add to wish list | library


2 of 2 recommend this,
would you recommend it?

yes | no

Support this site by purchasing from these vendors using the paid links below. As an Amazon Associate SA-CD.net earns from qualifying purchases.
 
amazon.ca
amazon.co.uk
amazon.com
amazon.de
 
amazon.fr
amazon.it
 
jpc

Reviews: Piano Works during and after Russian Futurism, Vol. 1 - Thomas Günther

read discussion

Reviews: 1

Review by canonical February 14, 2010 (7 of 8 found this review helpful)
Performance:   Sonics:  
This SACD features solo piano works of the Russian Avante Garde by the following 3 composers:

* Nikolaj Obuchov (1892-1964): various works for solo piano
* Ivan Wyschnegradsky (1893-1979): Two Preludes for piano + Etude sur le Carré Magique Sonore op 40
* Sergej Protopopov (1893-1954): Piano Sonata No.2 Op. 5


The period of Russian Futurism (at least in Russia itself) ends in 1929 with a crackdown on the avante-garde and the surgency of socialist realism, though some of the works here were written as late as 1957. Related composers include Mossolov, Lourié and Roslavetz. They have a distinctive sound ... not entirely serial like Western avante-garde music of the time (Schoenberg etc), but rather "tonal complex" ... something you might get if you combine Scriabin and Prokofiev with a twist of madness thrown in ... a distinct musical form that undoubtedly influenced Messiaen, and which is vastly more provocative than the French impressionists. It is almost like a missing cog in Western musical development. I find the form (tonal complex) to be ultimately far more satisfying than Western serialism, perhaps because although it is difficult and abstracted, it maintains a tonal structure ... a grounding.


Performance:
The repertoire itself is extremely difficult ... Pianist Thomas Günther gives a credible performance ... though sometimes missing a certain surety, fluidity and confidence in execution. The dynamic range of his performance sounds blanketed and compressed.

The Piano Sonata No 2 by Protopopov (1924) is a dazzling and outrageously difficult piece. I prefer the version on Redbook CD (Hat Hut Records: Soviet Avant-Garde) with Steffen Schleiermacher. The Schleiermacher performance is more dynamic, more certain, more fluid, and it sounds better, even though it is just Redbook CD.


Recording Sound:
The recording sound of this SACD is disappointing ... The piano sound is muffled, as if played with the lid closed or with a blanket on top. I think it lacks transparency, or clarity of sound. Especially with repertoire such as this, one expects the base of the piano to dazzle, the piano to zing ... especially in a DSD recording ... but this is missing. There is no zing. It is dead. Flat. Grey.


Program notes: excellent notes, but confusing layout, with the German and English pages interspersed with each other. The English text disappears down the spine of the booklet making it difficult to read, yet there are huge white margins on the open side of the page??? Function before form, please. The track number presentation on the rear of the CD box is woefully small, with an equally poor layout that makes it difficult to identify individual tracks.


Recording date: Nov 2008
Resolution: DSD recording
SuperJewel Box: No (digipack) - not likely to last long

Performance: 3.5 stars
Recording: 3 stars (stereo track)

Summary: Interesting repertoire worth exploring, but let down by a mediocre recording.

Was this review helpful to you?  yes | no