Khachaturian: Concerto-Rhapsody for violin & orchestra

Hideko Udagawa returns to disc on Signum with a new album of Russian Romantic music from Aram Khachaturian and Sergei Lyapunov.

The two composers represented here symboliSe two entirely different eras in Russian music – Lyapunov from the end of the Romanov Empire and Khachaturian from the height of the Soviet Union – yet their works are perhaps more an expression of continuities, of perennial concerns for Russian composers, such as the need to integrate folkloric elements with the demands of sophisticated musical structures for concert performance, and adherence to the great Russian traditions of violin-playing that go back to the middle of the 19th century.

Ms. Udagawa is a renowned exponent of the Russian romantic tradition, and this disc follows two previous releases with Signum: Rachmaninov, Works for Piano and Violin (SIGCD164) and Romantic Novelties for Violin and Orchestra (SIGCD224).

Armenia’s greatest composer Aram Khachaturian received both acclaim and criticism from the Soviet regime, including the USSR State Prize for his three Concerto-Rhapsodies. “A concerto is music with chandeliers burning bright; a rhapsody is music with chandeliers dimmed, and the Concerto-Rhapsodies are both”, he explained.

The Violin Concerto’s passionately heroic first movement and poignant Andante sostenuto lead to a virtuosic, dancing finale.

Both works on this disc brim with the full-blooded lyricism of his much-loved ballet Spartacus, Suites Nos. 1–3 of which are available on 8550801.