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 The
name of Friedrich
Lips is, I believe, well known to everyone in the international
accordion community.
Mussorgsky's work "Pictures
at an Exhibition" is often included in the repertoire of
famous pianists. The cycle was written in 1874 and was inspired
by Hartmann's drawings, which the composer discovered after the
artist's death. Nowadays, "Pictures at an Exhibition"
are included in the repertoire of accordion concert artists.
In addition to "Pictures at
an Exhibition", another big musical 'painting' "Concert
Symphony for Bayan" by Cholminov is presented on this recording.
The second one is written in the contemporary musical language.
I have heard Friedrich
Lips perform many times live as well as recorded, and every
time I hear him playing, one particular quality of his artistry
strikes me the most: everything sounds as if it has been meticulously
prepared. Lips plays with incredible intellectual grasp and authority,
but the control is never paralysing and at the same time he infuses
the interpretation with unbelievable warmth.
Lips performs "Pictures at
an Exhibition" with a strong, generous and broad vision and
his interpretation is almost classical in proportion and yet the
life springs out from it representing an ideal balance between
contained form and heart-felt passion. *****
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