Notes and Editorial Reviews
ALONE: Music for Unaccompanied Cello
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Boris Andrianov (vc)
•
QUARTZ QTZ 2080 (56: 24)
KODÁLY
Solo Cello Sonata.
SHCHEDRIN
Russian Fragments.
SOLLIMA
Lame. Alone.
SCHNITTKE
Improvisation.
CASALS
Song of the Birds
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I bet that most of those who judge Zoltán Kodály to be a second-rate composer do not know his Sonata for Unaccompanied Cello. Written in 1915, this 30-minute work is to cellists what Beethoven’s “Hammerklavier” is to pianists: a treacherous, icy peak that even the greatest of virtuosi can scale only with enormous difficulty. Over the years, many brave cellists—famous and not so famous—have sought to conquer Kodály’s summit. Few have gotten there without loss of life or limb, and even fewer have emerged unscathed. In fact, until fairly recently, I knew of only three cellists who had fully tamed Kodály’s beast: János Starker (who essentially owned this work for about half a century and made it his calling card), Pieter Wispelwey, and Miklós Perényi. You can now add to that short list a fourth name: the young Russian cellist Boris Andrianov.
A protégé of Mstislav Rostropovich and Daniil Shafran, Andrianov tears into the Kodály work as if possessed, with enormous depth of tone, incredible accuracy, and complete command of the difficult-to-grasp, idiomatic writing. Without ever sounding labored or losing the fullness of his tone, Andrianov meets each and every one of the superhuman hurdles thrown at the performer like an Olympic athlete nailing his routines, and the result is just exhilarating. But there is a lot more to Andrianov’s playing than mere technical wizardry. This is a thoughtful and deeply affecting performance that disarms criticism and fully reveals the depths of this somber music, which Kodály composed in the midst of the First World War.
The remaining works on this recording are less interesting than the Kodály, but no one will probably care. The pieces by Russian composer Rodion Shchedrin and Italian composer Giovanni Sollima are virtuoso vehicles that allow Andrianov to continue to flex his virtuoso muscles. The dissonant and meditative
Improvisation
by Alfred Schnittke is a lot more interesting, but, like other works by this composer, it is difficult music to love. The Casals work is the most peaceful of the bunch and it provides a serene conclusion to Andrianov’s incredible
tour de force.
The recorded sound is superlative and it does full justice to Andrianov’s enormous range and stunning Montagnana cello. There are times in the Kodály sonata where you can actually hear Andrianov grunt or gasp for air. To me, this merely humanizes the performance and serves as a reminder of the immense physical effort needed to conquer this towering work.
Put simply, this is one of the finest cello recordings I have ever heard. No serious music lover can afford to be without it.
FANFARE: Radu A. Lelutiu
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Works on This Recording
1.
Sonata for Cello solo, Op. 8 by Zoltán Kodály
Performer:
Boris Andrianov (Cello)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915; Hungary
Venue: Ochtrup-Welbergen, Alte Kirche
Length: 28 Minutes 11 Secs.
2.
Russian Fragments by Rodion Shchedrin
Performer:
Boris Andrianov (Cello)
Written: 1990
Venue: Ochtrup-Welbergen, Alte Kirche
Length: 8 Minutes 43 Secs.
3.
Alone by Giovanni Sollima
Performer:
Boris Andrianov (Cello)
Period: 20th Century
Venue: Ochtrup-Welbergen, Alte Kirche
Length: 5 Minutes 48 Secs.
4.
Improvisation for Cello solo by Alfred Schnittke
Performer:
Boris Andrianov (Cello)
Period: 20th Century
Venue: Ochtrup-Welbergen, Alte Kirche
Length: 6 Minutes 45 Secs.
5.
El cant del ocells by Pablo Casals
Performer:
Boris Andrianov (Cello)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1972
Venue: Ochtrup-Welbergen, Alte Kirche
Length: 2 Minutes 58 Secs.
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