Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 07/01/2005, uploaded on 03/23/2009

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

"10/10 - Koh offers three works for violin and orchestra by three very different Eastern European composers, none of them over-exposed and all of them distinctive. In other words, the complete program is as coherent and well thought-out as the performances are outstanding." - ClassicsToday.com

"Jennifer Koh is a risk-taking, high-octane player of the kind who grabs the listener by the ears and refuses to let go. . . . A scorching talent that should on no account be missed." - The Strad

"[Carlos] Kalmar and the Grant Park Orchestra perform . . . with exuberance, commitment and edge." - The New York Times

The oldest of the three composers on this CD, Béla Bartók (1881-1945) was also the most revolutionary. One of the dominant musical geniuses of the 20th century, a master of stage, symphonic, chamber, and solo genres, Bartók was also a pioneer in the realm of ethnomusicology - the study of regional folk music. This he explored in his native Hungary and surrounding nations with the help of his friend and fellow-composer Zoltán Kodály, and the new technology of recording. Both Szymanoski and Martinů were influenced by folk music; Bartók transformed it into an essential element of his style. The motives and rhythms of indigenous Eastern European songs and dances would emerge in stage works, string quartets, and his powerful Concerto for Orchestra.

Another profound influence on the young Bartók was his love for the talented violinist Steffi Geyer, who is remembered in a long-suppressed concerto, now known as his Violin Concerto No. 1, and in the Two Portraits composed in 1907-08 and 1911, respectively. (The first movement of the concerto is identical to the first movement of Two Portraits.) The portraits are a reflection of their broken love affair. In the first part, titled "Idealistic," the solo violin opens with a lyrical theme in the instrument's low to-medium register, with a progression based on the notes D-F#-A-C#, a modified and dissonantly-inclined scale pattern. The theme turns sinuous and chromatic as the unobtrusive orchestral accompaniment gradually gains attention by intertwining with the soloist. The violin dominates, however, by playing with ever-increasing intensity, then retreats into meditation. The opening theme returns in the violin part, and leads to a big climax in partnership with the orchestra. Supported by a harp, the violin soars into a final statement of the love song.

In the second Portrait, the solo violin is silent. The orchestra takes up the original four-note theme and mocks it. This movement is labeled "Distorted," and that is exactly what Bartók does: he distorts the lyrical atmosphere of the opening into a strident, dissonant dance dominated by hammering percussion, blaring brass, and scrambling woodwinds. The pace is headlong. The love song of the fi rst movement has disintegrated into bitterness.

Andrea Lamoreaux is music director of WFMT-FM, Chicago's classical-music station.

To purchase the CD or download this performance, click here.

Cedille Records is the recording label of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, a publicly-supported, not-for-profit, organization devoted to promoting the finest musicians, ensembles, and composers in the Chicago area by producing and releasing their efforts on audiophile-quality recordings. The recordings and their promotion are designed to stimulate interest in these performers and composers and bring their artistry to a wider audience. Cedille Records is also dedicated to promoting interest in neglected areas of the classical repertory by presenting masterpieces that have been overlooked by other recording companies.