Recent Releases, No. 29 (CD Reviews)

By Karl W. Nehring

Bach | Sei Solo | Kavakos. Bach: Sonatas & Partitas for Solo Violin Nos. 1-3. Leonidas Kavakos, violin. Sony Classics 19439983132.

This is one of those recordings that is pretty much self-recommending. When you have one of the premier violin virtuosos of our time playing the timeless music of Johann Sebastian Bach, you expect excellence, and excellence is what this recording delivers. From his remarks on the back cover of the CD case, it is apparent that the Greek violinist Leonidas Kavakos (b. 1967) believes that there is a deeply spiritual dimension to this composition: “Harmony’s rhythm and rhythms’s harmony are decisive assistants in each incarnation’s personal journey towards achieving catharsis through the expression of life and thus opening the gate to theosis, the divine aspect of existence. Wir danken dir, Gott (We thank you, God) is the title of Bach’s Cantata No. 29, the opening Sinfonia of which is a transcription for organ and orchestra of the Preludio from Partita No. 3. It could equally well serve as the title or all six sonatas and partitas, an opus consisting of two triads which, through the peerless swirling of the great Thomascantor’s compositions, enlighten the individual responsibility of existence (“Sei Solo”), a vital component of collective space-time!” Kavakos plays with a nimble touch, never seeming to be trying to flaunt his virtuosity or add any heavy-handed dramatic exaggerations to the music. Everything just seems to flow naturally along from one phrase to the next; indeed, you find yourself admiring the music, not just marveling at the playing, which is as it should be. Perhaps in light of his comments as quoted above, Kavakos leads off not with Sonata No. 1, as you might expect, but rather with Partita No. 3, followed by Sonata No. 3. Sonata No. 2 then closes CD1; however, CD2 does not start with Partita No. 2, as you might expect, but rather with Sonata No. 1, followed by Partita No. 1, and then the program comes to a close with Partita No. 2. Apparently, Kavakos intended to underline his idea that the theme of the entire composition centers on the Preludio from Partita No. 3. As to the sonics, the violin is recorded a bit close, with sounds occasionally jumping from speaker to speaker, but to be fair, this is not an uncommon problem with two-channel stereo. Still, the sound is quite clean, there is some sense of the space in which the violin was recorded, and overall, I have no real complaints. Long-time Bach fans may already own several favorite recordings of this music; however, they still might want to give this new version a hearing. Those music lovers new to the piece would certainly find this Sony release an excellent introduction to this magical music, for Kavakos’s version is without eccentricity and is a more than worthy addition to the Bach catalog.

Beethoven for Three. Beethoven: Symphony No 2 in D major, op. 36 (arrangement for piano trio attributed to Ferdinand Ries, under the supervision of the composer); Symphony No. 5 in C minor, op. 67 (arrangement for piano trio by Colin Matthews). Emanuel Ax, piano; Leonidas Kavakos, violin; Yo-Yo Ma, cello. Sony Classical 19439940142.

Yes, you read that correctly. What we have here are two Beethoven symphonies arranged for piano trio and performed by an all-star lineup of Ax, Kavakos, and Ma. I feel obliged to point out at the outset that I find it disappointing – pretty much inexcusable, really – that Sony did not go to the bother to provide any sort of liner notes that might have provided some insights about the motivation for these arrangements, about the arrangers, how these performers came together to do this, why it was recorded at Tanglewood, etc. Alas, there are no real liner notes, just a brief note dedicating the release to conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, which in light of his recent public disclosure of his struggle with brain cancer is certainly a kind gesture. But my goodness, it certainly would have been nice to have some more background information. For what it’s worth, Ferdinand Ries, given credit for this arrangement of the Symphony No. 2, was one of Beethoven’s students, while Colin Matthews (b.1946), who arranged the Symphony No. 5,  is a contemporary English composer. Although each listener will of course have his or her own personal reactions to and opinions about hearing these symphonies performed as piano trios, I believe that my general observations about this recording would strike a resonant chord with the majority of music lovers who might venture to give it a listen. First of all, it is well worth an audition. This is great music played by great musicians. It is well played and well recorded. Reducing symphonies to trios was one practiced so that people could hear the music in their homes or other small settings. Today, we have stereos, headphones, earbuds, etc. But hey, we can now listen to recordings of a Beetthoven symphony played by a large orchestra on modern instruments, a small orchestra on period instruments, or a piano trio. What goes around comes around. But for many of us today, hearing the Symphony No. 2 played by Ax, Kavakos, and Ma will strike us as though we are hearing a pleasant piano trio in the style of Beethoven. Some nice melody, some good drama, excellent chamber music that makes us glad that we decided to listen to this recording. But when we suddenly hear then opening notes of the Symphony No. 5 played by these same three musicians, we suddenly find ourselves jolted into wondering what in the heck is going on – why is there a piano? Where is the rest of the orchestra? It takes a while to adjust to the fact that this is music with which we are so familiar being played in such an unfamiliar way. I’ve now listened many times, and am still not quite fully adjusted. Their performance of Symphony No. 2 still strikes me as a really pleasant piano trio (and I do like the symphony itself, especially as conducted by Jordi Savall), but although I am not quite as jolted by the opening of Symphony No. 5 as I was the first several times I heard them play it, I still can’t quite simply relax and enjoy their pr[performance simply as chamber music. Still, though, I find this an intriguing release that I do not hesitate to recommend to Beethoven fans, although I do want to close with  parting shot at Sony Classical for their pathetically uninformative (nonexistent) liner notes. They can and should do better.

Weinberg: Sonatas for Violin Solo. Gidon Kremer, violin. ECM New Series 2705. 

Mieczysław Weinberg (1919-1996) was a Jewish composer from Poland who resided in the USSR and became a close musical associate of Shostakovich. A bit more about the composer can be found in a previous review of his music, which can be found here: https://classicalcandor.blogspot.com/2020/10/weinberg-clarinet-music-cd-review.html. Unlike the music on that Naxos disc, however, the music on this ECM New Series release is not as immediately appealing to the ear. Unlike the 19th-century violin music of Beethoven, this is 20th-century music that does not have a primary aim of delighting  listeners with memorable melodies. This is more complex music, more challenging music, as listening to the first few bars of the Sonata No. 3 that opens the disc will quickly make evident. However, as you listen more closely, you can hear that a lot of thought went into the composition of this sonata, which is quite expressive, Weinberg dedicated to the memory of his father, himself a violinist, who was killed in a Nazi concentration camp. Although there are some moments of great lyrical tenderness, there are also passages of almost savage fury and occasional dissonance. The sonata is in one movement, clocking in at more than 22 minutes. No, it is not a piece for the faint of heart, but for those who appreciate the expressive power of the violin, to hear Gidon Kremer put his all into this remarkable work will be a truly rewarding experience. For whatever reason, the program is presented in reverse chronological order,  so next up is Sonata No. 2, which stands in contrast to Sonata No. 3 by comprising seven brief movements rather than a single long one. The liner note offers this concise description: “With ts reduced sonority and quasi-independent movements (headed ‘Monody,’ ‘Rests,’ ‘Intervals,’ Replicas,’ ‘Accompaniment,’ ‘Invocation,’ and ‘Syncopations), it almost seems like a set of late-romantic character pieces coarsened by modern modes of execution, but also imbued with a distinct sense of resignation.” Once again, Kremer displays both his technical skill and his artistic touch as he brings out the varying moods portrayed in these brief musical sketches, some of which last under two minutes. Sonata No. 1, which closes the CD, is the closest of the three to traditional violin sonata form, consisting of five movements: I. Adagio – Allegro, II Andante, III. Allegretto, IV. Lento, V. Presto. The outer movements are the most virtuosic, with Kremer providing some really dazzling playing, while the second movement shows great tenderness and the third, a playful spirit. I’m hard-pressed to come up with the right adjective for the fourth movement; I guess I’ll just write that it is intense and leave it at that. As for the sound quality, there is a good amount of reverb, as we have come to expect from ECM, but not so much as to be a distraction. Although this may not be music that will appeal to a wide audience, for those with a serious interest in 20th-century violin music, this is certainly a milestone release.

Shostakovich: Symphony No. 7. Gianandrea Noseda, London Symphony Orchestra. LSO Live LSO0859.

This new SACD release on the LSO Live label (note, however, that I auditioned the CD layer for this review) is the latest in an ongoing Shostakovich cycle from Italian conductor Gianandrea Noseda (b. 1964) and the London Symphony Orchestra. We reviewed an earlier release in this series here: https://classicalcandor.blogspot.com/2021/08/recent-releases-no-15-cd-reviews.html. Most music lovers are probably familiar with the story of the Symphony No. 7, popularly known as the “Leningrad,” written by the young composer as the city was under siege by Russian and Finnish forces in WWII, a copy of the completed score smuggled out of Russia that made its way to New York, where it was played by the NY Philharmonic under Toscanini in 1942 in a broadcast performance and even played in Leningrad itself while the city was still under siege. For a time, the work was quite the rage, but is not so well-regarded today. Still, it is a powerful piece of music, as this new recording amply demonstrates. Both the recording quality and the performance itself come across as committed and straightforward, without unnecessary embellishment or exaggeration. This is probably as fine a one-disc account of this work as you are likely to encounter. My personal favorite version remains the Bernstein/Chicago on DG (also a live recording), which is coupled with an unusually slow version of Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 1; however, this Noseda 7th is truly excellent and I can recommend it without reservation.

KWN