MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2023
Approaching 60,000 reviews
and more.. and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             

Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger

REVIEW
Plain text for smartphones & printers


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

Support us financially by purchasing
this through MusicWeb
for £12 postage paid world-wide.

Aram KHACHATURIAN (1903-1978)
Song-Poem (1929) [5:32]
Dance No.1* (1925) [2:31]
Elegy* (1925) [3:50]
Dance (1926) [4:13]
Sonata for Violin and Piano (1932) [16:08]
Masquerade (1940): Nocturne* [3:41]
Gayaneh (1942): Sabre Dance [2:28]; Ayesha’s Dance [3:21]; Nuneh’s Variation* [1:34]; Lullaby [4:38]
Spartacus (1954): Dance of Aegina* [2:33]; Grand Adagio* [7:47]
Hideko Udagawa (violin); Boris Berezovsky (piano)
rec. 5-6 July 2000, The Recital Hall, Purchase College, USA. DDD
Text included (* world premiere recordings)
NIMBUS NI6269 [58:16]

Although Khachaturian originally studied the piano he acquired a great familiarity with the violin while in this teens and some of his first compositions were for the violin. On this disc we have some of those early compositions as well as his Sonata from 1932 and violin versions of music from three of his stage works.
 
Khachaturian’s early works demonstrate his thorough absorption of the varied musical influences of his native Tbilisi. You can also hear his great enthusiasm for Impressionism, especially for the music of Ravel. This is especially evident in the languorous Elegy and the motoric Dance No. 1. The Dance from 1926 is slightly more distinctive with able contrast of its two themes. The Song Poem is written in homage to the wandering musicians of the Caucasus and evidences the Khachaturian we are familiar with, especially in its final pages. Udagawa’s playing here is very incisive while the accompaniment by Berezovsky is rather dreamy. This would not at first seem to be a good fit but actually works well given the varied characteristics of these early works.
 
The two-movement Violin Sonata was one of the first works to bring Khachaturian serious attention. The slow movement alternates typically rhapsodic elements with tense episodes before relaxing into a beautiful central section. The Allegro is less folk-like than the preceding movement and has a driven first section followed by a thoughtful second which the composer skilfully blends into a solid structure. Udagawa plays the Sonata in a slightly hurried fashion, but definitely puts the piece across.
 
Khachaturian himself arranged the famous Nocturne from Masquerade for violin and piano. Udagawa and Berezovsky perform it in a fashion more flowing than dramatic. This could also be said of the Lullaby from the ballet Gayaneh although the other selections are very poetically done. Udagawa and Berezovsky are at their best with the Spartacus selections: Aegina’s music is appropriately cynical and the adagio for Spartacus and Phrygia is truly moving.
 
These recordings originally appeared on Koch International in 2003 (see review). The Nimbus transfer is quite effective and the notes informative, although I must mention that the opus numbers have been left out of the text. However this disc provides an excellent example of ensemble playing as well as showcasing Udagawa’s flair for Khachaturian (see review). In addition it is the best available recording of the Violin Sonata.

William Kreindler