Elegies [Original recording reissued]

Benjamin Britten (Composer), Ralph Vaughan Williams (Composer), Elliott Carter (Composer), Alexander Glazunov (Composer), Franz Liszt (Composer), Zoltan Kodaly (Composer), Henri Vieuxtemps (Composer), Robert Levin (Performer), Kim Kashkashian (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Robert Levin, Kim Kashkashian
• Composer: Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Elliott Carter, Alexander Glazunov, Franz Liszt, et al.
• Audio CD (April 18, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Original recording reissued
• Label: ECM New Series
• ASIN: B0000261H6
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,366 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

This elegiac music seems very well-suited to the dark sound of the viola. Kashkashian plays it simply and very expressively, without slides or sentimentality; glowing and shimmering, her tone is pure, warm, inflected. The program has great variety. Britten's mournful Lachrymae (Reflections on a Song of John Dowland) comes to an agitated climax and ends with an old chorale. Vaughan Williams's Romance is a peaceful pastoral; Carter's Elegy is somber, gentle, and hardly dissonant; Glasunov's Elegy is very romantic. Liszt's Romance is very rhetorical--half recitation, half lamentation--but ends serenely. Kodály's Adagio, solemn and inward, comes to a passionate climax; the opening returns in the highest register. Vieuxtemps's romantic virtuoso piece has musical substance as well as passion, rhetoric, a big climax, and a wild, brilliant ending. --Edith Eisler

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Songs for Winter Solstice, December 20, 2005

By 

Grady Harp (Los Angeles, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elegies (Audio CD)

Perhaps none of the composers of this lovely set of works for viola and piano had in mind the death theme surrounding the winter solstice, the end of the season of growing, a time for pause and even sleep to prepare for the rumblings of rebirth, but that is what comes to mind while listening to this very well chosen collection of elegies.

Violist Kim Kashkashian and pianist Robert Levin seem extensions of each other, so well melded are these performances. While most will be familiar with the gorgeous Benjamin Britten 'Lachrymae, reflections on a song of Dowland', there are enough unfamiliar works to spark even the most experienced listener. Some highlights are the Vaughn Williams 'Romance', the Adagio of Zoltan Kodaly, and the Vieuxtemps 'Elegie'. The spectrum even manages to include Elliot Carter's 'Elegy' so you can rest assured there is a wide spread of periods and oddly enough they all create a cohesive program.

Kashkashian's tone is never forced, always refined, and never pushing towards heart on the sleeve. This is a beautiful recording, especially for winter nights. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, December 05

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sensitive Playing, September 1, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Elegies (Audio CD)

I was pleased to see this recording By Kim Kashkashian. The interplay between the viola and the piano is exceptional and it is clear these two performers have a fine sense of the music. The typical ECM recording excellence adds to this effect. This is twentieth century and somber music. The warmth of Kashkashian's viola makes this recording the perfect match for a fine bordeaux and a quiet evening of listening.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moody Masterpiece, July 9, 2011

By 

Dr. Ken - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Elegies (Audio CD)

This is a moody classic. Get it for that winter night or Autumn sunset. Very evocative - wonderful compilation - I'm not one for compilations but this one is a knockout.