JOSEF SUK, VIOLIN, LINCOLN MAYORGA, PIANO, STEVEN RICHMAN, CONDUCTOR, DVORAK FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA OF NEW YORK; "Dvorak Day Concert" (Music & Arts)***
LEIF OVE ANDSNES, PIANO; Grieg: "Lyric Pieces" (EMI) *** 1/2
GIDON KREMER, KREMERATA BALTICA; Enescu: Octet, op. 7; Quintet, op. 29 (Nonesuch)*** 1/2
A few years ago, a statue of Czech composer Antonin Dvorak was unveiled in New York City, across the street from the house where he lived between 1892-95, and where he wrote the "New World" Symphony and the Sonatina for Violin and Piano, op. 100.
There was also a concert of Dvorak's music to mark the occasion, arranged by violinist Josef Suk, Dvorak's great-grandson, and conductor Steven Richman — which has now been released on CD.
The major work on this album is Dvorak's Symphony No. 9 ("From the New World"). Richman's interpretation of this ever-popular work is noted for its leisurely tempos and indulgent nature. This is a safe, but solid, performance. It's also decidedly pale and somewhat lifeless.
However, the ensemble playing by the Dvorak Festival Orchestra of New York is remarkable for its attentiveness to details, dynamics and nuances. This is surprising, given that it was made up of members from several New York orchestras, including the Philharmonic, as well as musicians from the Prague Symphony and the Janacek Philharmonic, and was assembled specifically for this concert.
The real gem on this CD is the charming and all-too-seldom played Sonatina for Violin and Piano, op. 100. Suk and pianist Lincoln Mayorga give an engaging and thoroughly enjoyable performance that captures the gentle lyricism and sunny character of this piece perfectly.
The album includes the "Fanfare" Dvorak wrote for the 1891 Prague Exposition and Fritz Kreisler's arrangement of the well-known "Humoresque" in G flat major, op. 101, no. 7. Also on this CD is the first recording of the orchestral arrangement of "Deep River" by Harry T. Burleigh, an African-American singer and composer who was Dvork's student and assistant in New York.
IN RECENT YEARS, Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes has been making quite a name for himself in the United States and Europe as one of the most talented pianists and consummate artists of his generation. And on his new EMI album, "Grieg: Lyric Pieces," he shows himself to be the foremost exponent of his countryman's music.
Grieg's "Lyric Pieces," of which he wrote more than 60, and which span his creative life, are among the most charming, unpretentious and poetic pieces ever written for piano. In them, Grieg lets his natural gift for melody take flight.
These short "Lyric Pieces" are vignettes that evoke a fleeting mood or momentary feeling. Even though many aren't technically difficult, they all demand the utmost from the pianist. And with Andsnes, this music has found its natural interpreter.
For this album, Andsnes has selected 24 pieces, which he plays on Grieg's own piano at the composer's home in Troldhaugen. From the vividly colorful "Norwegian Melody" (op. 12, no. 6) to the wistful "Melody" (op. 47, no. 3) to the fanciful "March of the Trolls" (op. 54, no. 3), Andsnes captures the particular charm of each piece with his wonderfully sensitive, insightful and intuitive interpretations. This is a CD that is a pure joy to listen to from start to finish.
REMEMBERED TODAY mainly for his two "Romanian Rhapsodies," George Enescu was a prolific composer who started writing music at a young age, eventually composing a number of symphonies, chamber music pieces and works for the stage. Criticized during his lifetime for being an imitator rather than an innovator, most of Enescu's music fell into obscurity after his death in 1955.
Violinist Gidon Kremer and his Kremerata Baltica have revived two of the Romanian composer's chamber pieces on their recent Nonesuch recording — the Octet, op. 7, and the Quintet, op. 29.
The Octet is an early work, written in 1900 when Enescu was only 19. Performed here by string orchestra, rather than eight solo instruments, the work reveals itself to be a highly charged emotional journey, not unlike Schoenberg's "Transfigured Night," also composed at the dawn of the 20th century. Kremer and his ensemble give an incisive reading of this work that captures the inherent drama and intense ardor of the music.
Totally different in character is the Quintet, which is recorded here for the first time. Written 40 years after the Octet, the Quintet, which features the young Lithuanian pianist Andrius Zlabys with members of the Kremerata, hints at French impressionism. Reminiscent at times of Ravel's Piano Trio, the music in the Quintet is abstract and bleak, yet strangely evocative and compelling in its intensely compacted manner of expression. And the five artists give a powerful reading that captures the fierce expressiveness of the music.
E-mail: ereichel@desnews.com