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 Concert
Symphony No. 1 (1972, essentially enlarged and revised version
of the first concert for bayan from 1965) was recorded by Friedrich
Lips, bayan, and the Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Gnessin
Academy of Music, Oleg Agarkov, conductor, at the first performance
at the Concert Hall of the Russian Gnessin Academy of Music, in
Moscow on November 1st, 1977. The duration is 32:13 minutes.
Quoting
from the CD jacket: "It no longer depicts a competition in
concerto form between soloist and orchestra, it is a truly symphonic
picture with orchestral development, the bayan playing enormously
important solos. This symphony in four movements is pretty well
marked by the composer's romantic view of life. Episodes of spiritualization
logically blend into the music which represents power, manliness
and optimism of the youth. In addition, we should also emphasize
the splendid tone colours of the score. Manifold orchestral colours
that complete the bayan score show that the composer has detailed
knowledge of how to make use of an orchestra, a fact that is backed
up his highly professional instrumentation."
The bayan has an artist in the person of Friedrich
Lips who has made worldwide impressions not only through his
personal performances but, also, through his innumerable contributions
to the serious repertoire of the instrument. Composers only
write successfully for instruments when they can identify and
sympathize with both that instrument and the performers on them.
Lips has made this possible; the very most capable and famous
composers know that he will not only give world-wide performances
of their music but, in addition, will show them both idiom and
idiosyncrasies of the instrument. He has raised the standards
for performers and composers, providing new imagination, inspiration
and vision for the future development of the repertoire. His personal
friendship with Vladislav Solotarjov (Zolotariew) has proven fortuitous
for the accordion in numerous ways and accordion history is the
beneficiary.
Concert
Symphony No. 2 was recorded by Friedrich Lips, bayan, and the
Symphony Orchestra of the Russian Gnessin Academy of Music, Timur
Mynbajev, conductor, in the Concert Hall of the Russian Gnessin
Academy of Music in Moscow on December 13th, 2002. The duration
is 33:08 minutes.
Quoting
from the CD jacket: "This represents the greatest tragedy
in the oeuvre of Vl. Solotarjov. The idea of death as a person's
ultimate experience is shown in the centre of this fresco in four
movements. The first two movements contain large, meditative sections
written in twelve-tone music system - a composition technique
using 12 non-recurring sounds, first applied by the Austrian composer
A. Schonberg. In the third movement a certain tension is built
up that finally explodes in the part of "Bacchanalia', carrying
off everything in its way. The disastrous theme for trombones
of A. Bruckner's Eighth Symphony rings out. The sudden, lonesome,
human voice (soprano) is drowned in total chaos. Finally, at this
point of culmination, all musicians begin to stamp their feet,
roar with laughter, whistle and scream, "Morte! Morte! (Death!
Death!). And on top of all that - the sound of glass breaking….
The symphony ends in a very short, fourth movement, the epilogue,
downward glissandi of the strings completing the picture: the
universe vanishes into nothingness… The symphony is dedicated
to the conductor Gennady Roshdjestvensky."
The
experience of listening to this performance is an extremely profound
one! I can only imagine how the audience must have felt at the
completion of a live performance but it must have been both overwhelming
and fraught with unequivocal appreciation for the impeccable genius
unleashed both by composer and highly skilled performers.
Friedrich
Lips, as always, has once again brought music of the highest quality
to the world. This is music with deep emotional significance;
it requires not one but many hearings before any semblance of
true understanding and, perhaps even, appreciation is possible.
This is especially true if the listener is not a veteran of such
sophisticated and abstruse music. It should be in every music
lover's library; every accordionist should buy one for himself
and one for the most highly respected conductor and library in
his locale. It is that important to our history! The CD is quite
aptly named: Symphonies of The Century.
To purchase this recording, see MusicForAccordion.com
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