Duo Gazzana – Kõrvits / Schumann / Grieg (2022) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Duo Gazzana – Kõrvits / Schumann / Grieg (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:00:17 minutes | 1,00 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © ECM New Series

Once again, the duo Gazzana juxtaposes the romantic repertoire with contemporary musical works on a new album. Her interpretations of the Sonata in A minor, op. 105 by Robert Schumann and the third sonata in C minor, op. 45 by Edward Grieg testify to a deep understanding of the composer’s musical language and intentions. The modern part of the program consists of first recordings of the four–movement Stalker Suite and notturni by the Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits – the pieces were specially composed for the duo Gazzana. Stalker Suite is a tribute to the film director Andrei Tarkovsky and sports his work in a poetic and mysterious way. The recording took place in November 2021 in the historic riding stable Neumarkt.The two sisters of the violin-and-piano Duo Gazzana are the only Italian chamber group ever signed to the boutique label ECM, and they have already mastered a common formula employed by that label: a combination of Romantic repertory pieces with contemporary works, tending toward the sparse and abstract, with a group that can manage a clean, rather hypnotic sound. The results here, in a pair of recent works by the veteran Tõnu Kõrvits, are excellent. The ominously named Stalker Suite is an homage to the 1979 Soviet science fiction film Stalker; it is unconnected to the film’s original soundtrack, but the film’s atmospherics suggest more than one musical realization. Sample the third movement, “Monologue,” for violin solo. Equally compelling are the four Notturni of Kõrvits, crystalline little things that would be simple if one could ever pin them down. Duo Gazzana is a bit less successful in the repertory works. The Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 105, of Schumann has sometimes been criticized, even by Schumann himself; it shows the composer beginning to engage with the dense balance of motive and larger structure that would be explored by Brahms. It requires a close, intense performance that it doesn’t quite get here, although everything is no less than competent. The sisters let their hair down a bit more in the Grieg Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45, and its rollicking, tuneful finale, which really ought to be better known than it is, makes a rousing ending. Beautifully recorded at the Reitstadl Neumarkt and with booklet notes by Paul Griffiths that are just about worth the price of admission, this is an enjoyable ECM release. – James Manheim

Tracklist:

1-01. Duo Gazzana – Stalker Suite: I. Into the Zone (03:27)
1-02. Duo Gazzana – Stalker Suite: II. The Room (02:49)
1-03. Duo Gazzana – Stalker Suite: III. Monologue (01:58)
1-04. Duo Gazzana – Stalker Suite: IV. Waterfall (02:16)
1-05. Duo Gazzana – Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105: I. Mit leidenschaftlichem Ausdruck (08:09)
1-06. Duo Gazzana – Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105: II. Allegretto (03:40)
1-07. Duo Gazzana – Violin Sonata No. 1 in A minor, Op. 105: III. Lebhaft (05:34)
1-08. Duo Gazzana – Notturni: I. (02:30)
1-09. Duo Gazzana – Notturni: II. (01:38)
1-10. Duo Gazzana – Notturni: III. (02:26)
1-11. Duo Gazzana – Notturni: IV. (02:39)
1-12. Duo Gazzana – Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45: I. Allegro molto ed appassionato (08:57)
1-13. Duo Gazzana – Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45: II. Allegretto espressivo alla Romanza (06:27)
1-14. Duo Gazzana – Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45: III. Allegro animato (07:40)

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