Concerto in C minor for Two Violins and String
Orchestra, Op. 40; Ten Old Dances for Two Violins, Op. 91. Aleksandra
Maslovaric, violin; Katarina Aleksic, violin; Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Feminae
Records CD1901.
By John J. Puccio
These days most people would not recognize the name of
German composer Johanna Senfter (1879-1961), even though she wrote some 134
pieces of classical music, eight of them symphonies. Such is life that most of
them go forgotten. It was especially hard for a female composer to make much
headway in a largely male-dominated musical world. So, enter Feminae Records, a
company dedicated to promoting the work of female composers, many of them long
neglected.
Although not a lot is known about Senfter beyond her music, she did leave behind one revealing quote: “Listen and play my music, then you understand me.”
As the founder of Feminae Records, violinist Aleksandra Maslovaric, writes at the Feminae Web site, “Women have been making and composing music for centuries, millennia even! We believe that revealing and sharing this outstanding repertoire--balancing the ‘playing field,’ if you will--is a critical part of ensuring that concert music has genuine value and meaning for generations to come. Therefore, Feminae Records will continue to produce and release works by great female composers, both forgotten and yet-to-be-discovered. Our sons and daughters deserve this legacy.”
On the present recording, Ms. Maslovaric is joined by fellow violinist Katarina Aleksic and in the concerto by the Budapest Symphony strings to bring several of Johanna Senfter’s compositions back to life.
The first work on the disc is the most substantial, the Concerto in C minor for Two Violins and String Orchestra, Op. 40. It’s a short work, four movements combining for a little under eighteen minutes, but it’s a lovely and rewarding piece. The second, slow movement is particularly enchanting, graceful and longing. The third movement, labeled “Lustig” (“funny”) is also a charmer--light, sprightly, airy, bouncy. Ms. Maslovaric calls the third-movement themes “enchanting.” One can understand why. The final movement, “Bewegt” (“emotional,” “moving”) sums up the concerto’s material nicely, drawing the piece to a satisfying conclusion. It’s a twentieth-century composition, but it is also a definite throwback to an earlier age of Romanticism.
For much of the concerto I forgot there were two violins
playing, the two performers so richly intertwined in the music. They both play
with poise and style, putting the music ahead of any special grandstanding.
They are an accomplished pair.
Following the Concerto, we hear Ten Old Dances for Two Violins, Op. 91, comprising two suites. They are mainly Baroque in nature, as evidenced by the familiar titles of the individual dances: “Allemande,” “Courante,” “Sarabande,” “Gavotte,” “Gigue,” “Bourree,” “Minuet,” “Loure,” and “Passepied en Rondeau.” Nevertheless, despite their Baroque connections, these dances are clearly the products of a twentieth-century sensibility. It’s a charming combination of styles, actually, and under the guidance of the two soloists they bounce along quite amiably, producing a variety of emotions with an emphasis on joy.
Producers Jonathan Shephard and Aleksandra Maslovaric and engineer Redly Denes recorded the music at Studio 22, Magyar Radio, Budapest, Hungary. A lot of well-recorded discs have come my way lately; this is one of them. The two violins are clear and resplendent. The backup strings in the
concerto are well integrated into the sonic picture, the soloists well positioned in front of the orchestra. The transparency of sound throughout the recording is welcome to the ear,.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
By John J. Puccio
Although not a lot is known about Senfter beyond her music, she did leave behind one revealing quote: “Listen and play my music, then you understand me.”
As the founder of Feminae Records, violinist Aleksandra Maslovaric, writes at the Feminae Web site, “Women have been making and composing music for centuries, millennia even! We believe that revealing and sharing this outstanding repertoire--balancing the ‘playing field,’ if you will--is a critical part of ensuring that concert music has genuine value and meaning for generations to come. Therefore, Feminae Records will continue to produce and release works by great female composers, both forgotten and yet-to-be-discovered. Our sons and daughters deserve this legacy.”
On the present recording, Ms. Maslovaric is joined by fellow violinist Katarina Aleksic and in the concerto by the Budapest Symphony strings to bring several of Johanna Senfter’s compositions back to life.
The first work on the disc is the most substantial, the Concerto in C minor for Two Violins and String Orchestra, Op. 40. It’s a short work, four movements combining for a little under eighteen minutes, but it’s a lovely and rewarding piece. The second, slow movement is particularly enchanting, graceful and longing. The third movement, labeled “Lustig” (“funny”) is also a charmer--light, sprightly, airy, bouncy. Ms. Maslovaric calls the third-movement themes “enchanting.” One can understand why. The final movement, “Bewegt” (“emotional,” “moving”) sums up the concerto’s material nicely, drawing the piece to a satisfying conclusion. It’s a twentieth-century composition, but it is also a definite throwback to an earlier age of Romanticism.
Following the Concerto, we hear Ten Old Dances for Two Violins, Op. 91, comprising two suites. They are mainly Baroque in nature, as evidenced by the familiar titles of the individual dances: “Allemande,” “Courante,” “Sarabande,” “Gavotte,” “Gigue,” “Bourree,” “Minuet,” “Loure,” and “Passepied en Rondeau.” Nevertheless, despite their Baroque connections, these dances are clearly the products of a twentieth-century sensibility. It’s a charming combination of styles, actually, and under the guidance of the two soloists they bounce along quite amiably, producing a variety of emotions with an emphasis on joy.
Producers Jonathan Shephard and Aleksandra Maslovaric and engineer Redly Denes recorded the music at Studio 22, Magyar Radio, Budapest, Hungary. A lot of well-recorded discs have come my way lately; this is one of them. The two violins are clear and resplendent. The backup strings in the
concerto are well integrated into the sonic picture, the soloists well positioned in front of the orchestra. The transparency of sound throughout the recording is welcome to the ear,.
JJP
To listen to a brief excerpt from this album, click below:
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