Ilya Kaler is the only violinist to win Gold Medals at the three
major violin competitions – the Tchaikovsky, the Sibelius and
the Paganini. Certainly on the strength of this recital he is
a very fine player indeed, making light of what is a most challenging
selection of music for solo violin, some of it written by virtuoso
violinists.
Ysa˙e’s
six Sonatas for solo violin are each dedicated to a particular
player. For No. 2 it was Jacques Thibaud who had an obsession
(by which name this Sonata is commonly known) with the Bach E
major Partita so the composer incorporated the opening of
that work into his and married it to his own obsession with the
Dies Irae plainchant melody. It’s a cruelly difficult work
to play, as you’d expect from one so intimate with the instrument,
but the rewards are manifold. As a composition it is a shining
example of how to write for an instrument which can, only slightly,
supply harmony for itself, and how to make a composition from
found material.
Hindemith’s
two Sonatas, op.31 are in the same mould, but are constructed
from original material. In 1924, Hindemith was still an enfant
terrible of modern music, these works immediately followed the
hilariously irreverant Militärmusik Minimax (1923) for
string quartet and was shortly to be succeded by the virtuoso
Concerto for Orchestra, op.38 (1925) and the opera Neues
vom Tage (News of the Day) which included a scene for
a naked soprano (Laura) singing in the bath about the wonders
of modern plumbing! The 1st Sonata contains
three fast and two slow movements, the fast ones throw caution
to the wind as they move at break–neck speed, the finale is marked
Prestissimo, and is played entirely muted, while the slow ones
are gently lyrical. The 2nd Sonata is more relaxed,
with lyricism being the basis of each movement, the third is played
entirely pizzicato and the finale is a set of five variations
on Mozart’s Komm, lieber Mai. It makes a fine contrast
to the expressionism of the 1st Sonata and is
easier on the ear, especially after so many pyrotechnics from
himself and Ysa˙e!
Prokofiev’s
Sonata is probably the best known work here. It’s in
a simple style because it was written to be played by a group
of violinists in unison! It’s a delightful and unpretentious
work, not without some quick writing, which must have been
the devil to keep together for an ensemble. In general it’s
an easy listen, with no problems, and it’s quite fun.
We
remember Jean Martinon today as a conductor and for his interpretations
of the music of the French school of the first half of the
20th century. What has been forgotten is that he
was a composer of some note, writing four symphonies, four
concertos, and much choral and chamber music. He recorded
his 4th Symphony, subtitled Altitudes, (1964/1965) for RCA in the 1960s. This miniature
Sonata, in two fast movements, was written whilst Martinon
was a prisoner of war, the first movement concentrates on
the single melodic line and the second is a wild dance with
all kinds of pyrotechnics. Martinon was a violinist himself,
he played in orchestras under Ravel on a couple of occasions,
and he knows, exactly, the capabilities of the instrument.
Vytautas
Barkauskas will be a new name to most of you, I am sure. In
the 1960s he was a leader of the Lithuanian avant-garde, having
been influeneced by Penderecki, Lutoslawski and Ligeti. Since
then he has become more classical in his outlook, "I
do not restrict myself to any single, defined compositional
system, but am constantly searching for a natural stylistic
synthesis. I strive to make my music expressive, emotional
and of a concerto type", Barkauskas says. His Partita
has an appealing quirkiness to it – you can hear elements
from the avant–garde but there’s also an attractive lyricism
to it.
I
really enjoyed this disk of violin music which we never get
a chance to hear. The recording is bright and full, the fiddle
beautifully captured. Kaler is a fine fiddler and this music
is attractive and interesting. All the works here receive
performances of the highest order.
Bob Briggs
