Various Composers - Virtuoso And Romantic Violin Encores [Znaider/ Gortler]Nikolaj Znaider is actually Danish, for some crazy reason i thought he was Russian or East European, he'll be 35 soon, but already he's making a big name for himself, not merely yet another phenomenal young violin player, but something more, he sounds very old school, his Brahms Violin Sonatas with Bronfman are very special, he's got a great future ahead of him.
So here he is with a recital of chamber music pieces, 'encores' as it says on the booklet, short pieces played after the main course, very much to bedazzle and entertain in a more lighthearted way.
However some of these pieces are more deeper than mere ending showpieces, on this recital i was struck by Achron's 'Hebrew Melody' [track 8], which is not what would be considered melodious, it sounds so much more like a lament or dirge, after dark piano chords, the violin comes in very sombre [0:25-1:24], in some ways it can sound like wailings at a funeral, the violin and piano play the same tune in the higher registers [1:25-2:20], and the whole thing sounds a shade less sad, the piano plays deep bass notes as well as high treble notes simultaneously [1:50+], very effective, then comes a new sad theme, maybe lighter in ways, maybe more bittersweet in others [2:21-3:10], but a great subtle change of direction, the whole thing becomes more emotional and virtuosic [3:11-4:20], the main theme comes back, this time very high in the violin stratosphere, with simple treble notes in the piano [4:39-5:49], the piece ends without any resolution, in some ways fairly unsatisfactorily, but this adds to the sadness of the whole thing, a really heartwrenching piece, and Znaider knows how to play those notes that tug at your heart, a piece really worth getting to know.
Here's Yuri Beliavsky playing Achron's Hebrew Melody on YouTube.
Article = Christopher Whiting, 'The Search For Perfection'
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