BACEWICZ: Violin Concerto No. 1 (1937). TANSMAN: Five Pieces
for violin and small orchestra (1930). SPISAK: Andante and Allegro
for Violin
and String Orchestra (1954). PANUFNIK: Violin Concerto (1971).
Piotr Plawner, violin. Kammersymphonie Berlin/ Jürgen Brins, cond.
NAXOS 8. 8.573496 TT: 56:01
PUTS: Symphony No. 2 (2002). River's Rush (2004) Flute Concerto
(2013 rev. 2014).
Adam Walker, flute. Peabody Symphony Orch/Marin Alsop cond.
NAXOS 8.559794 TT: 56:36
DELIUS: The Walk to the Paradise Garden. A Dance Rhapsody
No. 1. A Dance Rhapsody No. 2. In A Summer Garden. North Country
Sketches.
Bournemouth Symphony Orch/
Richard Hickox, cond.
CHANDOS 10913 TT: 76:51
BEETHOVEN: Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat, Op. 19. USTVOLSKAYA: Concerto
for Piano, Strings and Timpani
Patricia Hase,piano. Ensemble Galina/ Peter Leipold, cond.
K & K Verlagsanstalt CD 123 TT: 49 min.
Naxos has issued this important CD of music for violin
and orchestra by lesser-known Polish composers of the 20th Century. The
Bacewicz
concerto is a pleasant virtuoso work and it is surprising that major violinists
haven't been attracted to it. The five pieces by Tansman are charming,
and a rarity is the Andante and Allegro by the virtually unknown
Michael Spisak. Panufnik's 1971 concerto is much better known but it hasn't
attracted major violinists. All of this music is played with virtuosity
and beautiful tone by Piotr Plawner who has enjoyed a distinguished career
in Europe and the United States. Winner of many prizes, he displays his
remarkable abilities in these vivid performances. Orchestral support is
top-notch, recorded in 2014 in Berlin's Jesus-Christus
Church. A fine release of unusual repertory, beautifully presented.
A major addition to the Naxos series of American
Classics is this disk
of music of Kevin Puts (b. 1972) one of the most important contemporary
composers. He has won many major awards including the 2012 Pulitzer Prize
for Music for Silent Night..Here we have two major works. Symphony
No. 2 which reflects the composer's reaction to the 9/11 tragedy. It begins
with a serene landscape interrupted by the chaos of the attack (surprisingly
tonal) and ends softly with a sense of hope. It was commissioned by the
Barlow Endowment for Music and had its premiere in April 2002 with Paavo
Järvi and the Cincinnati Symphony. River's Rush (which does
not sound like its title) was commissioned by the St. Louis Symphony and
premiered
by them
in 2004 with Leonard Slatkin on the podium. The Flute Concerto was commissioned
by Bette and Joe Hirsch for the Cabrillo Festival fn Santa Cruz, California,
of which Marin Alsop has been Music Director for a quarter-century. The
premiere was in October 2015 with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony
with Adam Walker, principal flute of the London Symphony, as soloist.
The concerto is a brilliant work with much virtuoso display, and an odd
effect can be heard in the final two minutes when members of the orchestra
clap rhythmically. It seems rather odd that the BSO didn't play for this
recording. Instead it
was
made with
the
fine
Peabody
Symphony
Orchestra,
recorded
in Miriam
Friedberg Concert Hall of the Peabody Conservatory. The Peabody Orchestra
is first-rate, and audio is state-of-the art. Program notes are by the
composer. A fine issue!
Over the years British conductor Richard Hickox (b. 1948) had an extraordinary
career on the British musical scene, respected by all. His sudden death
at the age of 60 in 2008 was a major loss. During his career, he recorded
profusely making about 280 recordings for Chandos. I treasure
many Hickox recordings, particularly the first five symphonies of Sir Malcolm
Arnold.
He specialized in Delius and recorded just about everything including all
of the major works. Now collectors have an opportunity to own a
number
of
tthese as
listed
above,
newly remastered and sounding better than ever. This disk has maximum playing
time (76:51) and is mid-price. A great bargain for collectors! Galina Ustvolskaya (1919 - 2006) was a leading composer during her era
with a distinctive sparse style. She lived all of her life in Russia and
studied with Shostakovich, who was very impressed with her although their
relationship was sometimes troubled. Ustvolskaya did not compose very
much music, but her works include five symphonies (each of which
has a vocal part), much chamber music and
several concertos and works for solo piano. This new CD offers the the
rather short (18 minute) Piano Concerto composed in 1946. Broad themes
prevail, there is much dissonance and the works concludes with a seemingly
endless C-major coda. It surely is not a virtuoso display piece. It is
easy to understand a why other pianists avoid it. It surely receives a
fine performance on this new recording where it is oddly coupled with Beethoven's
Concerto No. 2.The concert was recorded October 26, 2015 in Germany's Richard-Jakoby
Hall of the Hanover University of Music Excellent audio. Here is an opportunity
to hear a neglected major work by a leading Russian composer.
R.E.B. (December 2016) |