Customer Reviews

Suk: About Mother; Moods; Song of Love

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Enjoyed this album very much, very expressive (Risto does a fine job)! The first track alone was worth the purchase...

This is a very fine release and, one would hope, the first in a series. The op. 7 `Song of Love' is a collection of gentle and reflective pieces, wistfully atmospheric and sensitive interspersed with more passionate, expressive moments and movements (and it opens with a strikingly memorable, lively Humoreske). Lauriala is an excellent advocate, giving us playing full of color and feeling, excellently phrased and shaped and with lots of tenderness.

About Mother is a collection of simple pieces reflecting the life of the son's mother; the music is generally nostalgic and lyrical, with tenderness and sadness (especially `Once in Spring'). Despite its (purported) simplicity, this is rather enchanting music, and again Lauriala's performances are thoroughly commendable. The early Moods are imaginative and inventive as well, proving that Suk at 21 was already an assured craftsman with a personal compositional voice. The different moods and colors are nicely contrasted and subtly and skillfully realized by Lauriala in this set as well. Yes, many of the pieces on this disc have a superficial similarity, but each one of them also has, on closer listening, an individual mark in terms of mood and color. And while there might be few genuine masterpieces here (the Song of Love collection comes closest, especially the opening Humoreske), the music is never less than thoroughly enjoyable. This is, in short, a very worthwhile release, strongly recommended.