Tigran Mansurian: Monodia [Import]

Hilliard Ensemble (Artist), Tigran Mansurian (Composer), Christoph Poppen (Conductor), Münchener Kammerorchester (Orchestra), Kim Kashkashian (Performer), Leonidas Kavakos (Performer), Jan Garbarek (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: Kim Kashkashian, Leonidas Kavakos, Jan Garbarek
• Orchestra: Münchener Kammerorchester
• Conductor: Christoph Poppen
• Composer: Tigran Mansurian
• Audio CD (March 30, 2004)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Import
• Label: ECM New Series
• ASIN: B0000A5BWU
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #340,288 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Tigran Mansurian's music is rooted in Armenian folk and church music filtered through contemporary Europeans, especially Bartók. In many respects he resembles other post-Soviet composers like Schnittke and Svirdov, sharing their combination of elusiveness and accessibility. Kim Kashkashian has long championed his works, and the outstanding violist is superb here. She's the center of gravity in the Viola Concerto, titled "...and then I was in time again," a quote from Faulkner and resembling his stream-of-consciousness style. The complex interplay of soloist and 18 strings fascinates, the two going their own ways and coming together again in unpredictable fashion but always to expressive effect. It's in two movements, the first more dramatic, the second poignant. In Lachrymae, Kashkashian is joined by Garbarek's soprano sax, the pair weaving their lines together, often blurring the distinction between their instruments. In the final piece, Confessing with Faith, the solo viola sings its expressive commentary to seven medieval prayers intensely sung with tonal purity by The Hilliard Ensemble. Leonidas Kavakos is the excellent soloist in the Violin Concerto, an earlier work in one long movement whose blend of drama and prayerful sadness are riveting--and rivetingly played. An important set of powerful, melodic music brilliantly performed, with ECM's usual first-rate sonic and production values. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unhesitatingly recommended, August 9, 2005

By 

Bob (Michigan's thumb, US) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tigran Mansurian: Monodia (Audio CD)

Perhaps I am not the only one whose introduction to Kashkashian's lovely viola was Jan Garbarek's "In Praise of Dreams." So, as I was seeking to feed a spiritual hunger among Amazon's classical offerings, as I dug around Part and Schnittke, Penderecki and Gorecki, suddenly among all the "more like this" appeared the name Kim Kashkashian: "Monodia." I clicked, and found that it includes a piece played with Garbarek on soprano sax, "Lachrymae." As the Amazon.com review says, their playing "often blurring the distinction between their instruments," reminds one of the Dreams exchanges.

If you followed Garbarek through his wonderful outings with the Hilliard Ensemble, "Officium" and "Mnemosyne", you'll be excited to note that the Hilliards perform here as well, with Kashkashian's mellow viola rather than Garbarek's sax. That alone made me hit the 1-click.

I do not know enough about composition to understand the title -- I cannot tell a monodic from a polyphonic, or any other, composition. [To further confuse me, in the liner notes the interviewer asks Kim K. about monody, and she points out that the composition under discussion, the Concerto for viola and orchestra, is not monodic...(?)] But the joy of hearing this music, the depth of feeling that the players display, make these issues seem academic to me. The feeling is there, name it if you must but most of all, experience it!

The rich experience of this spiritual music is a joy in itself, but ECM frosted the cake by packaging the 2 CD set with a full bi-lingual (ENG-DE) booklet, with plenty of photos. I have to admit I don't usually pay much attention to liner notes, but I found this booklet a wonderful touch.

This is not an inexpensive addition to your collection, but I found it worth every red cent.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Very, Very Brief Review, February 9, 2010

By 

Moldyoldie (Motown, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tigran Mansurian: Monodia (Audio CD)

Beautiful, spiritual, redolent of Armenian liturgical chant, but hardly so-called world beat or new age. This is substantial enough for serious listening and tuneful enough to be enjoyable -- fine performances and recording!