a r t i s t : Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
t i t l e : Plays Lutoslawski & Bart≤k
d a t e : 2006
l a b e l : Telarc
g e n r e : Classical
r l s. d a t e : Feb/2007
t r a c k s : 09
b i t r a t e : VBRkbps
s i z e : 92,5 MB
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Paavo JΣrvi and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra make their
ninth Telarc recording with Concertos for Orchestra by both
BΘla Bart≤k and Witold Lutos│awski, as well as Lutoslawski's
ôFanfare for Louisville.ö The recording is a study of two
composers on a very similar creative path.
JΣrvi himself poses a very simple but significant question
regarding the two mid-20th century composers: ôIs it possible
that two works can share so much in common purely by accident?
Whether or not Bart≤kÆs Concerto for Orchestra directly
influenced Lutoslawski's, we can sense the musical affinity
between these great Central European composers in the folk
melodies and chorales at the center of both masterpieces.
Hearing them together on one recording gives the listener the
joy of making these connections.ö
Bart≤k and Lutoslawski composed their concertos for orchestra
at opposite ends of one of the twentieth centuryÆs most
defining events, World War II. ôYet from separate
standpointsùBart≤kÆs during his last years as an emigrant to
the United States and Lutoslawski's during this years of
struggle in post-war Polandùthe pieces share distinct
similarities,ö according to the recording liner notes by
Jonathan D. Kramer and Eric Dudley. ôBoth works display their
composersÆ interests in earlier music and formal ideas, their
connection to the folk music of their native lands, and their
response to the circumstances of their timesùand both are
towering examples of the concerto for orchestra as a genre and
among both composersÆ most popular works.ö
After Bart≤k had moved his family to the United States, he
started to experience severe health and financial problems. He
had developed international ties through connections like
fellow Hungarian Fritz Reiner, who was the music director of
the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Aware of the composerÆs
predicament, Reiner and violinist Joseph Szigeti approached
Serge Koussevitsky, the music director of the Boston Symphony
Orchestra, to organize a commission for Bart≤k. Once Bart≤kÆs
health began to improve, he completed the Concerto for
Orchestra in 1943.
Bart≤k explained the workÆs title by its ôtendency to treat
single orchestral instruments in a concertante or soloistic
manner.ö Its five movements are cast in an arch form, with
substantial outer ones flanking two scherzos and a slow
movement at the center.
The political situation in his country, Poland, is a strong
part of Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra. The post-war
years were a time of repression in Poland under StalinÆs rule,
and in 1949 the vice-minister of culture organized a
conference instructing new guidelines for Socialist content in
art. Lutoslawski muted his protest in order to survive.
The three-movement work is broken down into an Intrada
(Introduction) in arch form. The second, Capriccio, is a
scherzo with a trio (Arioso). The third and longest movement
begins with a passacaglia on a folk theme that rises in
seventeen repetitions from low to high. The main body of the
movement is the Toccata, interrupted by a chorale that appears
softly at first and then climatically near the end.
Much like Bart≤kÆs Concerto, Lutoslawski's Fanfare for
Louisville emerged from the composerÆs relationship with an
American orchestra, The Louisville Orchestra. Upon winning the
Grawemeyer Award in 1985, Lutoslawski conducted a series of
performances of his Third Symphony in Louisville. Months
later, he sent the orchestra the Fanfare as a gesture of
thanks.
This new recording by JΣrvi and the Cincinnati Symphony
Orchestra comes on the heels of their critically acclaimed
recording of Dvorßk: Symphony No. 9 and Martin∙: Symphony. No.
2, which was picked as an EditorÆs Choice by Gramophone. The
reviewer at the international publication proclaimed, "Paavo
JΣrvi reveals his keen imagination and sharp concentration in
both performances and under his guidance, the Cincinnati
Symphony Orchestra is consistently excellent: this ensemble
more than matches that of the rival versions."
JΣrvi explains what he aims to accomplish through his Telarc
recordings: "My Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra recordings with
Telarc allow listeners to hear works in a new light. Pairing
standard repertoire with rarely heard or newer works creates
interesting connections, and I like that a lot."
---
"Paavo JarviÆs adventures as music director of the Cincinnati
Symphony have been well documented in recent years by a series
of excellent recordings from Telarc... Mr. JarviÆs
interpretations are everywhere persuasive, and the
performances almost uniformly virtuosic. TelarcÆs typically
gratifying in the clatter and the occasional shriek of the
Lutoslawski concerto." -- The New York Times
---
"There's scarcely a passage where you can relax into lazy
listening as JΣrvi invests each moment with a sense of
anticipation and discovery. Even the finale's (in)famous coda
sounds fresh in JΣrvi's clever phrasing. This is a performance
that makes you appreciate Bart≤k's genius once again, and the
disc as a whole is a highly rewarding listening experience.
Recommended, absolutely!" 10/10 -- ClassicsToday.com
---
"...Jarvi continues a practice exemplified by the pairing of
these two works." -- Copley News Service
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"This is one of the most beautifully played and recorded
performances of the Bartok and Lutoslawski Concertos...The
orchestra's sound is dark and sumptuous...and it plays with
control..." -- American Record Guide
---
"Jarvi delivers a performance of the much-recorded Bartok that
is as carefully detailed as it is virtuosic. The Lutoslawski
is very sensitively played..." -- TurokÆs Choice
---
"Relish this one." -- Cincinnati Post
---
Performers:
Paavo JΣrvi - Conductor
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
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Find out more about the composers:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Lutos%C5%82awski
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C3%A9la_Bart%C3%B3k
Find out more about the orchestra:
http://www.cincinnatisymphony.org/
Buy the (SA)CD:
http://www.telarc.com/sacd/title.asp?sku=SACD-60618
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01-Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra - I. Intrada [07:19]
02-Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra - II. Capriccio, [06:29]
Notturno e Arioso
03-Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra - III. [16:13]
Passacaglia, Toccata e Corale
04-Lutoslawski: Fanfare for Louisville [01:37]
05-Bart≤k: Concerto for Orchestra - I. Introduzione [10:39]
06-Bart≤k: Concerto for Orchestra - II. Giuoco delle [06:49]
coppie
07-Bart≤k: Concerto for Orchestra - III. Elegia [07:54]
08-Bart≤k: Concerto for Orchestra - IV. Intermezzo [04:14]
interrotto
09-Bart≤k: Concerto for Orchestra - V. Finale [10:24]
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71:38 min