Customer Reviews

Out of Russia

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This violin concerto is my favorite. It is Schnittke at his best, with amazing orchestral colors, frightening sounds and serene beauty. Kremer is still scratchy but manages to give a meaningful performance well seconded by the orchestra.

If the music and music making are 5 stars, this is not true of Teldec's sound engineers. In order to capture the "visual cadenza", gestures where the soloist plays but doesn't make sound -a sense of what lies behind the soundscape according to Schnittke-, composer, soloist and producers agreed to replace the visual gestures by a series of loud breathings. Already the tonal balance of the recording is slanted toward a rich upper midrange -orchestral tuttis are not very defined with too much reverb of the hall, a typical attribute of recording engineers in the 90's who believed digital could replace the lessons learned by the best of Mercury living presence or Decca- but during these passages, they must have opened a microphone to capture Kremer's breathing. Had they mixed this album on decent equipment it would have been evident that the midrange level during portions the second movements is simply unbearable and ruins the musical experience! Indeed during the finale, the violin of Kremer seems taken from different positions depending if the music is loud or not. Shame on Teldec's engineers for such sloppy job. This disc should be re-issued with a new mastering so this gets corrected.

That is why I give only 4 stars.

This somewhat esoteric Russian program begins with the charming little Stravinsky "Pastorale" for violin and wind quartet. An arrangement of the composer's "Vocalese" from 1907, this droll piece makes a perfect opening for this unusual program, and is beautifully done by members of the Philharmonia.

But listeners should brace themselves for what follows, the disturbing, violent (and totally terrific) Schnittke Violin Concerto No. 4 (1984). In four movements, it lurches from genial passages to those that are positively scorching. Gidon Kremer (the work's dedicatee) will be hard to top in his frightening intensity, including some eerie vocal work, and Christoph Eschenbach and the Philharmonia are right up there with him in virtuosity. It is easily one of the most brilliant Schnittke performances I've ever heard.

An orchestral suite from Arthur Vincent Lourie's opera, "The Blackamoor of Peter the Great" (1961) comes next and is a fascinating oddity, and also notable for Schnittke's hand in orchestrating one of the middle movements, the "Ballet No. 3: Hymn to Eros." Throughout, the language is not too distant from Schnittke himself, perhaps with Shostakovich hovering nearby. The Philharmonia woodwind work is particularly notable and satisfying, but the entire ensemble presents the score with great power and commitment (as with everything here).

Stravinsky appears again in a charming instrumentation of two short excerpts from Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty" which make a lovely break after the intensity of the Schnittke and Lourie works. Stravinsky's effort here transforms the sound into something resembling his own "Baiser de la fee" ("The Fairy's Kiss") and is completely winning, including a star turn for solo violin that Kremer executes beautifully.

The ten-minute Lourie that follows, "Funeral Games in Honor of Chronos" (1964) is scored for three flutes, piano (Eschenbach, who contributes some gorgeous playing) and cymbals, and makes a beautiful, somber ending to the program. I really admire the slightly offbeat programming of this recording, which combines massive orchestral works with lighter chamber pieces in between, and shows Eschenbach at his most imaginative.

Once again Kremer shows himself to be one of the current scene's great champions of this repertoire, and the Schnittke in particular, is one of the finest examples of this composer's output on disc. (It has been re-issued on a Teldec set of all four violin concertos, all conducted by Eschenbach.) The sound quality is excellent throughout, with a keen "you are there" presence.

NOTE: I notice this is now out-of-print. While it's worth seeking out as a used copy, I can't really see paying close to $100 for it that some are asking. However, the Schnittke is available on the re-released set of all four Schnittke violin concertos, and highly recommended.

Violinist Gidon Kremer has been a strong advocate of music that might otherwise go unheard, especially music from his homeland. What he presents here mixes music from composers whose names are familiar to all (Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky), a composer whose name is probably familiar to followers of classical music but not to the general public (Alfred Schnittke), and a composer whose name is relatively unknown (Arthur Vincent Lourié). The end result is a CD containing nearly 77 minutes of compelling music that is at times a bit challenging, at times quite ravishing, and all of it worth listening to again and again.

The disk opens with Stravinsky's Pastorale for Violin and Wind Quartet, a most delightful three minutes of musical joy. Kremer then plunges into Schnittke's Violin Concerto No. 4, which blends soothing and shattering musical statements into more than 33 minutes of intense but never hostile music. I will admit to having been quite put off by some of Schnittke's music in the past, but I will also say that although this concerto might not prove pleasant for the casual listener, it will reward the music lover who is willing to broaden his or her musical horizons.

Following the Schnittke work is Lourié's The Blackamoor of Peter the Great, an orchestral suite adapted from an opera. Its eleven short movements are colorful and expressive, with some big outbursts well-captured by the recording engineers. The next music out of Russia consists of a couple of orchestrations by Stravinsky of music from Tchaikovsky's The Sleeping Beauty, with the sound of Kremer's violin dancing playfully above the orchestra.

The CD ends with another composition by Lourié, Funeral Games in Honor of Chronos, a quiet but quirky piece for three flutes (piccolo, flute, and alto flute), cymbals, and piano -- very listenable, very enjoyable. Overall, Out of Russia is an extremely rewarding CD, a fine testimony of the musical talent and integrity of Gidon Kremer.

if you enjoy modern classical russian music you will enjoy this album. it is one of my favorites CDs.