Bartok Archive
Hohenstein Conducts MIHALOVICI; STRAVINSKY; BARTOK – Pristine Audio
Producer Andrew Rose and Pristine add potent interpretations of mid-20th Century scores by the volcanic conductor Jascha Horenstein.
BARTOK: Violin Concertos – Christian Tetzlaff, violin/ Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Hannu Lintu – Ondine
Visceral Bartok violin concerto performances by Christian Tetzlaff find sumptuous support from the Finnish Radio Symphony under Hannu Lintu. BARTOK: Violin Concerto No. 1; Violin Concerto No. 2 – Christian Tetzlaff, violin/ Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra/ Hannu Lintu – Ondine ODE 1317-2, 60:41 (4/13/18) Distr. by Naxos] ****: Now that the First Violin Concerto (1907; pub. 1956) of Bela Bartok has become “common currency” among active violinists, its romantic history, too, has the benefit of familiarity. Bartok had been smitten with the talented Hungarian violin prodigy Stefi Geyer, a pupil of Jeno Hubay at the Academy of Music in Budapest. Bartok called his musical “Confession” a form of “direct music” such as he had never penned before. He wrote to Ms. Geyer that the first movement meant to be a “transcendent and intimate portrait” of her, while the second movement should represent the “outgoing and confident” aspects of her personality. An intended third movement, a picture of Geyer’s “cool, indifferent, silent” character—or her response to his courtship—Bartok never completed. Bartok did utilize the slow movement for the first of his Two Portraits, Op. 5 (1911), retaining the opening motif D-F#-A-C# that defines the “Stefi theme.” Christian Tetzlaff (rec. 18-19 October […]
BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra; Piano Concerto No. 3 – Javier Perianes, piano / Munich Philharmonic / Pablo Heras-Casado – Harmonia mundi
A natural pairing. Why has it been done so rarely? BARTÓK: Concerto for Orchestra; Piano Concerto No. 3 – Javier Perianes, piano / Munich Philharmonic / Pablo Heras-Casado – Harmonia mundi HMM 9002262, 62:11 (2/2/18) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: These two works from Bartók’s years of self-imposed exile in America represent a gentler, kinder Bartók, certainly, than the brutal modernism of his first two piano concerti of 1926 and 1931. Perhaps it was the influence of the franker, more conservative American music fancier or of the American music he heard from the likes of Copland and Roy Harris that gave Bartók permission to chill out a bit once he arrived on North American shores. But there’s more than that: both works share a new seeming sense of optimism, a celebration of what Carl Nielsen called “the life force.” That same optimism informs Bartók’s final, though incomplete, Viola Concerto, with its whirling dervish of a finale. In the Piano Concerto No. 3, Bartók exchanged gnarly chromaticism and percussive keyboard writing for a new diatonic lyricism, though of course a lyricism on his own terms. (The sound musical architecture, however, is not new: even the hard-as-nails First Concertofollowed the tenets of […]
“Change of Keys” = Piano Works by HAYDN; BEETHOVEN; CHOPIN; SCHUMANN/LISZT; DEBUSSY; BARTOK – Carol Leone, piano – MSR Classics
A varied and nicely complied recital played with strength and conviction. “Change of Keys” = HAYDN: Sonata in C, HOB XVI: 50; BEETHOVEN Sonata No. 30 in E, Op. 109; CHOPIN: Ballade No. 1 in g, Op. 23; SCHUMANN (arr. LISZT): Liebeslied “Widmung” S.566; DEBUSSY: L’Isle joyeuse, L.106; BARTOK: Sonata, BB 88, SZ.80 – Carol Leone, piano – MSR Classics MS 1616, 73:09 [Distr. by Albany] ****: Carol Leone, currently a professor of piano at Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of Music, counts among her pedagogues Mieczyslaw Horszowski at the Curtis Institute of Music, and Guido Agosti after earning an honors diploma during a summer at the Accademia Chigiana in Siena. She has the chops for this wonderfully varied and intrepid program, displaying formidable technical acumen and a fine sense of lyricism. Her Haydn is crisp and sturdy, while his student Beethoven’s late work suitably introspective without losing the superb yet odd structure that couches so much of Beethoven’s later music. Chopin’s opus is quite a change, yet Leone manages the transition without a second thought, and the short step to Liszt’s Schumann arrangement proves mild indeed. Only the Debussy seems odd to me here. Not an especially beloved piece […]
Martha Argerich and Ruggiero Ricci: Leningrad Recital II, 1961 = Works for Violin w Piano by BACH; BEETHOVEN; FRANCK; BARTOK; PAGANINI; TARTINI – Ruggiero Ricci, violin/ Martha Argerich, piano – Doremi
In this second installment of the Ricci/Argerich Leningrad recitals, they can do no musical wrong. Martha Argerich and Ruggiero Ricci: Leningrad Recital II, 1961 = BACH: Chaconne from Partita No 2 in d minor, BWV 1004; BEETHOVEN: Violin Sonata in D Major, Op. 12, No. 1; FRANCK: Violin Sonata in A Major; BARTOK: 6 Romanian Folk Dances for Violin and Piano; PAGANINI: Introduction and Variations on Paisiello’s “Nel cor piu non mi sento, Op. 38; TARTINI: Violin Sonata in g minor “Devil’s Trill” – Ruggiero Ricci, violin/ Martha Argerich, piano – Doremi DHR-8053, 81:55 (1/15/18) [Distr. by Naxos] *****: The second album dedicated to the 1961 Leningrad appearances by violinist Ruggiero Ricci (1918-2012) and pianist Martha Argerich captures their individual intensities (on April 22) while demonstrating how seamlessly their personalities blend in the common cause of musical realization. Ricci opens solo, with a monumental performance of the 1720 Chaconne from the Second Partita, a testament as much to physical stamina as it remains an awesome tribute to Bach’s inventive genius, with its 64 variations on a ground bass theme. Ricci manages to traverse its musical periods and shifts of mood with a clear sense of linear direction without a moment […]
FLECK: Juno Concerto; Quintet – Béla Fleck, banjo/Brooklyn Rider/Colorado Symph./Jose Luis Gomez– Rounder Records
Béla FLECK: Juno Concerto; Griff; Quintet for Banjo and Strings: Movement II – Béla Fleck, banjo/Brooklyn Rider/Colorado Symphony/Jose Luis Gomez– Rounder Records 1166100200 50:51 (3/17/17) ****: A banjo concerto – a very entertaining one at that! I am not at all sure how many works for banjo and orchestra; especially an actual multi-movement concerto there are, but the Juno Concerto is likely the best! I did query to find a concerto by banjoist Chris Lake whose work I do not know but Fleck’s Concerto is very engaging. As promotional materials attest, “Béla Fleck is the world’s premier banjo player, a 16-time Grammy Award winner nominated in more categories than any other musician, a genre-busting collaborator, a film producer and a composer. Foremost, though, he is a dad. The impact of fatherhood on Béla is reflected in Juno Concerto, named for his firstborn son with fellow folk musician Abigail Washburn.” The music morphs through a number of styles including some very Copland-esque moments and some bluegrass type exchanges with orchestral support that reminded me a little bit of Bartok. Ultimately, this is a very creative and – most importantly – entertaining work that showcases Fleck, as the soloist as well as […]
BRITTEN: String Quartet No. 2, No. 3; PURCELL: Fantasias & Chaconne – Emerson String Quartet – Decca Gold
Chaconnes and Fantasias = “Music of BRITTEN and PURCELL” – BRITTEN: String Quartet No. 2 in C Major; String Quartet No. 3 in G Major; PURCELL: Fantazias No. 6, 8, 10, and 11; Chacony in g minor – Emerson String Quartet – Decca Gold 26509, 73:42, (4/21/17) ****; A meeting of England’s two most famous composers played brilliantly by the newly reconstituted Emerson String Quartet. (Eugene Drucker, Philip Setzer; violin/ Lawrence Dutton; viola/ Paul Watkins; cello) England was the world leader in industry and science in the 18th and 19th centuries. In terms of patronage and audience, too, the London music scene was the the envy of artists elsewhere. Thus, it was all the more puzzling that, for almost exactly two centuries, England produced few composers beyond middling status. The death of Purcell in 1695, became increasingly seen as an endpoint, ushering in an age of lead. The 20th century saw the emergence of fresh talent in Edward Elgar and William Walton, national musicians of real stature, who duly feted in turn. However, the cruel terms of Modernism demanded more than talent and cutting edge sensibility, something to challenge if not chastise bourgeois tastes. It was Benjamin Britten who satisfied […]
GINASTERA: Harp Con.; DEBUSSY: Deux danses pour harpe et orch. a cordes; BOIELDIEU: Harp Con. in C Major – Anais Gaudemard, harp/ Orch. de L’Opera de Rouen Normandie/Leo Hussain – Claves
Harp virtuoso Anais Gaudemard shines in three concerted masterpieces for the instrument with various ensembles. GINASTERA: Harp Concerto, Op. 25 (1956); DEBUSSY: Deux danses pour harpe et orchestra a cordes; BOIELDIEU: Harp Concerto in C Major – Anais Gaudemard, harp/ Orch. de L’Opera de Rouen Normandie/Leo Hussain – Claves Label Bleu 50-1613 (11/4/16), 56:29 [Distr. by Albany] ****: Harp virtuoso Anais Gaudemard (b. 1991) loves the harp “because of all we ignore about it…a limitless instrument.” The three works Gaudemard has recorded are “among the most beautiful ever written for that instrument and…reveal its sound versatility.” The 1965 Harp Concerto of Alberto Ginastera enjoys that Argentine master’s colossal sense of color, combined with his rhythmic flair. The instrument achieves several characters in the course of the three movements, including a jarring, percussive quality and then its strumming, guitar effects. The opening Allegro giusto ripples with rhythmic energy, as does the last movement Liberamente capriccioso – Vivace, with its long, glossy, solo cadenza. The presence of the 6/8 malambo dance impulse adds to the kinetic fervor of the piece. In the second movement, Molto moderato, a moody haze settles over the music, not so distant from Bartok’s notion of “night music.” […]
SCHUBERT: String Quartet No. 14 in d, “Death and the Maiden”; SIBELIUS: String Quartet in d “Intimate Voice” – Ehnes Quartet – Onyx
James Ehnes and his quartet members deliver passionate accounts of dark Schubert and Sibelius. SCHUBERT: String Quartet No. 14 in d minor, D. 810 “Death and the Maiden”; SIBELIUS: String Quartet in d, Op. 56 “Intimate Voice” – Ehnes Quartet – Onyx 4163, [Distr. by HM/PIAS], 74:03, (11/18/16) ****: Canadian violinist James Ehnes (b. 1976) extends his multi-faceted career in these two dark quartets (rec. 27-29 October 2015), each of which confronts the composer’s sense of mortality. Schubert conceived his 1824 Quartet while seriously ill, having turned to his own lied Der Tod und das Maedchen, D. 531 (1817) as the basis of his powerful theme-and-variations second movement. Often, in the course of the first, powerful Allegro movement, Ehnes’ part becomes a concertante medium, asking him to display brilliant solo writing against the ensemble. The Italianate second subject achieves some lyrical outpouring, but Schubert transforms this otherwise liberated affect to strict contrapuntal treatment. Triplet figures abound, and Schubert assigns them to bass lines consistently, even concluding by combining the countersubject with the triplets that had underpinned the first motif. Ehnes’ own instrument offers triplet figures that mumble and then dissolve. The famous Andante con moto, based on the dark lied, […]
MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major K 595; Piano Concerto No. 12 in A, K. 414; BARTOK: Piano Con. No. 1 – Rudolf Serkin, p./ Philadelphia Orch./ Eugene Ormandy/ Marlboro Fest./ Alexander Schneider (K. 414)/ Columbia Sym. Orch./ George Szell (Bartok) – Praga Digitals
Praga renews the sound of Rudolf Serkin’s 1962 recordings of Mozart and Bartok. MOZART: Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major, K 595; Piano Concerto No. 12 in A Major, K. 414; BARTOK: Piano Concerto No. 1, Sz. 83 – Rudolf Serkin, piano/ Philadelphia Orch./ Eugene Ormandy (K. 495)/ Marlboro Festival/ Alexander Schneider (K. 414)/ Columbia Sym. Orch./ George Szell (Bartok) – Praga Digitals PRD 250 350, 79:50 (12/9/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi/PIAS] ****: Pianist Rudolf Serkin (1903-1991) for many years stood as one of the more prolific Mozart interpreters on record, imparting to Mozart a clear, robust line not so troubled by his percussive wont in Beethoven. His version of the 1790 Piano Concerto No. 27 in B-flat Major with Eugene Ormandy (28 January 1962) enjoys a muscular sonority that bespeaks the virility in late Mozart. The Philadelphia Orchestra personnel, especially the woodwinds, prided themselves on the liquid articulation of the parts as they integrate with the fabulous Philadelphia string sound. In the opening Allegro’s minor-key secondary subject, Serkin brings out its expressive power without cloying or breaking the elastic fluidity of his line. Without trumpet and tympani, the texture in Mozart’s last piano concerto carries a paradoxical sense […]
MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major K. 219 “Turkish”; HENZE: Violin Concerto No. 1; MARTIN: Magnificat – Wolfgang Schneiderhan, v./ Irmgaard Seefried, sop./ Swiss Festival Orch./var. conductors – Audite
Austrian virtuoso violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan explores classic and modern scores at the Lucerne Festival. MOZART: Violin Concerto No. 5 in A Major K. 219 “Turkish”; HENZE: Violin Concerto No. 1; MARTIN: Magnificat – Wolfgang Schneiderhan, v./ Irmgaard Seefried, sop./ Swiss Festival Orch./ Paul Hindemth (Mozart)/ Ferdinand Leitner (Henze)/ Bernard Haitink (Martin) – Audite 95.644, 65:07 (10/31/16) [Distr. by Naxos] ****: Austrian violinist Wolfgang Schneiderhan (1915-2002) appears thrice at the Lucerne Festival, an organization with whom he made music from 1949 until 1986. The performance of the Mozart Turkish Concerto (13 August 1952) represents the earliest documentation of Schneiderhan’s participation at the Festival, ably assisted by conductor Paul Hindemith, who had replaced Wilhelm Furtwaengler on short notice. With conductor Ferdinand Leitner (1912-1996) – General Music Director of the Stuttgart State Opera and the Zurich Opera House – Schneiderhan performs the 1947 Violin Concerto No. 1 by Hans Werner Henze (26 August 1964), a work that combines some of Hindemith’s academicism with elements of Alban Berg and Bela Bartok. Bernard Haitink appears (14 August 1968) in the Frank Martin Magnificat, a piece the composer dedicated to the principals, Irmgaard Seefried and Wolfgang Schneiderhan, and in 1969 incorporated into his Maria-Triptychon as its second […]
BELA BARTOK: String Quartets Nos. 2, 4, & 6 – Jerusalem Quartet – Harmonia mundi
BELA BARTOK: String Quartets Nos. 2, 4, & 6 – Jerusalem Quartet – Harmonia mundi 902235, 78:51 [11/4/16] *****: (Jerusalem Quartet; Alexander Pavlovsky & Sergei Bresler – violins; Ori Kam – viola; Kyril Zlotnikov – violoncello) Bartok without flinching. In March of 2013, the Jerusalem Quartet came to Portland, Oregon and performed the entire cycle of Shostakovich String Quartets over 5 days. They communicated with power and passion the many voices of this most personal of composers. It remains my most indelible musical experience of recent years. The recordings released on Harmonia mundi of the group from about the same time, allow for a repeated investigation of method and message of this ensemble, which surely ranks with the Takacs Quartet at the summit of the business. Of course, one can start with their precision; their ensemble respires and inhales as one fiery beast. But what makes me grab the sleeve of the passer-by with urgency of the Ancient Mariner is the quartet’s sound; It is balanced where it needs to be, but not lacking in the pronounced individuality of each instrument. I am tempted to highlight the sonority of the viola, for which Shostakovich must have some special regard, but […]
Som Howie, clarinet – “Premiere Rhapsodie” – Works of DEBUSSY, POULENC, BARTOK, RAVEL & Others – Cala
Very rewarding recital from this talented father and son duo. Som Howie, clarinet – “Premiere Rhapsodie” = CLAUDE DEBUSSY: Premiere Rhapsodie; BÉLA KOVACS: Hommage a Manuel de Falla; FRANCIS POULENC: Sonata for clarinet and piano; BÉLA BARTÓK: Romanian Folk Dances; JOHANNES BRAHMS: Sonata No. 1 in F-minor; MAURICE RAVEL: Pièce en forme de Habanera; JOSEPH HOROVITZ: Sonatina for clarinet and piano; TED SNYDER: Who’s Sorry Now; SID PHILLIPS: Clarinet Cadenza – Som Howie, clar./David Howie, p. – Cala CACD77020, 72:51 [Distr. by Albany] (8/09/16) ****: Som Howie is the very definition of young virtuoso. He grew up in in Sydney, Australia and grew up listening to and studying from Mark Walton at the Conservatorium where his dad, David Howie, was also Walton’s regular accompanist. Both are very fine players and this disc offers much to admire; especially for young clarinetists to emulate. This is also a very substantial program containing a few clarinet ‘war horses’ as well as a few lesser played works and new things. In the ‘war horse’ department, Howie’s rendition of the Debussy, the Brahms first Sonata and the Poulenc are all very fine; indeed. The pacing in the Debussy is a little different than what is […]
Monteux Tanglewood Volume 3: 1961, Part One – Concertos – RACHMANINOFF, BARTOK, VIOTTI – Pristine Audio
The Monteux set of Boston collaborations proves exciting and compelling in new repertory. Monteux Tanglewood Volume 3: 1961, Part One – Concertos – RACHMANINOFF: Piano Concerto No. 2 in c, Op. 18; BARTOK: Rhapsody No. 1 for Violin and Orchestra; VIOTTI: Violin Concerto No. 22 in a – Gary Graffman, p./ Isaac Stern, v./ Boston Sym. Orch./ Pierre Monteux – Pristine Audio PASC 478, 69:31 [avail. in several formats from www.pristineclassical.com] ****: Every meeting between veteran French conductor Pierre Monteux (1875-1964) and the Boston Symphony Orchestra promised excitement and supple grace, at once. The concerts in the Berkshires allow Monteux access to repertory denied him on commercial records, and so those from 23 July 1961 (Bartok and Viotti) and 19 August 1961 (Rachmaninoff) become especially precious to us who cherish Monteux’s sensitive authority in collaborations. Personally, I await the restoration of the Schumann Concerto that Eugene Istomin shared with Monteux at these concerts. Gary Graffman (b. 1928) appears in resolute and resonant form in the most popular of the Rachmaninoff concertos, the first movement’s moving with a kind of feline sleekness and accuracy. Prior to this performance, I could not recall having ever heard a note of this composer from […]
Maria Yudina, A Great Russian Pianist = BEETHOVEN, STRAVINSKY, BARTOK – Praga Digitals
A concise portrait of the iconoclast Maria Yudina, who championed modern music. Maria Yudina, A Great Russian Pianist = BEETHOVEN: Variations and Fugue in E-flat Major, Op. 35 “Eroica”; BERG: Piano Sonata, Op. 1; STRAVINSKY: Serenade in A Major; Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments; BARTOK: Mikrokosmos, Bk. V-VI: excerpts – Maria Yudina, piano/ USSR Radio Sym. Orch., Moscow/ Gennady Rozdhdestvensky – Praga Digitals PRD 250 342, 75:28 (9/30/16) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Maria Yudina (1899-1970) studied at the Petrograd Conservatory under Anna Essipova and Leonid Nikoayev. Her advocacy of modern Western music would often result in her dismissal from various institutes. Despite her iconoclastic nature, she remained Josif Stalin’s favorite artist. Her criticism of his regime including her reading the poetry of Boris Paternak as an “encore” to a recital. Her prodigious concert career was denied any recordings by the official censors, so little exists of her collaborations. Sviatoslav Richter called her playing “prodigious and immensely talented,” in spite of the fact that her favorite composers – Krenek, Hindemith, Bartok, Stravinsky – had been officially banned from public performance. What has survived of her recorded legacy often originates with pirate or “underground” recording sources, not always of superior […]
SHOSTAKOVICH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in a minor; GLAZUNOV: Violin Concerto in a minor – Nicola Benedetti, v./ Bournemouth Sym. Orch./ Kirill Karabits – Decca
Nicola Benedetti lends her suave virtuosity to two Russian staples of contrasting temperament. SHOSTAKOVICH: Violin Concerto No. 1 in a minor, Op. 99; GLAZUNOV: Violin Concerto in a minor, Op. 82 – Nicola Benedetti, violin/ Bournemouth Sym. Orch./ Kirill Karabits – Decca 478 8758, 59:05 (7/1/16) [Distr. by Universal] ****: The story of the Shostakovich Violin Concerto No. 1 (1948, Op. 77; rev. Op. 99) – delayed its publication and premiere for eight years (1956) because of political and personal intrigues – has now become familiar fare to students of the composer. Rostropovich blamed dedicatee David Oistrakh for “an act of cowardice” for not bringing the work out in its prime, just at the moment when the Zhdanov decree made of Shostakovich a pariah, fired from his post at the Leningrad Conservatory. The violin part – on which Oistrakh devoted technical advice – remains extremely demanding, to the point that after a grueling Passacaglia and equally punishing Cadenza, the Burlesque had followed immediately on its heels without a break. Oistrakh begged Shostakovich, “Please, Dmitri Dmitreyevich, consider giving the orchestra the first sixteen bars so I can at least wipe the sweat off my brow!” Shostakovich yielded, conceding, “Of course, why […]
“Berl Senofsky in Concert” – Works of RAVEL, RACHMANINOFF, BARTOK, BACH, BRAHMS & Others – Bridge
A happily unearthed treasury from 1958 Belgium adds to the cult status of Philadelphia violinist Berl Senofsky. “Berl Senofsky in Concert” = RAVEL: Piece en forme de Habanera; BARTOK: Roumanian Dances; RACHMANINOFF: Vocalise; YSAYE: Sonata No. 6 in E Major; CRESTON: Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 19; WIENIAWSKI: Polonaise No. 1 in D, Op. 4; BACH: Chaconee from Violin Partita No. 2 in d minor, BWV 1004; BRAHMS: Violin Sonata No. 2 in A Major, Op. 100: Allegretto grazioso; Hungarian Dance No. 7 – Berl Senofsky, v./ Marie Louise Bastyns, p. – Bridge 9470, 59:51 (8/8/16) [Distr. by Albany] ****: Recorded at the American Theater, Brussels (6 October 1958), this recital from the World’s Fair Expo ’58 features esteemed American violinist Berl Senofsky (1926-2002), who in 1955 became First Prize Winner of the 1955 Queen Elisabeth International Competition. For this recital, Senofsky has as his collaborator Belgian pianist Marie Louise Bastyns, a pupil of Carlo Zecchi. For Senofsky acolytes, the opportunity to add to his sadly limited recorded discography should motivate their purchase of this distinctive recital. Senofsky demonstrates both the broad range of both in musically international taste and his command of his instrument. The Ravel Habanera oozes […]
“Martha Argerich & Friends Live from Lugano 2015” – Emphasis on piano works incl. 3 pianos – Warner (3 discs)
The piano dominates the 2015 Lugano Festival, the convocation of fine chamber music performances. “Martha Argerich & Friends Live from Lugano 2015” = BRAHMS: Horn Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 40 (arr. Viola); Scherzo from F.A.E. Sonata; Clarinet Trio in a minor, Op. 114; SCHUMANN: Six Canonic Studies (arr. Debussy), Op. 56; SCHUBERT: Variations for 2 Pianos, D. 813; RIES: Piano Quintet in b minor, Op. 74; TURINA: Piano Trio No. 2 in b minor, Op. 76; BARTOK: Rumanian Folk Dances; DEBUSSY: En blanc et noir; BACALOV: Portena for Two Pianos and Orchestra; POULENC: Sonata for Two Pianos; GLASS: Suite from Les enfants terrible (arr. for 3 pianos); GINASTERA: Dances from Estancia – Martha Argerich, p./ Lilya Zilberstein, p./ Nathan Braude, viola/ Ilya Gringolts, v./ Alexander Mogilevsky, p./ Mayu Kisima, v./ Akane Sakai, p./ Paul Meyer, clar./ Gautier Capucon, v./ Nicholas Argerich, p./ Andrey Baranov & Lyda Chen, v./ Jing Zhao, cello/ Enrico Fagone, doublebass/ Alissa Margulis, v./ Natalia Margulis, cello/ Jura Margulis, p./ Geza Hosszu-Legucky, v./ Stephen Kovacevich, p./ Eduardo Hubert, p./ Sergio Tiempo, p./ Karin Lechner, p./ Giorgia Tomassi, Carlo Maria Gringuoli and Alessandro Stella, pianos (Ginastera)/ Orch. della Svizzera Italiana/ Alexander Vedernikov – Warner Classics 08256646285495 […]
BARTOK: Concerto for Orchestra; PISTON: Sym. No. 3 – Boston Sym. Orch./ Serge Koussevitzky – Pristine Audio
Two Koussevitzky commissions have their day in the sun here, in performances vibrantly restored by Andrew Rose. BARTOK: Concerto for Orchestra; PISTON: Symphony No. 3 in C – Boston Sym. Orch./ Serge Koussevitzky – Pristine Audio PASC 463, 67:34 [avail. in various formats from www.pristineclassical.com] ****: Conductor Serge Koussevitzky (1874-1951) commissioned the 1943 Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, having been informed that Bartok suffered from leukemia in relatively dire poverty, and wished to instill in the composer a sense of creative purpose. Dedicated to the memory of Natalie Koussevitzky, the music exploits the power of the individual instrumental choirs to act in a concertante mode, virtuosos within an expanded corps of virtuosi. We hear the famed BSO resonance early in this radio broadcast reading of 30 December 1944, in the first movement Introduzione – Andante non troppo, wherein flute solo Georges Laurent displays his fluent, artistic persuasion. The brass fugato section proves no less lustrous, a kind of modern Gabrieli moment in modal style. Given the special relationship between composer and conductor, we find Koussevitzky’s whimsical charm in the second movement Giuoco delle coppie quite telling, with jabbing string pizzicatos and ritenuti observed rigorously. The muted trumpets project an eerie […]
BARTOK: Divertimento; Romanian Folk Dances; PIAZZOLLA: Les Cuatro Estaciones Portenas – Konzerthaus Ch. Orch. Berlin/ Sayako Kusaka – CuGate Classics
An interesting combination of composers on one disc. BARTOK: Divertimento for Strings; Romanian Folk Dances; PIAZZOLLA: Les Cuatro Estaciones Portenas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires) – Konzerthaus Ch. Orch. Berlin/ Sayako Kusaka – CuGate Classics multichannel SACD CGCO12-2 (3/4/16) ****: The main selection here for me was the string orchestra arrangement of the Romanian Folk Dances, which is usually heard in the version for violin and piano. These seven short selections are full of wonderful Romanian melodies and rhythms and are a joy to hear in these arrangements. The Divertimento was written just before WW II and the music is symphonic in character, with three movements, as though Bartok was aware of the global disaster to come. Its last movement has some melodies and tunes that seem to have come from the Romanian Folk Dances. Piazzolla himself said the tango has much in common with contemporary classical music and that one can find reminiscences of Bartok and other composers in it, so this pairing is perfect. After his change of direction following the session with Nadia Boulanger in Paris, Piazzolla found his expression in the “Tango Nueva” which combined classical European music with Argentinian folklore and hints of […]
“Bach & Beyond, Part 2” = BACH: Sonata No. 1 in g, BWV 1001; Partita No. 1 in b, BWV 1002; BARTOK: Solo Violin Sonata, Sz. 117; SAARIAHO: Frises – Jennifer Koh, v. – Cedille
This second installment is every bit as engrossing as the first! “Bach & Beyond, Part 2” = BACH: Sonata No. 1 in g, BWV 1001; Partita No. 1 in b, BWV 1002; BARTOK: Solo Violin Sonata, Sz. 117; SAARIAHO: Frises – Jennifer Koh, v. – Cedille CDR 90000 154 (2 discs), 91:18 [Distr. by Naxos] *****: I still remember Jennifer Koh’s first recordings years ago—she was being hyped as one of the finest young virtuosos ever to hit the scene, and though it took a while for her to become well known—largely because the recording industry was in transition—she has now entrenched herself among the finest players in the world, and Cedille is lucky to have her in the stable at the moment. Koh is one of the most passionate players I have ever heard, but her playing is never—repeat, never—out of control. No matter how emotive any particular moment happens to be, the unflagging technical perfection and perfect intonation remains intact. This makes her Bach particularly interesting, as I can only describe it as a combination of Grumiaux’s elegance, Szeryng’s technical finesse, and Joshua Bell’s passion. If I still prefer Lara St. John’s more unbuttoned approach to this music […]
WEINBERG: In search of freedom = Piano Quintet & 2 Quartets – Nikita Mndoyants, p./ Zemlinsky Q. – Praga Digitals
Expert readings of the more elusive of Weinberg’s chamber music come to us in keenly-wrought sound. WEINBERG: In search of freedom = Piano Quintet, Op. 18; String Quartet No. 10, Op. 85; String Quartet No. 13, Op. 118 – Nikita Mndoyants, p./ Zemlinsky Quartet – Praga Digitals mutichannel SACD PRD 250 296, 78:47 (10/9/15) [Distr. by Harmonia mundi] ****: Common musical consensus claims that the style of Mieczyslaw Weinberg (1919- 1996) derives from several influences: Bartok, Miaskovsky, Mahler, Prokofiev, and Shostakovich. Most of the 150 works of this Polish composer from the Warsaw Ghetto remains painfully autobiographical in nature, a kind of musical documentation of a beleaguered humanity. The Piano Quintet in f minor (1945) received its world premier in Moscow from Emil Gilels and members of the Bolshoi Theatre strings. In five movements, it parallels aspects of the Shostakovich Piano Quintet, though perhaps more bitter in affect. The two scherzos propel the work with a grueling angst. The first movement, Moderato, weaves a melancholy odyssey through the circle of fifths. In the first scherzo: Allegretto, the color effects call for trills and harmonics, as well as selective col legno. The viola part (Petr Holman) proves gripping. Hints of […]
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