REVIEWS CDS
is the third movement of Zurab
Nadarejshvilis String Quartet no.1, from
the hocketed pizzicato of the opening to
the climactic wild lament I long to hear
the other movements, sadly not included
here. The Carducci Quartet never slackens
the intensity. Recorded sound throughout
has superb presence.
CATHERINE NELSON
VIOLA TRANSCRIPTIONS
Arrangements by Tertis and Primrose of
works by Haydn, Liszt, C.P.E. Bach,
J.S. Bach, Paganini, Faur, Rameau
Kreisler, Mendelssohn, Boccherini,
Schubert, A. Benjamin, Brahms,
Grieg, Kreisler & Saint-Sans
Yizhak Schotten (viola)
Katherine Collier (piano)
CRYSTAL RECORDS CD 630
Lionel Tertis and William
Primrose were the two
most inuential pioneers
of modern viola playing,
and a recording that pays
them homage is always welcome. Yizhak
Schotten was a Primrose protg and
thus has a personal connection with this
repertoire. Although it was Primroses
sound rather than his virtuosity that most
impressed Schotten as a student, almost
all the transcriptions by the great Scot
included here are of the virtuoso kind,
not least the Paganini Caprices nos.5
and 13 (which Primrose performed in his
debut recording as a violist), that include
small but effective amendments to the
original violin part. If the spiccato of no.5
doesnt quite have the jaw-dropping
perfection of Primroses own recording,
the teasing glissandos of no.13 (The
Devils Laugh) are absolutely enchanting.
I was disappointed that just the nale
of Haydns Divertimento in D major and the
Allegro from Boccherinis Sonata in A major
are included (there would have been
room for the other movements), but they
compare well with Primroses renditions.
The Tertis transcriptions are mostly of
songs Liszts Liebestraum, Brahmss
Minnelied and Griegs I love you among
them and show off beautifully Schottens
dark, masculine sound. With typically
informative annotation by Tully Potter
and truthful recorded sound (Schotten here
wearing his recording engineer cap), this
CD is a self-recommendation for everyone
interested in the history of the viola.
CARLOS MARA SOLARE
96 THE STRAD FEBRUARY 2011
Book 1.indb 96
DOUBLE BASSES ALL ROUND
David Kettle reviews a trio of recent bass discs
THREE RECENTLY RELEASED discs offer
contrasting perspectives on the double
bass. Oltracuidansa (Provenal for
going beyond thinking) by Stefano
Scodanibbio (Mode 225), an Italian
avant-garde bassist who has worked
with many contemporary composers,
is the most challenging of the three.
It presents an hour-long, single-track
exploration of a plethora of extended
techniques, selected and multi-tracked
from six hours of material recorded
by Scodanibbio. Yet despite its often
bizarre sound world at times its
even possible to forget youre listening
to a double bass Scodanibbio
has constructed a readily accessible
structure of slowly evolving textures
where sounds gradually develop and
morph into each other. Particularly
impressive is a section of
jazz-like pizzicatos near
the start which slowly
Leon meld into eerie
Bosch
makes the
semi-harmonics,
bass sing or a later passage
of seductive
rhythms
built from
sounds
produced
on the basss body. Theres little sense of
drama or opposition between different
sorts of material, however the sound
tableaux Scodanibbio creates are
beautifully etched but inherently static.
Nevertheless, its a hugely impressive
achievement and displays Scodanibbios
breathtaking playing.
Temporary by improvising bassists
William Parker and Giorgio Dini
(Silta SR 0903) seems to fall between
two stools. Its ve improvisations for
two basses lack the wilful strangeness
of Scodanibbios modernism, yet,
despite their occasional forays into jazz
territory, never fully embrace that idiom
either. Nevertheless, theres impressive
playing here as the two performers
are responsive to each others sound
ideas, and the music they create is fresh
and alive.
alive The Largo movement is full
of stuttering
stutte pizzicatos, with scraps
of melody
melod gradually coalescing then
dispersing again, and the concluding
dispersin
Danza e nale ends with a compelling
jazz-like riff. The music seems at times
quite self-indulgent,
se and at others
introspective,
introspe but it nevertheless
delivers a rich and rewarding
listening experience.
The Hungarian
H Double Bass by
South African-born
Af bassist Leon Bosch
(Meridian
(Meridia CDE 84597) is by far the
most tratraditional of the three discs, and
its a joy from start to nish. The varied
repertoi mostly short, light pieces
repertoire
ranging from gypsy-style evocations
to more modern works allows
Bosch to show off his immaculate yet
effortless technique. Its in the slower
effortles
th he really excels in the
music that
Kodly Adagio,
A for example, he makes
the bass sing in a deceptively simple
performance,
perf committed yet not
over-stated.
ove He has a superb
control
con over the basss sound at
times he is rich and full-bodied,
tim
yyet at others he reduces the
tone to something light and
transparent, with wonderfully
smooth phrasing. Bosch
receives
r lithe, responsive
support
su from pianist Sung-Suk
GUY MAYER
Kang in a disc to really savour.
Kan
www.thestrad.com
12/01/2011 12:09
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