COMPOSERS: Schnittke
LABELS: DG Masters
WORKS: Concerto Grosso No. 1; Quasi una sonata; Moz-Art à la Haydn; A Paganini
PERFORMER: Gidon Kremer (violin, director), Tatiana Grindenko (violin), Yuri Smirnov (piano, harpsichord, prepared piano)Chamber Orchestra of Europe/Heinrich Schiff
CATALOGUE NO: 445 520-2 DDD (1986)
The solo violin has always been a most important vehicle for Schnittke’s celebrated polystylism. In this performance of the 1977 Concerto Grosso, Grindenko and Kremer make an excellent duo team, shouldering the burden of Baroque quotations and harsh counterpoints with flair and integrity. Moz-Art à la Haydn, also from 1977, is as joky as its title. More serious are the gritty Quasi una sonata and the pure pyrotechnics of A Paganini. Nicholas Williams
Schnittke: Concerto Grosso No. 1; Quasi una sonata; Moz-Art à la Haydn; A Paganini
The solo violin has always been a most important vehicle for Schnittke’s celebrated polystylism. In this performance of the 1977 Concerto Grosso, Grindenko and Kremer make an excellent duo team, shouldering the burden of Baroque quotations and harsh counterpoints with flair and integrity. Moz-Art à la Haydn, also from 1977, is as joky as its title. More serious are the gritty Quasi una sonata and the pure pyrotechnics of A Paganini. Nicholas Williams
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:32 pm