Achron, J: Hebrew Melody, Op. 33

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 works on this album by Dmitri Shostakovich, Alfred Schnittke, Arvo Pärt, and Joseph Achron were all written amidst the tremendous social upheavals of the 20th century. However, no matter how turbulent, resigned, even angry some of these scores may seem, they each convey a sense of searching for faith – faith in God, faith in the human spirit, faith in art. The featured artists are the outstanding young Russian violinist Yevgeny Kutik, and the pianist Timothy Bazarth.

Alfred Schnittke was a bold experimenter, always pushing musical boundaries, and his Sonata No. 1 is one of his most expressive pieces. The Hebrew Lullaby and Hebrew Melody by Joseph Achron radiate tremendous emotional depth, and convey an intense feeling of longing and pain. Dmitri Shostakovich’s Violin Sonata is a monumental and challenging work that epitomizes the unbearable pressure and struggles he endured in the Soviet Union, whereas Arvo Pärt’s beautiful Spiegel im Spiegel exists on a plain of mystical and spiritual calm.

Yevgeny Kutik has been hailed for his dazzling command of the violin and its repertoire, as well as a communicative immediacy that harkens back to the legendary Romantic masters. Of his New York City orchestral debut, The New York Times wrote that his violin projected “an old-fashioned rhapsodic style, which was magnified by his rich, sweet tone.”

The present CD pays homage to the Italian great violinist Renato De Barbieri (Genova, 1920 – Trento, 1991), whose artistic life has regrettably been forgotten in these days. The careful digital remastering from the original LPs reveals the wholeness of his talent as virtuoso and performer. His gift is here enjoyable not only for works as Paganini’s Le Streghe and Ravel’s Tzigane but mainly also for twentieth century’s masterpiece Sonata n.1 per violino e pianoforte of Sergey Prokofiev.

Katharine Gowers studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Guildhall School of Music (where she won the Gold Medal). In 1997 she won the International Parkhouse Award with pianist Charles Owen. She has toured with Nigel Kennedy and the English Chamber Orchestra playing Bach’s Double violin concerto, and in 2001/2 with Alfred Brendel on a world-wide chamber music tour.