This album offers delightful chamber music of Giya Kancheli, regarded as one of Georgia’s greatest composers. The 18 Miniatures for violin and piano draw from...

This album offers delightful chamber music of Giya Kancheli, regarded as one of Georgia’s greatest composers. The 18 Miniatures for violin and piano draw from music Kancheli wrote for plays and films. As he explains, he chose “the themes I especially cherish” for this set. His trio, Middelheim, is dedicated to the doctors of the Middelheim Hospital in Antwerp, where Kancheli received a dramatic resuscitation in the winter of 2016. About the Miniatures, Kancheli said, “While dedicating myself to symphonic and chamber music, I simultaneously wrote music for the stage and screen. No wonder, then, that certain themes originally intended for plays and films made their way into my larger works. ”Piet Koornhof has recorded many albums for Delos, including Violin Plus One and Frolov & Friends, both with pianist Albie Van Schalkwyk, who also performs with Koornhof on this album. They are joined by cellist Susan Mouton for the mesmerizing Trio, Middelheim. Together, these works take the listener on a fascinating journey.

REVIEW:

These are late works, and both are worthy of attention. …there will be listeners who buy this CD and listen to the 18 Miniatures with a rapt expression on their face… These performances, by three South African musicians recorded in that country, seem very good… Middelheim, like many of Kancheli’s works, challenges performers to keep the music moving forward even when the tempo is close to glacial, and Koornhof, Mouton, and van Schalkwyk surmount that challenge. The engineering is excellent, and the booklet note by Sandro Kancheli, the composer’s son, complements the music well.

-- Fanfare