Petr Nouzovsky Katerina Englichova.
Mirror ReflectionsPetr Nouzovsky-cello, Katerina Englichova-harp.
Text: English, Czech. Recorded: Sept. 2010 (HAMU recording studio).
Released: 2012. TT: 69:22. DDD. I CD Cube Bohemia (Cube Metier) CBCD 21249.
The new dramaturgically personal and singularly conceived CD made by the cellist Petr Nouzovsky, who invited along the distinguished Czech harpist Katefina Englichove, is framed by two works by the Estonian composer Arvo Part: the well-known Fratres (1977, the 1989 version for cello and piano) and the piece Spiegel im Spiegel (1978), whose specific sonic world allows the unusual combination of cello and harp to excel. Right in the first composition, Fratres, originally written for a chamber orchestra of period or modern instruments and subsequently arranged by Part and others into another eight versions, the chordal harp accompaniment has in its archaic nature a far more expressive form than in the piano version, known to us from, for instance, Jiff Basta and Marian Lapsansky's recording (Supraphon 11 2156-2132, 1994). More distinct and sonically forcible too is the adaptation of Bruch's Kol Nidrei in D minor, Op. 47 (1880-1881) --instead of the original, eclectically instrumented orchestral accompaniment, the expressive delivery of the cello part against the background of the introvert harp conceals an almost existential potential. The adaptation of Bruch's composition, forming the axis of the compact disc, perhaps impressed me the most (more's the pity then that neither the sleeve nor the booklet mentions the creator of this and the other arrangements). Besides Bruch's concertante piece, the only other excursion into the world of Romantic music is Faure's winsome Siciliana, Op. 78 (1893), again originally written for the cello and piano, with the harp accompaniment imbuing it with an almost Impressionist airiness. The two instrumentalists also present themselves as soloists on the CD: Englichova in Hindemith's 1939 Harp Sonata, which, in my opinion, should be performed more frequently on our concert stages (as should, for that matter, Hindemith's works in general), and Nouzovsky in Bach's Cello Suite No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1008, and Ligeti's Sonata for Solo Cello, written between 1948 and 1953. Whereas Ligeti's two-movement sonata, a formally concentrated composition very interesting in acoustic terms and the CD's pleasant dramaturgic surprise, sounds novel as performed by Nouzovsky, Bach's solo suite struck me as being decidedly old-school, declining as it does to learn lessons, at least in terms of phrasing, from the adherents of historically informed performance of early music. Although in Bach's suite Nouzovsky chose the A = 415 Hz tuning, he did not overly impress me with his long-breath phrasing, cumbrous prelude and restrained dances. One would certainly expect an artist of his generation to be more open to the fundamental principles of Baroque music, peerlessly mastered by, for example, the cellist Pieter Wispelwey. The sonically and dramaturgically extraordinary CD ends with Part's Spiegel im Spiegel with harp accompaniment, distantly reminiscent of basso continuo, following which the listener must only desire deep silence. Frankly speaking, I myself would most likely not have gone out and bought the reviewed CD; by the way, it doesn't have an attractive graphic design and Nouzovsky's accompanying text requires linguistic editing. But I can consider the fact that it happened to get into my hands and seep under my skin when listening a happy turn of fate and an indisputable confirmation of the two instrumentalists' artistic and technical qualities.
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| Author: | Jemelka, Martin |
|---|---|
| Publication: | Czech Music |
| Article Type: | Sound recording review |
| Date: | Oct 1, 2012 |
| Words: | 558 |
| Previous Article: | George Frideric Handel. |
| Next Article: | BBC Symphony Orchestra and Jiri Belohlavek. |
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