Tír Na HiFi

Listening this morning to two recitals on ECM from siblings Natascia and Raffaella Gazzana (collectively known as Duo Gazzana) in rich and varied fare from the 20th and 21st centuries.  Perhaps the best known piece is Janáček's violin sonata, a staple of the chamber repertoire that here receives a gently enquiring treatment which eschews any overt expressivity, an approach which is indicative of how this duo interpret their chosen music. There are some wonderful gems here which are played all too rarely, such as William Walton's Toccata for Violin and Piano and Alfred Schnittke's Suite in the Old Style, but every piece is performed with a sense of cerebral enquiry and unmannered playing that I find very rewarding.

German lieder this time with some Schubert....

Two CDs featuring the exceptional music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg, a man who endured a terribly harsh life, but recordings over recent years have progressively revealed one of the great 20th century composers.  There is a real sense of craftmanship in his music which does not share the expressive anguish of Shostakovich but instead concentrates on a refined and understated nobility of spirit which strikes me as astonishing given the life the man endured.  The cello concerto is just one of many masterpieces that deserves to become part of the standard repertoire, reminiscent of Shostakovich and Britten in places, but formulated with Weinberg's very personal and original voice.  Indeed, when you juxtapose the Weinberg violin concerto with a masterpiece like the Britten violin concerto, there is no sense of the Weinberg work being overshadowed by the Britten, but, rather, the overriding impression of both works is one of an absolute mastery of tonal colour and dynamic contrast coupled with an intensity of emotional expression that is quite remarkable.

mcq wrote:Two CDs featuring the exceptional music of Mieczyslaw Weinberg, a man who endured a terribly harsh life, but recordings over recent years have progressively revealed one of the great 20th century composers.  There is a real sense of craftmanship in his music which does not share the expressive anguish of Shostakovich but instead concentrates on a refined and understated nobility of spirit which strikes me as astonishing given the life the man endured.  The cello concerto is just one of many masterpieces that deserves to become part of the standard repertoire, reminiscent of Shostakovich and Britten in places, but formulated with Weinberg's very personal and original voice.  Indeed, when you juxtapose the Weinberg violin concerto with a masterpiece like the Britten violin concerto, there is no sense of the Weinberg work being overshadowed by the Britten, but, rather, the overriding impression of both works is one of an absolute mastery of tonal colour and dynamic contrast coupled with an intensity of emotional expression that is quite remarkable.

Weinberg is a composer that has come up here once or twice recently [possibly posted by yourself Paul] and one that I know little about. However I am partial to a cello concerto so perhaps that might be a good place for me to commence my exploration.

Beethoven; Symphonies 1 & 8 unser the baton of Jochum....

A large, imposing canvas of Russian history. Abbado is so terribly missed.

Listening tonight to three superb CDs of music by Bartók.







Utterly remarkable music in exceptional performances which are not only noteworthy for their rhythmic vitality but also for showcasing the sheer beauty of Bartók's tonal language with striking effect without in any way diluting the complexity of the music.

This evening, some Telemann....





....a beautiful disc.

First listen. Like it