Portrait
Olivier MESSIAEN (1908-1992)
Theme
and Variations [9:27]
Franz SCHUBERT (1797-1828)
Rondo in B minor, D 895
[14:57]
Ernest CHAUSSON (1855-1899)
Poème, op. 25 [15:42]
Paul HINDEMITH (1895-1963)
Sonata for violin solo,
op. 31 no. 1 [13:04]
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Violin Sonata in D minor,
op. 108 [21:09]
Itamar Zorman (violin), Kwan Yi (piano)
rec. hr-Sendesaal, Frankfurt, Germany, 5-6 October 2013
PROFIL EDITION PH14039 [75:05]
This is the debut disc of violinist Itamar Zorman, who was born in Israel
in 1985. He graduated from the Juilliard School in 2009 and has gathered
some prestigious prizes and awards since then. His accompanist, the Korean
pianist Kwan Yi, is another Juilliard alumnus with a similar pedigree. As is
appropriate for a calling-card for a violinist, the disc is impressive in
the range it covers, despite avoiding the first great age of violin music,
the 18
th century. That apart, we have here the finest piece
Schubert wrote for violin and piano, and arguably Brahms’s too, as well as
Chausson’s best-known work in his own violin and piano arrangement. The two
20
th century pieces are rarer and well contrasted, the Hindemith
being for violin alone.
Zorman’s own booklet note shows he has a good understanding of the
character of each of these works, and more importantly so does his
playing.
Messiaen’s
Theme and Variations is an early work, a wedding gift
for his first wife the violinist Claire Delbos, with whom he premiered the
piece in 1932. This is, as the artist remarks, a work of high intensity,
maintained through the five variations. He plays it that way from start to
finish, with a fierce and sweetly bright tone. It is possible to let a
little more air into the work, as The Hebrides Ensemble manage on their
better-recorded all-Messiaen chamber music disc on Linn, but Zorman’s high
commitment is commendable. He brings the same quality of intensity to the
other French work on the disc: Chausson’s
Poème, giving full value
to its Franckian and Wagnerian inheritance, unabashed by its hot-house
emotional world.
The Schubert is an excellent foil to these albeit, as Brian Newbould says
of the Rondo in his book on Schubert, “undervalued”, “little-known because
it is seldom played” and “one of the best-kept secrets of connoisseurs of
Schubert’s mature oeuvre”. It is over 700 bars of demanding writing for both
instruments but it makes here a splendid quarter-of-an-hour’s listening.
Both artists make light of the virtuoso requirements and dance delightfully
along with its infectious rhythms. There is even more polish, but hardly any
more spontaneity, from Julia Fischer and Martin Helmchen, on their fine
Pentatone survey of Schubert’s music for this combination, with its superior
SACD recording.
The Brahms is the most substantial item and the one piece here that most
readers will know well. This version of a jewel of the chamber repertory
shows both players to be good stylists - well up to the demands of each of
its four movements. Many mature artists bring stronger characterisation and
even more light and shade to their violin tone than Zorman deploys here, but
this is nonetheless a persuasive account of this much-recorded sonata.
The Hindemith sonata is much more elusive, in terms of frequency of
recording and concert performance. Then again, Hindemith’s place in the
20
th century canon generally sometimes seems insecure. So all the
more reason to thank Itamar Zorman for including him here, and showing he is
not out of place in such exalted company. As we expect from a composer who
was an expert string player, this brilliant five movement solo piece shows
off the instrument in all its aspects. Zorman is fully responsive to its
variety of moods and technical demands. This is the item on the disc I shall
return to most often.
So who is this disc for? Debut discs tend to languish unplayed on the
shelves, if the artist goes on to greater things - and especially if he or
she doesn’t. Most collectors will have favourite recordings of the Brahms
and perhaps the Chausson or Schubert already. Zorman though explains that he
wanted the disc to mirror a real concert programme. Some of the recording
was done at or in preparation for a lunchtime recital apparently. Taken on
those terms this is a very satisfying disc, in a good recording, and surely
a harbinger of great things to come.
Roy Westbrook
