Mihkel Kerem (b. 1981)
Symphony No.3 'For the Victims of Communism' (2003)
Lamento, for solo viola and strings (2008/2009)
String Sextet (2004)
Estonian National Symphony Orchestra,
Tallinn Chamber Orchestra/Mikk Murdvee (viola)
Tallinn Ensemble
rec. 2012, Estonia Concert Hall & Fraternity Hall, House of Blackheads, Tallinn, Estonia
TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC0173 [65]
I have to applaud the good folks at Toccata Classics for their releases of unknown repertoire this year: symphonic works of de Hartmann (review; review) and Spoliansky (review)
have been really pleasant surprises that have enriched my listening
experiences immeasurably. To these I can now personally add a 2013 release
of twenty-first century music by the Estonian composer Mihkel Kerem, which I
now have the pleasure of reviewing as a download.
By all accounts, Mihkel Kerem is a very busy man. Not only is he the Assistant Concertmaster of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, but he also has engagements as a violin soloist and has composed some 170 works. Listening blind to his Third Symphony from 2003, you'd be forgiven for thinking you were listening to Shostakovich's Sixteenth Symphony. Its opening movement, an Adagio that starts with slow, darkly rocking basses underpinning a solo flute, immediately recalls the brooding atmosphere of the older composer's mighty Eighth Symphony, an impression reinforced by its second, central movement, a Vivacissimo, that instantly recalls one of Shostakovich's grim, yet humorous, scherzos. However, the great Russian composer would never have been able to subtitle any work of his "For the victims of Communism", nor would he have dared let any of his scherzos so obviously descend into nightmarish horror as Kerem does here, the woodwinds' "screams" clearly representing those victims of the title. The final movement, marked Grave and clearly is just that: pure desolation; it put me in mind of the final movement of Vaughan Williams' Sixth Symphony, except the musical language is considerably more modern and clearly Kerem's own now - it's as if he has picked up the baton of Shostakovich and, unshackled by the restraints that held back the older composer, has taken it to a place where he is able to hold a mirror up to the true horror and misery of a Communist, or indeed any other, dictatorship. I found this 26-minute symphony to be absorbing and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who enjoys Shostakovich; it is both accessible and powerful music.
The couplings are not only generous, but demonstrate the breadth of Kerem’s output as a composer. The 26-minute Sextet for Strings differs from the symphony not just in the forces involved, but also in style. Gone are the high-rise desolation and horror of the symphony, to be replaced by something more akin to Schoenberg, in particular his Verklärte Nacht, but make no mistake, Kerem is a distinctive voice and the piece is wonderfully moving and satisfying on its own terms.
So too is the ten-minute Lamento for solo viola and string orchestra; its sombre atmosphere, with deep, dark basses underpinning the melody may initially recall John Tavener's Song for Athene (if without its radiant climax), but again it is a fine and original piece of writing.
For those who would normally shy away from ‘modern music’, let alone material written in the twenty-first century, this release could be a welcome and, indeed, very pleasant surprise. It is extremely well and idiomatically played by the Estonian National SO under Mikk Murdvee, who is also the viola soloist in the Lamento; it is also in excellent sound, whether on compact disc, or in either of the download options. The notes are written by the composer himself. Much credit must be given to Toccata Classics once again for this release.
Lee Denham
Previous review: Byzantion
