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Witold
LUTOSŁAWSKI (1913-1994)
Recitativo e arioso (1951) [3:16]
Subito (1992) [4:44]
Partita (1984) [15:22] Karol
SZYMANOWSKI (1882-1937)
Myths, Op.30 (1915) [18:36] Leoš JANÁČEK (1854–1928)
Violin Sonata (1914-15) [15:01]
Ariadne
Daskalakis (violin)
Miri Yampolsky (piano)
rec. Studio 10, Deutschlandradio, Berlin, 12-15 May 2003 NAXOS 8.570987 [57:36]
With
Lutosławski’s complete works
for violin and piano amounting to less than half the
music on this disc this amounts to more of a
recital CD than any kind of composer-representative release.
It might have made more sense to add the Lutosławski
recordings to a collection of his other chamber works,
but as it is we can add this to the other
Naxos discs in their comprehensive Lutosławski
edition and keep the library nice and tidy. There is
of course a severe lack of chamber pieces
in Lutosławski’s catalogue
of works, though I don’t see the String Quartet
or much in the way of his piano solo pieces on the Naxos
website. If you can view Szymanowski’s Myths and
the Janacek Violin Sonata as tasty fillers then
this is an easy choice to add to your bargain shopping
basket. An almost identical programme appeared on the
Harmonia Mundi label in 2003 with Isabelle Faust and
Ewa Kupiec, this time with the Janacek as star billing
and with only the Partita adding weight to the
Szymanowski. I don’t have this for reference and suspect
it might have been deleted from the general catalogue,
but it only goes to show how marketing decisions can
affect the appearance of a similar programme, and no
doubt where it appears on the shelves in your local shop.
A
co-production of Deutschlandradio Kultur and Görne Akustik,
these recordings are of a very high standard. The piano
is a fraction too low in the mix when compared to the
violin in my view, but both instruments have plenty of
depth and resonance and this is little more than an observation,
and only really creeps in as an issue during the impressionistic
mystique of the three Myths. Lutosławski’s Partita is the better known of his works out of this
programme, although is now more commonly found in the
later version with orchestra commissioned by Anne-Sophie
Mutter. It is given a strong performance here, with the
dialogue between the instruments conjoining and drifting
apart in emphatic style. It would have been nice to have
had cue points between the different sections for study
purposes but this is another minor quibble. Ariadne Daskalakis packs plenty of emotion into the playing, both
latent and more overtly exposed, and Miri Yampolsky’s
strong contribution ensures that this is more like a
double solo than violin with accompaniment, which is
the way it should be.
Lutosławski’s other two works here
start with the earlier Recitativo e arioso, which
precedes the composer’s move into the ‘controlled aleatoric’ techniques
of his more famous scores, and is described in Ariadne
Daskalakis’ booklet notes as ‘a melancholic, masterful
miniature.’ This again is expressed with full character
by both players, and the result is a work greater than
the sum of its relatively brief duration. Subito was
one of Lutosławski’s last compositions,
and is another compressed and intense musical experience.
The explosive material really allows both players to display
their admirable technique, and bearing in mind the late
date of this work I was reminded of that Dylan Thomas poem, “Do
not go gentle into that good night.”
Szymanowski’s Myths is
something of a staple of the violin/piano repertoire, and
there is some stiff competition around if this is the work
which attracts you to this disc. I suspect there are few
who will be disappointed in this performance, which to
my ears treads that fine line between hauling maximum expression
from the music and mauling it with excessive rhythmic pushing
and pulling. As previously mentioned, the equality between
violin and piano favours the former by a small margin,
but great enough here for me to miss the sense of integration
I feel is sometimes needed here, where for instance a melodic
lead or answer in the piano has lesser stature to the same
statement from the violin. There is plenty of colour and
contrast here, and I warm to the polish in the playing
and dynamic drama and tensions between passion and restraint,
songful lyricism, playfulness and fervour.
The Violin Sonata by
Leos Janáček is one of my favourites in this medium,
and not without its star proponents out on CD. Ariadne
Daskalakis clearly understands and has thought carefully
about Janacek’s style. It comes out not only in her playing,
but is also referred to at some length in her booklet notes. “Speech
melody”, reflecting the expressive potential, the rhythms
and intonation of the Czech language as he heard it spoken
around him, became an important element in his approach
to instrumental writing as well as in the operas. This
is not to say that the Violin Sonata is not without
its lyrical melodies, and the second movement has the name Ballada,
inviting a song-like interpretation which both players
bring off very well here, once again not over-egging a
pudding which can become stodgy if allowed to fester in
sentimental wallowing. From pub scene to ardent aria, this
is a fine performance throughout, and one which exemplifies
Janáček’s quirky but compelling idiom to the full.
At bargain price this is
not a recital to be missed, and Naxos Lutosławski completists should certainly not go without. If you already
have your Szymanowski/Janáček favourites then you
might not feel this to be an essential purchase. While
seasoned collectors may expect merely to be pleasantly
surprised, newcomers need fear no lack in quality, either
in performance or production, and can count on having struck
chamber-music gold.
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