Exercises are printed on the back of the case and on its one-page CD insert. A Hamburg Steinway concert grand was used during the recording. This CD’s music has been tested on hundreds of ballet classes in San Francisco. |
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| Narushchen After Hours (2008) |
Listen to Class Tracks and Purchase Music here |
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Narushchen rolls out his long-awaited ballet class CD of original music for ballet class. American in essence, Narushchen's music is a fresh amalgam of his vast harmonic vocabulary and shades of his favorite composers. A New York Steinway concert grand was used during the recording. This CD's music has been tested on hundreds of ballet classes in San Francisco. |
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