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. ***** |