Szymanowski - Mythes [Suwanai/Moll] 

This is a lovely disc, a Japanese version of a Philips European release, the European disc is called 'Souvenir', and has a different cover, but is also very nice, but this is even better, i just love the pose / photography of Suwanai here, it's a disc of a nice mix, taking in four Composers, Tchaikovsky / Szymanowski / Rachmaninov / Wieniawski, so a Russian / Polish mix, this is actually the discs only second outing, even though of course i know many of the pieces from multiple playings on other discs, Suwanai's discs are fairly hard to come by, and now fetch quite a lot of money, i think i bought this disc for a small fortune from someone in Taiwan or Hong Kong [on Ebay], and an excellent quantity of music too [79 minutes].

Akiko Suwanai is Japanese, she's now 40, and she recorded this disc in 1996, the front cover picture [by Christian Steiner] is absolutely gorgeous, a stark almost black & white mono shot of Suwanai, the flowing black dress making a sort of pyramid she sits atop of, the lettering is wonderful, a really great visual product, it's a shame the back inlay isn't of an equal high standard, but it's still very good indeed, a wonderful disc to own.

Well i must admit that i was taken aback by the Rachmaninov 'Danse Hongroise', it's new to me, and i would like to get to know it better, but ultimately it was Szymanowski's Mythes that i found so compelling, evocative and otherworldly, they sound like they appear out of eerie mists, i usually find the opening 'The Fountain Of Arethusa' the best of all, however on this listening i was so taken by the last Mythe 'Dryads and Pan', Dryads are female tree nymphs, while Pan is a wild God with the lower body of a goat, and of course the fame of Pan is with his prowess with the pan pipes, and that's basically what's happening in this Mythe, Pan 'singing' to the tree nymphs, and the nymphs dancing / singing in reply, the branches rustle with the wind, and as the pan pipes are a wind instrument, the trees can 'sing',

Here's Janine Jansen playing Mythes on YouTube, Dryads and Pan starts at [14:00].

Szymanowski - String Quartet 2 [Carmina String Quartet] 

Now this is a truly unique String Quartet, and like a lot of Szymanowski music, it's so inventive and original, especially the opening at the start, you just know you're onto something special when it starts, these are also fairly short Quartets, each lasts just 17 or 18 minutes long, always cast in three movements, the only grumble is that the whole disc only lasts 45 minutes, but it's more than made up for in quality, i'm so glad i'm slowly delving into more of Szymanowski, i wrote about this in my Blog nearly 2 years ago [24th October 2010].

The Carmina String Quartet started up in Switzerland in the early Eighties, i get the idea they're Swiss, so  i'm not sure, they are still together and coming up to their 30th anniversary, they recorded this disc in 1991, the front cover shows the Quartet in full sunshine [photo by Jakob Thur], though not truly inspiring, it's quite well laid out.

Like i said, the first movement is just so inspired, it has you on the edge of your seat with excitement, the very opening is one of those 'wow!, what is this?' moments, an opening where the second violin and the viola play a quiet pulsating rhythm, over which the first violin plays an unearthly and eerie siren song, .

Here's the Belcea String Quartet playing the first movement on YouTube.

Szymanowski - Mythes [Hoelscher/Beroff] 

The music of Szymanowski is a closed book to many, he has this otherworldly exotic sound, in his best compositions there's a definite air of mystery, thick swirling sensuousness, his String Quartets are also fabulous, this double disc set is the compilation of two discs, disc one is for solo piano, and disc two is for violin and piano, the solo piano music i don't know so well, but the other disc contains music i've listened to a fair amount, i guess most of all he's very much like Scriabin, but maybe darker, this is the first time i've played these discs, and i'm still trying to delve deeper into Szymanowski, on disc one, the second piece from the 3 Mazurkas Op50 has a whiff of Satie's Gnossiennes about it, really rather affecting.

Ulf Hoelscher is German, he's now 68 or 69, and he recorded this disc in 1982,

The Mythes are three musical poems with Greek mythology in mind, the first one 'The Fountain Of Arethusa' is one of Szymanowski's best known works, high glassy violin playing, and the piano seems to drift in from Ravel's 'Gaspard De La Nuit', certainly the opening piano ripples sound like Ravel's 'Ondine' [0:00-0:15], and when the violin comes in [0:15+], it's full of that high treble mystery,

Here's Rika Masato playing 'The Fountain Of Arethusa' on YouTube.

Szymanowski - Nocturne And Tarantella [Krysa/ Tchekina]

Here's a nice disc i picked up, representing most of Szymanowski's works for violin and piano, it's amazing how many similar discs like this are around, and Szymanowski has a certain way with 'ghostly' melodies, tunes that come back to haunt you, very exotic in many ways, sort of like Scriabin but with more dissonance.

Oleh Krysa is Ukrainian, and is 69 years old, he made this recording in 1995, the Pianist on this recording, Tatiana Tchekina is his wife, the recording is quite reverberant, it somewhat gets on your nerves in fortissimos, too bassy and warm, needs to be more clinical, the front cover photo is a pleasing enough picture.

Ever since i first heard the Three Myths Op30, i was hooked on Szymanowski's soundworld, especially the opening 'The Fountain Of Arethusa', but on this listen it's the Nocturne & Tarantella that i was gripped by, the opening Nocturne is similar in nature to 'The Fountain Of Arethusa', probably why i like it so much, it has the Pianist at extremes of the keyboard, bass rumblings with the left hand, punctuated with odd treble tolling in the right [0:00-0:49], while at the same time the violin has a ghostly and eerie sliding around on the strings, a really lovely opening ethereal effect, and right after the violin plays high in the treble [0:53-1:46], very exotic, later the piano clanging in the treble is so effective, while the violin plays lazily [2:32-3:00], love the excellent hard pizzicato strumming from the violin [3:25-3:34], with the piano also playing loud and clangorous in the treble, the opening returns to some degree [4:04+], and the very closing pages are superb, with the violin sounding like pan pipes or something, [5:10-5:33], Szymanowski's a phenomenal master of the mood, and would have made a great film Composer, the following Tarantella is a tour de force, and as the name suggests is a demented dance, lots of squeaks, shrieks, and stamping pizzicato moments, i like the way the violin plays these loud pizzicato outbursts [3:45-3:58], very pointedly done, and again later sounding like some demented lazy woodwind instrument [4:33-4:45], right at the very end the violin slides down the strings to die [5:31-5:38], a clever ending, and a superb piece of music.

Here's the Nocturne & Tarantella played on YouTube by Anita Wasik.

Szymanowski - String Quartet 2 [The Carmina String Quartet]

The String Quartets of Szymanowski are not exactly well known, they still remain closed unexplored to too many people, even within the Classical world, but like say the Janacek or the Smetana String Quartets, they are starting to break out of their unknown shell.

These Quartets are not huge forty minute statements like the best of Beethoven or Schubert, but almost miniatures by comparison, each lasts well under twenty minutes, each is also cast away from the usual four movement models created by Haydn and Mozart, and Szymanowski wisely creates his own individual ideas in a couple of three movement works.

The Carmina String Quartet here are made up of,

Matthias Enderle - Violin

Susanne Frank - Violin

Wendy Champney - Viola

Stephen Goerner - Cello

They have been going since 1984, and still have the original line up, i believe they received a Gramophone award for this disc, which propelled them into the limelight, they have been stuck on the Denon Label, which has less exposure than other well known labels, but it's is one of the very best innovative labels out there, Denon discs are very desireable, they recorded this disc in 1991.

The Second String Quartet inhabits that same world as his Mythes [especially The Fountain Of Arethusa], and Notturno [from Notturno E Tarantella], ghostly and mysterious, i very much enjoyed the first movement, it starts with a very original quiet and gentle chugging away in the background, by i take it the second violin and the viola [0:00+], over this the first violin comes in, and it has an almost sinister use of its high registers, to create a tune full of mystery and intrigue [0:05-0:42], this is what Szymanowski is so good at, the cello adds to the violin atmosphere [0:40+], and eventually the chugging stops, and instead there's a degree of pizzicato [0:51+], there's a very inventive passage just after this [1:19-1:45], the first violin plays high [1:19+], the cello mirrors quietly at the other end of the spectrum [1:26+], and the chugging starts up again [1:27+], Szymanowski's a master at this, right after this there's glassy glissando's [1:46+], later the first violin creates some nice out of tune woodwind effects [2:49+], very atmospheric, with quiet but busy strings in the background, the opening returns again towards the end [4:58+], and with everything that's gone on before, this is a glorious refreshing, hearing things again really throws them into your memory banks, the conclusion is that Szymanowski is the master of highly original sonorities, his String Quartets are worth getting to know, and i enjoyed the acquaintance today.

Here's The Carmina Quartet playing the first movement of the Second String Quartet on YouTube.