Composer: Matthew Barley, Béla Bartók, Florian Hermann, Zoltan Kodály, Joe Zawinul, Youssou N’Dour
Performer: Viktoria Mullova, Matthew Barley, Julian Joseph, Paul Clarvis, Sam Walton, Matthew Barley Ensemble, Bartók Duos
Number of Discs: 2
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Onyx
Release: 2011
Size: 409 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
01. DuOuD: For Nedim (For Nadia)
02. Lewis, Bratsch: Django
03. Hermann: Dark Eyes
04. Bratsch: Er Nemo Klantz
05. Zawinul: The Peasant
06. Bartók: 7 Duos with Improvisations
07. Barley: Yura
08. Bratsch: Bi Lovengo
09. Zawinul: The Pursuit of the Woman with the Feathered Hat
10. Youssou N’Dour: Life
Kodály: Duo for Violin and Cello, Op. 7
11. I. Allegro serioso
12. II. Adagio
13. III. Maestoso e largamente, ma non troppo
All the music in this eclectic programme reflects the phenomenal influence of gypsy music on both classical and jazz music in the 20th century – even when wearing smart ‘classical’ clothes, the music of the gypsies cannot disguise its honesty, directness and the heart beating inside the clothes.
So here we have Bartók and Kodály, the two great Hungarian composers who made comprehensive studies of folk music, alongside the world of jazz, represented by John Lewis’s Django, and the Weather Report tracks.
The music also has strong connections with Viktoria Mullova’s background. Viktoria Mullova hails from the Ukraine, where only two generations ago, her family lived simple lives, living off the land in a small village. The simple peasant qualities – calmness, honesty and simplicity – are very much part of her. Although she has conquered the most sophisticated works of Western classical music, the music on these CDs shares something of her other side.