Faradzh KARAEV (b. 1943)
Orchestral Works
Konzert für Orchester und Sologeige (2004) [32:58]
"Vingt ans après – nostalgie …" (2009) [26:50]
Patricia Kopatchinskaja (violin)
Azerbaijan State Symphony/Rauf Abullayev
Russian State Symphony Capella/Valery Polyansky (Vingt)
rec. 8 April 2011, Magomaev Azerbaijan State Philharmonic Hall, Baku; 30 November 2009,
Great Hall, Tchaikovsky Conservatory, Moscow (Vingt)
PALADINO MUSIC PMR0070 [60:23]
Born in Baku, Azerbaijan in 1943, Faradzh Karaev is said to be "one
of the leading composers of the post-Soviet era". This release
features two orchestral pieces, both recorded in concert. Their value
lies in the fact that hardly any of this composer's music has
been recorded, though I see that Melodiya issued an album of his music
entitled ‘Nostalgia’ several years ago.
Karaev’s Konzert für Orchester und Sologeige is a powerful
work, whose three movements are performed without a break. The solo
violin takes centre-stage throughout, and the work requires prodigious
stamina on the part of the soloist. This very performance, emanating
from the Fourth Qara Qarayev Festival of Contemporary Music, can be
viewed on Youtube. The energy, brilliance and staggering virtuosity
of Patricia Kopatchinskaja is spectacular on all counts. She draws on
her impressive violinistic arsenal to produce the wide range of effects
called for in the score. These include harmonics, pizzicato, glissandi
and bowing near the bridge to obtain metallic timbres. Karaev makes
discreet references to various works, including Mendelssohn’s
Violin Concerto, Brahms’ Violin Concerto, a Brahms Symphony and
at one point I thought I heard the opening measures of the Berg Violin
Concerto. The work is imaginatively scored throughout, with Karaev highlighting
the colours of the various instrumental sections. The orchestra provides
an ethereal backdrop to the solo violin narrative. The third movement
is titled ‘Vier Variationen und Thema’ and begins with a
dialogue between solo violin and solo cello. As the movement progresses
the music becomes more frenzied then, at the end, peace and tranquillity
reign and everything dies away. The applause on the Youtube film has
been edited out on the CD. Throughout, I hear echoes of Schnittke, especially
in the pointillistic complexion of some of the writing. The Azerbaijan
State Symphony deliver a visceral reading, under the inspirational conducting
of Rauf Abullayev.
"Vingt ans après – nostalgie …", a polystylistic
utterance, is dedicated to Alfred Schnittke and Edison Denisov and consists
of four interlinked movements. At the opening, the orchestral textures
are sparse and bare, and a dark, ominous cloud seems to envelope the
music. By contrast, the second movement is dramatic and angst-ridden.
High drama again pervades the next movement, in which the woodwinds
play a prominent role. The final movement is more tranquil and conjures
up images of an alien and otherworldly landscape. The music calls to
mind that of Schnittke and Gubaidulina. Valery Polyansky and his players
generate plenty of excitement when called for. My only reservation is
that the performance is at times hampered by the intrusive bronchial
afflictions of the Moscow audience.
Nevertheless this is challenging music which is worth exploring. Of
the two works, the Concerto is preferable, more so for the high-octane
playing of Patricia Kopatchinskaja.
Stephen Greenbank
Editorial note: the music of Faradzh Karaev is not to be confused with
that of his father Kara Karaev (1918-1982)
