The Last Supper – Friedrich Lips

This is one of those recordings which one must listen to many times, not in order to appreciate it, but in an effort to hear everything that is being delivered by the composers and the performers. The Solotariev and the Bach are immediately loved, of course, upon the first hearing; the Gubaidulina and the Bronner, however, will take the average listener more than one time to hear and love as well. The four works are equally profound in so many ways.

One may ask why human beings wish to travel to outer space and, in a manner, one may also ask why musicians wish to perform such demanding music as the Gubaidulina and the Bronner. Friedrich Lips is the bayanist who has been, and continues to be, the leader on this breath-taking journey of the bayan to the outer space of the music world. For that reason alone, if for no other, everyone who professes knowledge of and love for the bayan (or the accordion) must listen to this recording. It stretches our imagination for what is possible with the bayan; it illuminates the future for artistic growth and eliminates needless boundaries.

Each of us will listen in a different way, depending upon our own musical background, experiences and, indeed, musical preferences. It is my opinion that you will marvel at what you are hearing, for it is magnificent music performed by two extremely fine solo musicians and two outstanding orchestras.

First of all, the sound production is truly fine regardless of where the recordings have been made; it always enhances the quality and allows all the instruments to be heard regardless of the dynamics of the piece. There is no distortion of the bayan’s sound, for example, even when the orchestras are playing fortissimo, particularly exemplary and noticeable in the Bronner.

There is a spiritual relationship between the Gubaidulina and the Bronner, yet we perhaps find the Gubaidulina Partita is more contemplative than the Bronner Judas Passion. Both composers allow Lips to demonstrate several different modern techniques requiring total and perfect control of the bayan bellows but neither has written these for show or entertainment; they are always used for the purpose of the musical thought or statement. These bellows shakes, air button sounds, bending of reeds and glissandi are produced with both restraint and spontaneity as demanded by the composition; they are not a frivolous addition to the music but rather a purposeful contribution. The strings also use harmonics and pizzicati to strengthen their parts interestingly, too. In the Partita the listener has no doubt of the confusion, the pleading or the resignation being expressed. The Judas Passion is more aggressive with virtuosic exchanges between bayan and the orchestra; it also has a fuller use of dynamic punctuation, and the use of the musicians whispering the word “Judas” several times is particularly and hauntingly effective.

The Solotariev performance is astounding; it is almost impossible to believe one musician playing one bayan is capable of making such a full and glorious spectrum of sound. We have come to expect such playing from Lips whether the compositions are simple or difficult in structure. Nevertheless, one cannot help listening to those final few notes of this piece and being somewhat in awe of the sound envelopes of the single individual notes as produced by this artist during this performance. The whole performance is an example of musical perfection.

The performance of the Bach has just the right amount of hesitation to emphasize the harmonic resolutions written to accommodate the words of the hymn and yet without disturbing the continuity. There is connection of phrases, and the voice leading is heard perfectly throughout.

Lips could develop weeks of master-classes based on even a few of the techniques needed to perform the music heard on this CD. It is no wonder that composers such as Gubaidulina and Bronner have relied upon him to inspire them to include the bayan in their compositions.

The written material accompanying the CD is well written and helps give meaning to the compositions. My only quibble is that the statement “…S. Gubaidulina, one of the most important women composers of modern age…” does not say instead that she is one of the most important composers of modern age. There is no doubt that she is among the best of the most recognized best composers, male or female, in the world today. We are extremely fortunate to have her compositions in the bayan repertoire.

I would urge everyone to continue building their library of great recordings with this special CD: THE LAST SUPPER by Friedrich Lips.

It is indeed a recording of music that will provide inspiration and help guide the way for both composers and performers in the bayan repertoire of the future.

Reviewed by Joan Cochran Sommers, October 2007

This CD is available on the Friedrich Lips site on MusicForAccordion.com - high security eCommerce site run by WorldPay.com, part of The Royal Bank of Scotland Group