Feldman: Spring of Chosroes

Schleiermacher and Seidel have gathered together pieces for violin and piano which represent all of Morton Feldman’s compositional periods. The works range from the early “Piece for Violin and Piano” to his late homage “for John Cage”. These artists open up an impressive panorama.

The young German violinist, Carolin Widmann, resident in Britain, follows up her romantic Schumann debut on ECM – nominated for a Gramophone Award this month – with ‘Phantasy of Spring’, a very different recording of four uncompromising 20th century pieces –

performances of which she has a deserved international reputation. While she made her critically-acclaimed ECM debut last autumn with a thoughtprovoking account of Schumann’s three violin sonatas, Carolin Widmann’s reputation as a pioneering interpreter of contemporary music is spreading continuously. Teaming up with English pianist Simon Lepper she now presents a most varied spectrum of 20th century violin literature. By exploring the acoustic and expressive conflicts between the stringed instrument and the well-tempered keyboard, all four pieces are preoccupied with duo constellations beyond the traditional role models. Uncompromising and fiery renderings make for adventurous listening throughout.

Carolin Widmann (sister of German composer Jorg Widmann) gave the world premieres of no fewer than five violin concertos last year, including that of John Woolrich which she reprises with the Northern Sinfonia next April. She made her BBC Proms debut last year performing the Stravinsky Violin Concerto with the BBC Symphony Orchestra under George Benjamin, and on 19 November makes her Wigmore Hall recital debut with Dénes Várjon playing the Schumann sonatas. Simon Lepper is especially known for his work accompanying singers, among them Bryn Terfel, Angelika Kirchschlager, Mark Padmore, Felicity Palmer, Kate Royal and Joan Rodgers. He is an official accompanist for the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World Rosenblatt Song Prize and the Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition.

Here, collected for the first time, are all of Morton Feldman's compositions for violin and piano. It is also a kind of walk through his compositional development, from the Webernesque early Piece for Violin and Piano (1950); through the experiments with graphic notation in Projection 4 (1951); followed by an excursion into the jungle-like density of David Tudor's energy in Extensions 1 (1951); to the cryptic notational riddles of Vertical Thoughts 2 (1963); from the dry carpet-dusting Spring of Chosroes (1977) to the extended sound canvas of the late Feldman in For John Cage (1982). He remarked, with an eye twinkling: "My music is just like Webern. Only a little bit longer."