Utah-linked CDs well worth a listen
VIKTOR UZUR, CELLO, VADIM SEREBRYANY, PIANO; "In Recital" (BGR) ****
AUGUSTA READ THOMAS, "Terpsichoreis Dream" (ART) ****
The three albums reviewed below all have a local connection. The first two feature musicians who now make Utah their home, and the third is the premiere recording of a piece that received its first performance by the Utah Symphony Chamber Orchestra last fall.
And all three are worth adding to a CD collection.
• IT'S A NOVEL IDEA to present Arnold Schoenberg's influence on American music. Schoenberg spent the last 18 years of his life in the United States, and his influence here has largely been overlooked. But as violinist and University of Utah faculty member Hasse Borup shows in "American Fantasies," a gorgeously fashioned CD, Schoenberg's impact on a young, post-World War II generation of composers in this country was immense.
The starting point for this album is Schoenberg's Phantasy for Violin with Piano Accompaniment, op. 47, his last major work, written two years before his death in 1951. The rest of the CD contains music by American composers who either studied with Schoenberg or were influenced by his groundbreaking, 12-tone technique. And what makes this album so fascinating is that every composer represented here has a very different approach to it, and this turns the album into a wonderful, if only partial, overview of American music from the second half of the 20th century and into the start of the 21st.
Borup and his partner, pianist Mary Kathleen Ernst, play these pieces with an earnestness and polish that capture their very essence and spirit. Their readings are emotionally charged, vibrant and dynamic. Their collaboration is intuitive, their technique amazing and their musicality superb.
• CELLIST VIKTOR UZUR, who teaches at Weber State University, and pianist Vadim Serebryany are longtime collaborators, and their remarkable partnership comes through in their album "In Recital," a live recording of performances that took place in Lansing, Mich., in 2005.
This is a substantive album. The only piece that could be considered musical fluff is the final piece (obviously an encore at the concerts), Alfredo Piatti's "Caprice" for Solo Cello, op. 25, no. 5.
Recent comments
As Viktor's colleague at WSU I can certainly attest to his absolute...
Michael Palumbo | June 2, 2008 at 7:31 p.m.
