Baltic Inspiration
Arvydas MALCYS (b 1957)
Blackthorn Eyes (1999, version for piano quartet 2004) [12:25]
Hyacinth of the Snowfields (2012) [11:07]
Milky Way (2002, version for piano quartet 2012) [8:59]
Pēteris VASKS (b 1946)
Piano Quartet (2001) [34:11]
Ippolitov-Ivanov Piano Quartet
rec. 2015, Great Hall, Lithuanian National Philharmonic, Vilnius, Lithuania (Malcys); 2017, CineLab SoundMix, Moscow, Russia (Vasks)
NAXOS 8.574073 [66:49]
Entitling an album ‘Baltic Inspiration’ is jarring on one level as it applies something of a cultural etic whereby outsiders may assume that the commonalities between the composers of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia outnumber the differences. On the other hand if it gives talented composers who might otherwise be overlooked a degree of exposure perhaps the styling can be forgiven. In this case the ‘unknown quantity’ (at least to those of us in the UK) is the Lithuanian Arvydas Malcys; on this showing his music is of a very different cast to that of the Latvian Pēteris Vasks, by now a more familiar figure with a discography to match his burgeoning reputation. This new Naxos issue concentrates on their output for piano quartet, a medium which, as Richard Whitehouse points out in the note, seems to be rather less fashionable in contemporary music than the piano trio or quintet.
As far as I can make out this is the fifth recording of Vasks’ fine work; it has previously appeared twice on the Solo Musica label alone, each time coupled with Brahms (Et Arsis Piano Quartet on SM248; Ensemble Raro on SM119 - review), as well as on MDG with Vasks’ Piano Trio (Trio Parnassus – MDG 303 1513-2). My colleague Rob Barnett reviewed
what must have been its first incarnation on disc, coupled with the Piano Quartet No 1 by Vasks’ compatriot Tālivaldis Ķeniņš (on the unheralded Latvian label Ulma). It’s an impressive pedigree for a piece not yet twenty years old and while I haven’t heard any of the competition this new reading by the Ippolitov-Ivanov Piano Quartet conveys its thoughtful, singing qualities most eloquently. The work is a typical Vasks slow-burner and consequently pacing is everything. The entire six movement structure builds carefully from a gentle two chord motif heard at the outset of the Preludio and as is Vasks’ wont each successive phrase seems to be subtly extended and varied to the point that a style which initially seems to have significant folk and minimalist leanings eventually proves to embody much more. There is abundant grace and symmetry in the work’s architecture; the Danze seems to rely on a call and response dialogue between piano and strings but the third movement, aptly named Canti drammatici, presents more intensely worked material that retains the composer’s lyrical soul which is here manipulated to more expressive ends. Piano and strings seem at times to inhabit independent spheres, viola and cello occasionally coalescing in drone accompaniment. A Quasi una passacaglia panel is tinged by dance figures and even suggests odd klezmer flavours. Its conclusion is as acerbic and histrionic as the quartet gets. As its name suggests, the subsequent Canto principale carries the weightiest content in the piece, its touchingly beautiful cello-led ‘song’ emerging organically from the Bartokian textures of its opening. The ensemble’s cellist Sergey Ananich renders this with admirable restraint. The Naxos sound is mostly well-managed, but the piano, whose part is predominantly chordal tends towards the clangorous at the loudest climaxes – this is arguably more noticeable in the less agitated sound world of Vasks than in the livelier Malcys pieces (which were in any case recorded a couple of years earlier at a different venue). After the intense climax of the Canto the music drifts into a Postludio which acts as a counterbalance to the opening. A passage of descending piano figures over a solitary violin seems most affecting. The Ippolitov – Ivanovs seem fully in tune with Vasks’ yearning lyricism; they give a winning performance of a work which is consistently absorbing and emotionally charged.
Vasks’ Piano Quartet follows the three shorter pieces by Arvydas Malcys, each of which differ from it conspicuously in terms of mood, if not accessibility. All three pieces have delightfully picturesque titles, but like another much better-known figure from the one Baltic nation not represented on this album, judging by the comprehensive list of his work which features on the estimable Lithuanian Music Information Centre
website, Malcys is an inveterate tinkerer who arranges and revises many of his works for different instrumental combinations. In the listing I have retained the dates Naxos have provided, though each of these pieces exist in multiple versions and the LMIC suggests the arrangement dates may not be entirely accurate.
In Blackthorn Eyes (a piece previously recorded on an LMIC sampler CD ‘Zoom In’ – New Music from Lithuania) the initial string rustlings seem to be going nowhere until the piano turns up with a distinctive rhythmic profile. The keyboard dominates the tiny string responses until at 3:20 an unusual syncopated episode materialises which hints at a heavy rock beat. This is snuffed out by calmer music before a wilder, rather unhinged section involving the piano exhausts itself, leaving a residue of quietly gossiping strings (I wondered at this point if the work’s title could be an unlikely allusion to an ophthalmic condition resulting from over-indulgence at the Taunton Cider Fayre). Blackthorn Eyes is brittle, propulsive and attractive – Malcys’ music is varied and intricate and he is careful to avoid overworking his best ideas. The Ippolitov-Ivanov group perform the piece with admirable zeal while the recording seems a tad more resilient at its loudest points than the Vasks’ coupling.
The evocatively named Hyacinth of the Snowfields begins with a rather exotic theme which is reprised on the piano before music of increased tension. Malcys plays around with these contrasting ideas before a sustained deep chord augurs a playful episode rich in funky minimalism. The flow of the work begins to shift between a mood of tentative restlessness and more songful, folk-like material. At one point in the latter part of the work the strings seem to imitate a harmonium. Subsequently a delightful melody breaks out of the texture as the piece winds down towards a final iteration of the original idea and an abrupt conclusion.
The briefer Milky Way initially seems to owe a more obvious debt to Reichian minimalism, but if anything this impression relates more to the instrumental timbre than the actual notes or rhythms. Milky Way is both folky and vibrant, its repetitions subordinate to Malcys’ imaginative melodic layering and attractive harmonic progressions. After some intermittently spicy dissonances the piece slows at 3:00 to become more mellow and reflective. The central part of the work seems a little fragmented, but at 4:50 a short propulsive passage dissolves into a rather sepulchral sequence rich in slow but flowing string melody. This is underpinned by piano accompaniment which would not shame Burt Bacharach before a final reference to the work’s opening pre-empts its conclusion.
These three short works by Arvydas Malcys suggest a composer who makes pieces which dance vigorously and sing mellifluously by turn. He has a fine ear for colour which I strongly suspect would translate well into other forms – I note he has written at least four symphonies and it would doubtless be interesting to sample his orchestral work. In the context of this disc his pieces provide an apt foil for the more substantial piece by Pēteris Vasks. Unwieldy as the group’s name is, the Ippolitov-Ivanov Piano Quartet provide both composers with unflinching commitment. In the main the Naxos recording is very fine. If the unusual repertoire appeals sufficiently adventurous collectors are unlikely to regret their modest investment.
Richard Hanlon
