Vasks’ music is now seriously
making its way into the repertoire
and is reasonably well represented
on disc.
This disc is further
proof of the steadily growing popularity
of his deeply felt, sincere and honest
music. The present release is, however,
a strange bit of programming. This
has, of course, nothing to do either
with the music or with the present
performances. Quite the contrary,
for the music is remarkably well served
by all concerned and Katarina Andreasson,
who has a personal relation to the
music, plays superbly in the Violin
Concerto and conducts well prepared
and committed readings of these strongly
expressive works. My remark is actually
based on the observation that this
is (at least) the fifth recording
of Musica dolorosa
and the fourth recording of the Violin
Concerto. Vasks’
output is not extravagantly abundant,
but some works are still either unrecorded
so far or under-represented. This
is the case for Musica adventus
(1995/6, recorded once so far, if
I am not mistaken) and Adagio
(1995/6, unrecorded so far), to name
but two works for strings that would
have wonderfully fitted in this fine
release. Thankfully enough, this Bis disc includes a world premiere
recording, that of Viatore composed a few years
ago.
Now, this is a queer
bit of reviewing, I hear someone say.
True, I should have begun by commenting
on the music leaving my grumbles for
the conclusion; but I hope that will
not deter any of you from reading
on, regardless of my reservations.
Musica dolorosa
was composed in 1983 as a Requiem
for the composer’s sister, and is
– deservedly so – one of Vasks’ best known and most frequently
played works for strings. It is mostly
elegiac, a sorrowful near-cousin to
Barber’s ubiquitous Adagio,
although there are some angry outbursts
that dispel the sorrowful mood. It
is in a traditional arch-form in which
the song-like outer sections frame
a more dramatic and tense central
section. This is the piece’s emotional
climax which dissolves in a short
aleatoric passage (a typical Vasks
hallmark, this). A short cadenza for
solo cello introduces the final section;
in fact a varied restatement of the
opening material abruptly cut short.
The Violin Concerto
Tālā
geisma (“Distant Light”)
is a quite substantial work composed
for the newly founded KremerATA
Baltica that recorded it in one
of their first discs (Teldec 3984-22660-2). It is partly
inspired by a reading of Kremer’s
childhood memories. It opens hesitantly.
A cantabile emerges out of the ambiguous opening
and unfolds until it is interrupted
by the first cadenza, followed by
a new lyrical section that moves on
with ever-increasing intensity that
breaks loose in a dance-like section
“that resembles Latvian folk music”.
In his comments regarding a similar
passage in his Fourth String Quartet,
Vasks remarked
that “in moments of deepest feeling
or doubt, I am able to find some consolation
and strength in the roots of my native
country”. Similar folk-influenced
allusions and stylised birdsong abound
in Vasks’
music, as a counterpart to the hostile
environment of the more aggressive
sections. The easy-going nature of
this folk-like episode is gradually
submerged by the unstoppable energy
of the second cadenza that leads into
a varied restatement of the dance
section. A new lyrical section of
increasing intensity ends with the
third climactic cadenza which literally
explodes into a wild, aleatoric section,
the real climax of the entire work.
The almost unbearable intensity of
this is unleashed in a violent Waltz
rhythm again abruptly cut short. A
brief pause signals the beginning
of the long coda, itself a varied
reprise of the cantabile
section in which echoes of the waltz
rhythm surface “as a reflection of
distant memories”. The work ends in
a mood of “bright sadness”, as the
composer describes it.
As already mentioned,
Viatore
(“traveller, wanderer”) is the most
recent piece here. It was completed
in 2001 and first performed that year
in Rotterdam. It, too, is structured
as an arch form in several sections
played without a break; but the flow
of the music is regularly interrupted
by a ritornello reminiscent of Pärt’s
tintinabulli.
This is beautiful music and a welcome
addition to Vasks’
discography.
All three pieces are
superbly played by the Swedish Chamber
Orchestra and their leader Katarina
Andreasson who is also the excellent
soloist in the Violin Concerto, a
work that obviously means much to
her. I listened to Kremer’s own recording
of that piece, but I could not hear
much difference. I first thought that
the Swedes were a bit tame in the
violent aleatoric section mentioned
earlier; but no, not at all. This
release is up to BIS’s
best standards.
Hubert Culot
All three pieces superbly
played ... well up to BIS’s
best standards. ... see Full Review
Swedish Chamber Orchestra;