THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 19, 1995 TAG: 9503170062
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E11 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: RECORD REVIEWS
LENGTH: Medium: 77 lines
Romanesca, Biber Violin Sonatas (Harmonia Mundi); Kim Kashkashian and Keith Jarrett, Sonatas for Viola da Gamba (ECM New Series) - These discs will please any Baroque enthusiast. The ensemble Romanseca premieres eight violin sonatas by the Bohemian composer Ignaz Franz von Biber, while Keith Jarrett and Kim Kashkashian collaborate on an effervescent recording of three sonatas by J.S. Bach.
The inventiveness, virtuosity and sheer beauty of Biber's 1688 sonatas rival those of any comparable Corelli trio sonatas. Biber's brilliant Passacaglia for solo violin, often considered a forerunner of Bach's D Minor Chaconne, has violinist Andrew Manze spinning a wild maze of music from a skimpy four-note bass figure. There's not a moment of boredom in the work's 10 minutes.
Manze is the shining star of the recording. His playing is colorful and sprightly, with flawless intonation. He lets go on the engaging ``Sonata Representativa,'' imitating such non-musical sounds as frogs, birds and cats and unleashing a ropming ``Musketeer's March.''
While the violin has pride of place in the Biber, viola and harpsichord have equal standing in the Bach. Crossover artist Keith Jarrett, a jazz pianist par excellence, proves himself equally at home in classical repertoire. He is no stranger to Bach's music, having made fine recordings of the French Suites and ``Goldberg'' Variations.
Here Jarrett and virtuoso violist Kim Kashkashian deliver outstanding performances, marred only by occasional breathing noises. The music is jocular and bubbling one moment, noble and dignified the next. Kashkashian is dazzling in her interpretations. She makes the viola sound like its ancestor, the viola da gamba, without strain or compromise.
- Terry Joy
Haydn, Symphonies c. 1768-71, vol. 6 (L'Oiseau-Lyre) - Christopher Hogwood and the Academy of Ancient Music are among the best-known and most experienced of historic-performance groups. They are now engaged in recording all of Haydn's symphonies in a scholarly edition with authentic instruments. This latest volume features six symphonies from Haydn's ``Sturm und Drang'' (storm and stress) period, works that highlight dramatic contrasts, sudden changes of mood and an expansion of the expressive possibilities of symphonic form.
These performances succeed in presenting the music in a manner that allows Haydn to speak for himself, free of any interpretative distortions. The color and sharpness of texture that the historic instruments bring into focus highlight the endless variety and enjoyment to be found in these symphonies. If Hogwood and his group can maintain this level of response to the composer's music, then the remaining volumes of the series (15 in all) may be eagerly anticipated.
- Paul Sayegh
Haydn, Symphonies 94, 98, 104 (RCA); Orff, ``Carmina Burana'' (RCA) - Conductor Leonard Slatkin, the incoming music director of Washington's National Symphony Orchestra, leads engaging and fresh renditions of three of Haydn's late symphonies. The orchestra is London's Philharmonia, so this is not period-instrument Haydn. Nevertheless, the performances are stylish, with the various orchestral choirs well-balanced; the strings don't swamp Haydn's wind writing. The music's infectious energy and humor come through well. As the disc is labeled Vol. 1, further installments may be expected.
Back on more familiar 20th century ground, Slatkin leads his own St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and Chorus in Carl Orff's popular ``Carmina Burana,'' a setting of medieval lyrics celebrating the earthier side of life and love. The soloists - soprano Sylvia McNair, tenor John Aler and baritone Hakan Hagegard - are excellent, especially McNair in her seductive ``In trutina.'' Slatkin drives hard in places and achieves an epic quality in the work's grandiose conclusion.
- Paul Sayegh MEMO: To hear excerpts from these recordings, call Infoline at 640-5555 and
punch 6275.
by CNB