Achron, J: Liebeswidmung, Op. 51

Admired by Schoenberg (who described him as ‘one of the most underestimated of modern composers’), Joseph Achron was a boundary defying violinist-composer of extraordinary gifts. He drew on his Jewish faith to profound effect, from the early influence of his cantor father to his enthusiastic championing of the Society for Jewish Folk Music (which did for Jewish music what Bartók did for Eastern European folk culture). It’s hardly surprising that much of Achron’s music is for violin—he was a consummate player himself and a prolific recitalist. But what’s striking is how varied and exploratory his output is, delighting in experimentation, as the wonderfully named Suite bizarre demonstrates, just as much as the direct emotionalism of his transcriptions of Hebraic melodies. Who better to present this music than two artists steeped in similar traditions to Achron: Hagai Shaham and Arnon Erez.

The title, taken from the opening Gershwin track, says it all. Each of the gems presented here by Austrian violinist David Frühwirth tells its own unique and captivating Short Story. David takes the listener on a musical journey through Western and Eastern Europe with an intriguing collection of miniatures, many by virtuoso violinists of the 19th and 20th centuries who applied their personal touch to the range and idiosyncrasies of their instrument to create these small but perfectly formed masterpieces. Works by relative unknowns such as Joseph Achron, Ovid Musin and Hans Sitt mingle with popular transcriptions by Kreisler, and arrangements of works by Glazunov, Ravel and Weill, including several world-premiere recordings.

David Frühwirth garnered international attention with his Gramophone Editor’s Choice Avie debut, Trails of Creativity (AV 0009). On Short Stories, he applies the same ingenuity for seeking out unknown but deserving and striking repertoire.