Customer Reviews

Pärt: Tabula Rasa; Fratres; Symphony No. 3

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I agree that there is a significant difference between Kremer and Shaham in interpreting the Tabula Rasa- and I'm not going to argue that one is better or worse, although I will definitely stipulate that the dedicatee of the work (Kremer) probably has a better handle on Part's original intentions through direct contact with him. As some people have previously mentioned, Kremer's reading (on ECM) is drier, with an emphasis on the bleakness and austerity that is so much a... well, part of Part.

However, I certainly can see where Shaham feels strong emotions in these pieces- his interpretation is more akin to floating. Yes, they are romanticized- they are strongly romantic pieces in their lonely sound. Don't make the mistake of discounting this performance based on reviews saying that Shaham's interpretation is "emotional". Kremer's interpretation is excellent, but I believe Shaham's is also excellent- albeit in a totally different way... and both are to be enjoyed for their strong points equally.

Jarvi's leadership in the 3rd symphony is very powerful and completes this wonderful disc. In short this is great listening- I find myself coming back to this disc again and again... and it gets better with every replay.

I bought this Cd right before a driving trip I had to take alone. This was music I had never heard before, got it after a recommendation I had read online on an audiophile related webpage. Listening to this was almost a religious experience for me. Even though I was listening to it in my car while driving, not the best listening environment. This music, particularly the second part of Tabula Rasa (3rd track), is able to sort of grab and hypnotize your mind and soul in a very profound way. Later on I listened to it at home in my system, and fidelity just enhanced the magic of this most special music. I describe it as if a painter was able to paint in front of you peace and calm, balance and perfection, not using colors but just sound. Music from heaven.

Exquisite sound , utterly and simply exquisite. I felt transported to another landscape. An inner land of the mind. Fratres moves you to anticipation for each new note. Tabula Rasa is profound sympathy for our earthly passions. Haunting and beautiful.

Exquisite sound , utterly and simply exquisite. I felt transported to another landscape. An inner land of the mind. Fratres moves you to anticipation for each new note. Tabula Rasa is profound sympathy for our earthly passions. Haunting and beautiful.

Although I am without the necessary technical expertise to know if Gil Shaham and Adele Anthony "missed it" in these particular performances, I would like to register my feelings about the three works presented in this Deutsche Grammaphon recording with the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Jarvi (Part's Estonian countryman and friend):

"Fratres" [9'43] for violin, string orchestra and percussion featuring Gil Shaham (violin soloist) and Roger Carlsson (percussion) is dissonant, abrasive, and austere.
"Tabula Rasa" [23'07] Concerto for two violins, string orchestra and prepared piano (Adele Anthony, Shaham, and Erik Risberg) is bleak and lonely.
"Symphony No. 3" [25'17] (dedicated to Neeme Jarvi) is lighter, more melancholy, and cautiously hopeful.

For me, the music was dark and spiritually vacant--so different from the somber, yet spiritually vibrant and redemptive, "Kanon Pokajanen." The Part minimalism is irresistible, however, and at times exquisite in its austerity and desolation. The paintings of the American artist, Edward Hopper: "Manhattan Bridge Loop" (1928); "Early Sunday Morning" (1930); and "Night Hawks" (1942), all come to mind with their lonely urban emptiness so powerfully depicted. If you are a Hopper fan you may find this disc to be a harmonious complement. I like the CD cover art as an effective visual preview to the musical contents inside.

I have no idea how many versions of Fratres there are out there anymore. This one is scored for violin, strings and percussion and is pretty effective - not the least because Gil Shaham's treatment of the violin part is quite remarkable. He approaches it as one would approach a romantic violin concerto and it works almost surprisingly well (but then I have never quite managed to quite see the point of the work, apart from noticing that it works well as an elegiac, poignant companion to, say, the Barber Adagio). Tabula Rasa is, I think, a more interesting work, but that impression is probably mostly sustained because it is even more uncompromising in its austerity and its requirement that absolute care is put on every single note than Fratres is. Tabula Rasa must rank among the clearest examples of the kind of style that is often referred to as "holy minimalism"; static and quiet, but very beautiful and quite effective. Again, Shaham and Adele Anthony are warmer and far more romantic than most of their competitors on disc, and again I think the approach works extremely well, though I can imagine some preferring a slightly more restrained approach.

The main offer here is the third symphony, from 1971, which is a remarkable piece. It was dedicated to Neeme Järvi, who has recorded it before (I haven't heard any other versions). As far as I can see, he favors far slower tempi this time around, and it works magnificently. It is a stirring work, even if it stylistically belongs to a very different tradition than its two companion works on this disc - in the symphony, Pärt draws on medieval inspirations in a rather polystylistic and highly contrastive and colorful setting, and there is much more by way of traditional drama and development here than in Fratres or Tabula rasa. While it might, arguably, make the program for this disc seem a little disparate, it also makes this recording an excellent general introduction to the composer. Of course, the success of this disc is to a large extent due to the superb performances. Shaham and Anthony are already mentioned, but the Gothenburg symphonists must be duly praised as well (it really is a world class orchestra; a fabulous string ensemble and truly admirable wind playing). The sound quality is - as expected - very good, and the only reasonable complaint about this (re)issue is that the notes are a little shallow.

The ensemble put together for this recording has some stellar performers and one would expect the recording to shine above other recordings of this music; but it does not. Fratres is played well but it is not any better than other accounts already recorded. Tabula Rasa is played very, very straight at too fast a tempo. Also, the violin is overpowering. The piece looses its effect with the romantic playing. While technically flawed, the Kantorow recording with the Tapiola Sinfonietta captures the essence of the piece much better. As for symphony 3, this recording is very sterile. Neeme Jarvi's earlier acount on the BIS label is much better. Also, Paavo Jarvi (Neeme's son) has recorded the piece on Virgin Classics and it too is remarkable. It has a very full sound and the tempi are quite nice. Overall, none of the performances on the disc are "top notch" and one should look elsewhere for more suitable accounts of the works. It must, however, be poined out that the orchestral playing is superb, particulary on the third symphony. If technical proficiency is you most important criteria for selecting a recording, you may want to consider this one.

Arvo Part belongs to this sort of "holy minimalism" genre. His music is filled with lots of repition...BUT IN A GOOD WAY. I particularly enjoy the 3rd movement of Symphony No. 3 with it's beautifully orchestrated chorale section towards the middle. I find Part's music to be fascinating. I find myself listening to it whenever I need inspiration. I would also suggest listening to Gorecki(similar composer)

This disc in Deutsche Grammaphon's "20/21" series of recordings of contemporary music displays three works of Arvo Part performed by the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra conducted by Neeme Jarvi, with a spotlight on violinist Gil Shaham. Part is best known for his minimalistic and Renaissance-inspired "tintinnabuli" style of the 1970s and 1980s, and two of the works here are in that vein, while his 3rd Symphony is a transitional work joining an early interest in serialism with his mature style.

"Fratres" is a piece with numerous--at least 8--variant arrangements. On this disc it is represented first in a 1992 version for violin, percussion, and string orchestra. This is certainly one of the more passionate arrangements (easily winning out over, for example the sluggish one for 12 cellos), and Gil Sharam performs unobjectionable, though Part's music of this period eschews virtuosity and is difficult to do badly on.

"Tabula Rasa" (1977) for two violins, prepared piano, and string orchestra is probably the most instantly likeable piece on this disc. It is divided into two parts, and the first, "Ludus" is an intricate dance marked as to be performed "with movement", and here the two violins repeat the same theme over and over while true development is handled under the surface by a string orchestra. It is followed by "Silentium" ("Silence"), the meditative flip-side to be performed with as little movement as possible. Sharam is joined here by former classmate Adele Anthony. This was the first recording I heard of the piece, and I marvelled at the beauty of Part's composition, I later came to find that it does not hold up very well against other performances. Shaham says in the notes that he understands the piece is about loneliness and barrenness, but his performance is like sugar-sweet Romanticism. Furthermore, Jarvi drives it too quickly and on this recording the prepared piano (played by Erik Risberg), such an important part of the piece, is often hardly audible here. The performance on the TABULA RASA disc on ECM by Gidon Kremer and Tatjana Grindenko (violins) and Alfred Schnittke (prepared piano) can be seen as definitive and it is that performance which should be sought out by anyone curious about "Tabula Rasa".

"Symphony No. 3" (1971) is generally seen to be a transitional work falling between serialism and minimalism. I perceive it to be more akin to his early works, and the connection to pieces like "Collage Uber B-A-C-H" is, I should think, quite apparent. The bell sounds, however, are a clear foreshadowing of his later style. This symphony was dedicated to Neeme Jarvi and this performance conducted by the dedicatee is really something nice, certainly better than the inconsistent performance on Naxos by the Ulster Orchestra conducted by Takuo Yuasa. This disc is the best place to hear the 3rd Symphony, though I'd recommend hearing Part's works of the 1990s before going back to a much earlier composition like this.

Part is generally seen as a religious composer--most of his output is religiously titled--and the liner notes here make much of the supposed deep sprituality of his work. However, I have always felt that music which so fuzzily nebulously speaks of religion has little efficacy. I prefer the work of Sofia Gubaidulina or Oliver Messiaen, whose strict music always asserts a concrete orthodoxy and leaves no room for differing opinions. This is one reason while I cannot rate the disc so highly as others, for in spite of its technical brilliance, this work is spiritually dead. In the mid-1990's Part began to compose works like "Litany" soundly based on his Eastern Orthodox faith, and this style ultimately culminated with his setting of the massive Kanon Pokajanen penitence text. I would recommend those to fans of Christian work in modern-classical music.

If you are interested in the work of Arvo Part, this pieces on this work may be a good place to start, even if they are religiously hollow and in a style perhaps historically superseded. Still, you'd want to seek out better performances of "Tabula Rasa" and "Fratres", such as the TABULA RASA disc on ECM. However, an even better introduction to Part, with music that has a better chance of standing the test of time, might be his KANON POKAJANEN.

Fratres is my favorite on this CD. It is so crisp, so cutting, and so absolutely gorgeous it nearly makes me cry every time I hear it. I used to hate violin music. I guess I'm getting old, (I'm 21) because this stuff just absolutely cuts to my heart. It is not overly complicated music that mushes around, it is like a bared knife, simply and elegantly lifting out your innards to another, higher, domain. BUY THIS CD.