Composer: Philip Glass, Alfred Schnittke
Performer: Gidon Kremer, Rainer Keuschnig
Orchestra: Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Christoph von Dohnanyi
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: APE (image+cue)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 219 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no
# Violin Concerto
Composed by Philip Glass
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
with Gidon Kremer
Conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi
# Concerto Grosso No.5, for violin, piano & orchestra
Composed by Alfred Schnittke
Performed by Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra
with Gidon Kremer, Rainer Keuschnig
Conducted by Christoph von Dohnanyi
01. Con for Vn and Orch: 1/4 = 104-1/4 = 120 – Gidon Kremer
02. Con for Vn and Orch: 1/4 = 108 – Gidon Kremer
03. Con for Vn and Orch: 1/4 = 150-Coda: Poco meno 1/4 = 104 – Gidon Kremer
04. Con Grosso No.5 for Vn, Pno and Orch: Allegro – Gidon Kremer/Rainer Keuschnig
05. Con Grosso No.5 for Vn, Pno and Orch: Without tempo indication – Gidon Kremer/Rainer Keuschnig
06. Con Grosso No.5 for Vn, Pno and Orch: Allegro vivace- – Gidon Kremer/Rainer Keuschnig
07. Con Grosso No.5 for Vn, Pno and Orch: Lento – Gidon Kremer/Rainer Keuschnig
Not for everybody, but…
I bought this CD a month ago, spoiled by a live performance of Glass’s piece that honestly impacted me. After cheking out on youtube again the Glass’s concerto, and bearing in mind some of his soundtracks, I decided to get it at once.
After several hearings, I’m still of the opinion that Glass created a master piece. The violin concerto is certainly good, though I know there are many who do not appreciate Minimalism (many reviewers here). This kind of composition is certainly “different”, melodies are not developed, the orchestra plays a kind of neverending ostinato, the soloist plays more or less the same melody that never “explodes”, leaving a sense of “undone music”. That is true. But at the end, the music has a very good “atmosphere” of secrecy, mistery, intimacy, uncovered feelings; a sense of “things to happen” is what I have at the end.
Schnittke’s piece is rather different; full of disharmonies, much more modern, with a completely different composing style, its only link with Glass’s is the fact of belonging to contemporary music. Nothing else. This is much more difficult “to hear”; it takes time to get used to, unless you’re a devoted fan of Schoenberg, Webern and such. After many hearings, the music finally gives you what it has, and it deserves the time spent.
As a conclusion, a very interesting CD, worth the price, with two very different composers, that has the ability of giving you very good music at the beginning and afterwards. An advice: if you “hate” Minimalism or modern music, forget it, but if you’re open-minded, get it. As far as competitors are concerned, do not worry: Naxos CD with Glass’s concerto is far, far from this. Here you have Kremer, Dohnanyi and the Wieners… This is another galaxy.