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Signs, Games, Messages - Violin Sonatas from Eastern Europe / Jennifer Koh, Wosner
Cedille

Signs, Games, Messages - Violin Sonatas from Eastern Europe / Jennifer Koh, Wosner

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Details

Composer
JANACEK KURTAG BARTOK
Artist
Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner
Format
CD
Label
Cedille
Released
Oct 29, 2013
Catalog #
CDR 143
UPC
735131914321

About

Grammy-nominated violinist Jennifer Koh and virtuoso pianist Shai Wosner play 20th century works by three remarkable Central European composers who intertwine folkloric influences with their own unmistakable originality. The album includes Leoš Janáček’s Moravian influenced Sonata for violin and piano, Béla Bartók’s impassioned Violin Sonata No. 1, and compelling miniatures by György Kurtág, including Tre Pezzi for violin and piano and selections from Signs, Games and Messages.

REVIEW:

Jennifer Koh studied with Felix Galimir at the Marlboro School and Jaime Laredo at the Curtis Institute; she won a silver medal at the 1994 International Tchaikovsky Competition (a year in which no gold was awarded) and has appeared with all the major American orchestras and many abroad. One may see her in action on YouTube, performing Paganini with the Chicago Symphony, displaying amazing aplomb and panache for an 11-year old, or for any age. She has tended to avoid the warhorses of the repertory, as her recordings—from Bach to Zorn—show.

In a brief discussion of this disc (also seen on YouTube), pianist Shai Wosner says “it’s intense music; we wanted to milk the most out of every bar.” Yet the Janá?ek performance strikes me as just the opposite: A silky violin and a gentle piano—in a warm, reverberant acoustic setting—emphasize the inherent beauty of this music rather than its intensity or its connections to folk music. Janá?ek’s spiky harmonies and jumpy, stabbing attacks are played down. Many listeners may prefer this Romantic-era approach, but it soft-pedals the composer’s essence, the character that makes him unique. For a more vibrant performance, try Gidon Kremer and Martha Argerich on DG, which John Wiser nailed (Fanfare 16:4) as having “a touch of Gypsy exoticism.”

György Kurtág has written what we call full-length works, but our attention has been focused on his many sets of miniatures. Signs, Games, and Messages (also the title of this disc) and Játékok (also “Games”) are both large collections of small pieces composed over many years. Are they completed? Only the composer could answer that question. The former are for “vn, va, vc, db in various combinations, as solos, duos, trios, qts.” (The New Grove II); these four are played here by the solo violin. Játékok are for piano, some with vocal additions—momentary noises rather than song or poetry. Tre Pezzi are for violin and piano; they are played together, as a three-movement work, whereas the other pieces are more or less randomly distributed around them (at the artists’ pleasure, of course), providing instrumental variety to these 27 minutes. But this variety may disrupt the accumulated effect of a Kurtág collection: a Mode CD has 24 Signs, Games, and Messages played by violist Maurizio Barbetti, and it is stunning—perhaps it is his magnificent performance, capturing every mood, every wry twist, that makes such a difference.

Koh and Wosner are superb in Bartók’s First Sonata. She expresses the full measure of the music without ever producing a single ugly or even awkward note; he is a powerhouse as well as a subtle presence. They do “milk the music” to its fullest intensity. It is astonishing that Koh’s elegant, liquid tones can be so assertive, matching Wosner at every step. There have been so many recordings of the Bartók sonatas, seemingly half of them by Gidon Kremer, often partnered, again, by Martha Argerich. Kremer takes a lighter view of the First Sonata than Koh—I am particularly partial to his 1972 Hungaroton recording with Yury Smirnov. Kremer’s playing has more edge than Koh, in two senses: He finds a special relish in the music, at the cost of some less than silky tones. I like the result, but listeners who prefer a purely beautiful violin should snap up this Cedille disc.

FANFARE: James H. North

Tracklist 20 tracks

  1. 1 I. Con moto 04:48
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Con moto
    Duration
    04:48
    Composer
    Leoš Janáček
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner
  2. 2 II. Ballada: Con moto 05:13
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Ballada: Con moto
    Duration
    05:13
    Composer
    Leoš Janáček
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner
  3. 3 III. Allegretto 02:38
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Allegretto
    Duration
    02:38
    Composer
    Leoš Janáček
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner
  4. 4 IV. Adagio 04:39
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Adagio
    Duration
    04:39
    Composer
    Leoš Janáček
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner
  5. 5 Doina 02:28
    Track
    5
    Title
    Doina
    Duration
    02:28
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Shai Wosner
  6. 6 Signs, Games and Messages for Violin: The Carenza Jig 00:45
    Track
    6
    Title
    Signs, Games and Messages for Violin: The Carenza Jig
    Duration
    00:45
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh
  7. 7 No. 1. Od und traurig 02:14
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 1. Od und traurig
    Duration
    02:14
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner
  8. 8 No. 2. Vivo 01:06
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 2. Vivo
    Duration
    01:06
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner
  9. 9 No. 3. Sehr leise, ausserst langsam 02:05
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 3. Sehr leise, ausserst langsam
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner
  10. 10 Alapelemek (Fundamentals) (2) 00:30
    Track
    10
    Title
    Alapelemek (Fundamentals) (2)
    Duration
    00:30
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Shai Wosner
  11. 11 Signs, Games and Messages for Violin: In memoriam Blum Thomas 03:08
    Track
    11
    Title
    Signs, Games and Messages for Violin: In memoriam Blum Thomas
    Duration
    03:08
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh
  12. 12 Mint az mezei viragoc … (Like the flowers of the field…) 01:52
    Track
    12
    Title
    Mint az mezei viragoc … (Like the flowers of the field…)
    Duration
    01:52
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Shai Wosner
  13. 13 Signs, Games and Messages for Violin: Anziksz Kellerannanak (Postcard to Anna Keller) 00:30
    Track
    13
    Title
    Signs, Games and Messages for Violin: Anziksz Kellerannanak (Postcard to Anna Keller)
    Duration
    00:30
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh
  14. 14 Magyar nyelvlecke kulfoldieknek (A Hungarian Lesson for Foreigners) 00:19
    Track
    14
    Title
    Magyar nyelvlecke kulfoldieknek (A Hungarian Lesson for Foreigners)
    Duration
    00:19
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Shai Wosner
  15. 15 Maros Judit es az anyakonyv (Fanfare to Judit Maros' wedding) 00:46
    Track
    15
    Title
    Maros Judit es az anyakonyv (Fanfare to Judit Maros' wedding)
    Duration
    00:46
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Shai Wosner
  16. 16 Les Adieux (in Janaceks Manier) 02:05
    Track
    16
    Title
    Les Adieux (in Janaceks Manier)
    Duration
    02:05
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Shai Wosner
  17. 17 Signs, Games and Messages for Violin: In Nomine - all'ongherese (Damjanich emlekko) 04:51
    Track
    17
    Title
    Signs, Games and Messages for Violin: In Nomine - all'ongherese (Damjanich emlekko)
    Duration
    04:51
    Composer
    György Kurtág
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh
  18. 18 I. Allegro appassionato 12:40
    Track
    18
    Title
    I. Allegro appassionato
    Duration
    12:40
    Composer
    Béla Bartók
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner
  19. 19 II. Adagio 12:11
    Track
    19
    Title
    II. Adagio
    Duration
    12:11
    Composer
    Béla Bartók
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner
  20. 20 III. Allegro 10:17
    Track
    20
    Title
    III. Allegro
    Duration
    10:17
    Composer
    Béla Bartók
    Performer
    Jennifer Koh, Shai Wosner