Schnittke: Konzert fAƒA¼r Viola und Orchester / Kancheli: Vom Winde beweint (liturgy)

Schnittke Viola Concerto... a refreshing slap in the face!

The first time I listened to the Schnittke Viola Concerto, I was a bit confused by it. After several listenings, however, I've really grown to love it. From a musical standpoint, it is very modern sounding, but still melodic enough to be easily enjoyed (particularly when just listening casually). I particularly like the fast second movement. There are some very interesting orchestral effects and the viola part is powerful and delightfully schizophrenic. Since the viola is so frequently type-cast as the mournful, introspective instrument, it's particularly refreshing to hear a piece where the viola puts it all out there, stylistically speaking.

Kashkashian (whose sound sometimes is a little harsh/bright for me) really shines in concertos (her Bartok is also incredible). She pretty much has the clarity of a violin, and her sound projects well in all registers. Her vibrato is a bit wide in a few spots (particularly the slow middle section of the 2nd movement), though I'm a bit torn about it (some days I dislike it... other days I think it works).

The Kancheli is pretty slow and it's one of those pieces that requires you to constantly monitor the volume (turning it up to full blast to try to hear the whisper quiet sections, only to suddenly have your ear drums exploded by an unexpected blast of fortissimo), and that irritates me as a listener. I don't really have an opinion on the piece because I haven't listened to it enough to really understand it, so maybe a more patient person would enjoy it.

I haven't heard any other recordings of this (I have seen the DVD w/ Bashmet though) so I don't have much basis for comparison. However, as a stand alone recording, I think Kashkashian's Schnittke has plenty of enjoyment to offer the listener. August 29, 2007

Well played, but not as compelling as Bashmet

Kashkashian plays the Schnittke very well from a technical perspective, but it somehow lacks some of the intensity and emotion that Bashmet brings to his performance. Some of the nuances and her style of playing does not sound quite right to me when I hear this work. It almost comes off as obnoxious at times. (No offense to Kashkashian and her incredible technique.) Bashmet on the other hand brings a wider range of sounds and moods that I find rather lacking here.

I also found that the orchestra sounds rather distant and unclear at times. The orchestra that accompanies Bashmet's RCA recording sounds very clear and many of the finer details can be heard better. March 16, 2004

Schnittke Viola Concerto: tearing the soul

This is in my opinion the best recording of the Viola Concerto.
The soloist and orchestra have a global vision of this work often lacking in other recordings even by Bashmet or Van Keulen. They carry the work's dramaturgy and leave your soul having experienced all human emotions in the end. A must have. January 30, 2004

The music of Kanchelli

Sometime ago I was reading Fortune magazine when I came across their review of Kancheli's "Mourning of the Wind." After purchasing it, I was rather unsettled by the music for here was a marriage of harsh, discordant notes to sublime, soaring and just, beautiful music. Kancheli's music appeals to me since I am a Christian. Much of Kancheli's music, in fact, disembowels the commonly held notion in Western Christian tradition that God can be understood via the mediums of sheer logic and cold rational. Rather, I tend to abide by the Eastern religions like Judaism that God cannot be understood; that, he God exists in the now but also in the there; that God cannot be thoroughly comprehended. Kancheli's music authenticates this philosophy in his music. The music in itself oscillates between the mediums of sheer terror and rapturous peace. It is the language of mourning, of lamentation, of despair and of hope, albeit a hope reconciled to God. Do not listen to it if like the symphonies of Beethoven, Vaughan-Williams or you hope to walk away with a cathartic feeling. His is like the music of Mahler where a sense of world weariness prevails but Kancheli's works are wrought with much more peace. September 8, 2000

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