Availability
CD: Coda

Boris Tchaikovsky, who has the lion’s share of this release, is the red thread since most composers featured here studied at the Gnessin Academy where Tchaikovsky and Golovin taught. On the other hand it does not mean that they all studied either with Tchaikovsky or Golovin. In fact, Ksenia Prassolova and Petr Klimov studied with Golovin whereas Stanislav Prokudin was Tchaikovsky’s first student when the latter began teaching at the Gnessin Academy. Incidentally, all but one of these composers also shared another homage disc of cello music in which the most substantial work was Tchaikovsky’s large-scale Cello Sonata - once available on Boheme CDBMR 308272. No mere coincidence.
 
Tchaikovsky’s works recorded here date from various periods of his composing career. Passacaglia and Fugue was composed in the mid-1940s during his early studies at the Moscow Conservatory. The short suite drawn from the film Anyuta dates from 1960 and the Sextet from 1990. The most substantial item is the Sextet for wind quintet and harp completed in 1990 and thus one of Tchaikovsky’s last important works. The music is typical of the composer’s maturity and displays clear lines, often subtle writing for winds as well as some child-like (but by no means childish) innocence which is a hallmark of Tchaikovsky’s music-making. In much of the composer’s output, no matter how serious the music, conflicts are often resolved by some simple tunes, although never without gentle irony. You can hear this in the last movement of the Chamber Symphony or in the last song of the very attractive and often touching song-cycle Last Spring (1980). The music of the Sextet is bright, but not dazzling. “Not the blinding noonday sun of the Sebastopol Symphony, but the soft rays of a setting sun in autumn” to quote the very apt words of Petr Klimov in his insert notes. The music also often displays light touches that remind one of, say, Francis Poulenc. This is a very attractive work that should become popular although the instrumental line-up is rather unusual. As already mentioned, the Passacaglia and Fugue (flute, oboe, clarinet, horn, violin, viola, cello and double bass) is an early work in which Shostakovich’s influence may still be experienced although much of the writing already points to the composer’s mature style. The short suite from the film Anyuta (two flutes, clarinet, bass clarinet, cello and piano) consists of five very short vignettes of great charm and not without humour.
 
As can be seen from the above details, the other pieces are all fairly short. The exception is Prischepa’s The Two for clarinet and cello completed in 2004. It plays for a quarter of an hour. At the other end of the scale, Petr Klimov contributes the shortest work here: Moments Musicaux (oboe, horn and piano) all over in less than two minutes. Most works are very fine indeed although none of them really breaks any new ground. On the other hand none of them outstays its welcome so that the whole programme may be enjoyed for its variety.
 
All in all, this is a very fine release with fine performances in very good recorded sound. It may be enjoyed from first to last. It should of course appeal to all admirers of Boris Tchaikovsky’s music, were it only for his fine Sextet - the real gem here. Well worth exploring.
 
Hubert Culot
 

Return to Review Index