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These are very attentively performed pieces,Geir Draugsvill's bayan blending subtly with the violin and cello. --Gramophone,Dec'11
like several other Gubaidulina scores, Fachwerk manifests a spiritual kinship with Sibelius, with the sense that evokes a wild and desolate landscape. It also has some of the most traditional-sounding harmony I've heard in the composer's recent works. A marvellous disc. Performance***** Recording ***** --BBC Music Magazine,Mar'12
like several other Gubaidulina scores, Fachwerk manifests a spiritual kinship with Sibelius, with the sense that evokes a wild and desolate landscape. It also has some of the most traditional-sounding harmony I've heard in the composer's recent works. A marvellous disc. Performance***** Recording ***** --BBC Music Magazine,Mar'12
CD Description
Sofia Gubaidulinas distinguished career and her 80th anniversary are celebrated with this world première recording of Fachwerk. Recorded here by its acclaimed dedicatee Geir Draugsvoll and in the presence of the composer, this dramatic but also magical work is inspired by a fascination with architectural styles of timber framing. The bayan is a distinctively Russian variant of the accordion and is an essential feature of this piece, also giving a special character to the subtle poetry and textures of Silenzio.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
This release offers the first recording of one of Sofia Gubaidulina's major new pieces composed during the last few years called Fachwerk. Having initially heard it at the 2009 world premiere performance at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, I came away with the impression of it being an interesting new composition, "must hear it again sometime". So very welcome this 2011 Trondheim church recording is, the piece having since 2009 been premiered in lots of other countries as well by more or less the same team, led by expert bayanist Geir Draugsvoll (or accordionist, there doesn't appear to be much if any difference between the two instruments in terms of sound).
Fachwerk is one of Gubaidulina's typical narrative pieces, of course the main character is being projected by the bayan, and at the end one has a sense of having travelled long and far with plenty of adventures along the way. After an opening full of dramatic chords, suspense and tensions building up there's a solo part for the bayan, during which a 3-note descending motif is introduced which can be heard in subsequent episodes too. Next the music almost comes to a lonely standstill; however an energetic high string section picks up the momentum again. After some 24 minutes another thoughtful and indeed tuneful solo part for bayan is introduced. Some bells initiate what appears to be a nice buildup towards the big finale, however at some point the bayan character disagrees and takes a decidedly grumpy turn (quite funny this), only for the strings to take over again to drag the ever protesting bayan towards the finishing line. Quite what all this has to do with the inspiration behind the work (fachwerk means something like timber construction as in building huts) is anybody's guess, anyway for once Gubaidulina's inspiration appears to be earthly rather than spiritual and more to do with beauty of sound in what in her oeuvre is actually a pretty conventional and tonal work.
2011 also marks the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Silenzio for bayan, violin and cello, a 20-minute piece consisting of 5 miniatures. Its story could be told as follows: during the first three parts the instruments are circling around each other and appear to investigate what possibilities there are for cooperation; in the short fourth part they pluck up the courage to play much faster; in the fifth a sustained argument finally develops (mostly between violin and cello) that builds up towards a big climax, only to be crudely broken off by the bayan which evidently wants to take over. At some point the violin/cello combination retakes the initiative whereupon matters end in a trance-like finale with the bayan slumbering away in the lower registers. Back in 1994 Draugsvoll already recorded this work for a BIS release, compared to that the present recording seems to be a more subtle affair.
Fachwerk is one of Gubaidulina's typical narrative pieces, of course the main character is being projected by the bayan, and at the end one has a sense of having travelled long and far with plenty of adventures along the way. After an opening full of dramatic chords, suspense and tensions building up there's a solo part for the bayan, during which a 3-note descending motif is introduced which can be heard in subsequent episodes too. Next the music almost comes to a lonely standstill; however an energetic high string section picks up the momentum again. After some 24 minutes another thoughtful and indeed tuneful solo part for bayan is introduced. Some bells initiate what appears to be a nice buildup towards the big finale, however at some point the bayan character disagrees and takes a decidedly grumpy turn (quite funny this), only for the strings to take over again to drag the ever protesting bayan towards the finishing line. Quite what all this has to do with the inspiration behind the work (fachwerk means something like timber construction as in building huts) is anybody's guess, anyway for once Gubaidulina's inspiration appears to be earthly rather than spiritual and more to do with beauty of sound in what in her oeuvre is actually a pretty conventional and tonal work.
2011 also marks the 20th anniversary of the premiere of Silenzio for bayan, violin and cello, a 20-minute piece consisting of 5 miniatures. Its story could be told as follows: during the first three parts the instruments are circling around each other and appear to investigate what possibilities there are for cooperation; in the short fourth part they pluck up the courage to play much faster; in the fifth a sustained argument finally develops (mostly between violin and cello) that builds up towards a big climax, only to be crudely broken off by the bayan which evidently wants to take over. At some point the violin/cello combination retakes the initiative whereupon matters end in a trance-like finale with the bayan slumbering away in the lower registers. Back in 1994 Draugsvoll already recorded this work for a BIS release, compared to that the present recording seems to be a more subtle affair.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Gubaidulina: Fachwerk/ Silenzio This is fantastic! I'm a philistine and don't know why I like what I like, but I do like 'different'! I was at the Barbican, London and didn't know this to be what this is. Not only was I amazed that someone can play an 'accordian' (bayan) like this but I was equally amazed that someone could think to write a score for an 'accordian' like this!! Needless to say, as with all classical music, it was better at the live gig than as a recording but if this is the only way to hear this then buy it. I barely registered Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony that followed Geir Draugsvoll playing Gubaidulina's Fachwerk that night...
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
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2 reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
New Gubaidulina
16 Nov 2011
Format:Audio CD
Fans of the music of Sofia Gubaidulina will need no urging from me to pick up this Naxos release as soon as possible. Here is the premiere recording of the new work Fachwerk for bayan, percussion and string orchestra. The bayan is a Russian accordian, or accordian-like instrument which on the basis of this recording has a wider and much more versatile sound palate than the accordian we are used to. Gubaidulina exploits the possibilites to the max and with an apparently large percussion section creates a massive sonic structure that beautifully merges the tonal and timbral qualities of all instruments so that at times one is not sure what instruments are involved. As with many of Gubaidulina's works there are long periods of stasis wlhich alternate with extremely dynamic forward moving sections. A successful and engrossing piece.
Also included are five brief pieces for bayan, violin and cello, entitled Silenzio. Most are played at a piano or pianissimo level, and many of the same compositional principles apply here too, static contrasts with dynamic movement and exquisite manipulation of timbre with almost undetectable blurring between bayan and the two string instruments. Recommended!
Also included are five brief pieces for bayan, violin and cello, entitled Silenzio. Most are played at a piano or pianissimo level, and many of the same compositional principles apply here too, static contrasts with dynamic movement and exquisite manipulation of timbre with almost undetectable blurring between bayan and the two string instruments. Recommended!
Sofia Gubaidulina/Fachwerk /Silenzio/ Naxos
28 Dec 2011
Format:Audio CD
Since the death of Schnittke, I've been pinning for a living composer to be my idol. Enter Sofia Gubaidulina! Finally, a blood and guts Russian composer whose intensely personal art is as expressive and heartfelt as it is steely cerebral and expertly constructed. No western, running-dog-lackey, latte sipping, interior design show decadence for this vodka lovin' gal. May she take a Russian Cossack sword to your Starbucks table! Whack!
The first stellar piece on this CD is `Fachwerk' (2009) for accordion and orchestra. It opens with this amazing sus accordion, to harp arpeggio, followed by a five octave gliss through the entire string orchestra (which is very familiar?--is it Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream?) Anyway the music never flags, Mussorgskyish in its juxtapositions, harmonic boldness and triumphalism. The gliss. eventually transforms into extremely dangerous chromaticism (Erwartung on Quaaludes) and is so fresh and stern at the same time, it reminds me of animation music for religious correction and reproof. The string gliss continues being transformed in a million different ways, all the post-modern juxtapositions of the permutations being reminiscent of my past fav, Schnittke. Also, The shear brilliance of the orchestration put it easily into the spectral camp of eastern block composers. The accordion part keeps expanding exponentially and by the middle is sonically huge (overdubbing?). The piece eventually reaches a mind numbing climax with is followed by a slow movement. Here a circle of fifths moves through all 12 keys making a connection to the 5 octave gliss. There's lots of Siberia like-type space and breathing here (in the slow movement), as there is throughout the piece-the sign of a real master. After a while, you start to realize you've been listening to the same gesture over and over again, like a slow motion Cossack sword coming down on your head forever, over and over! The only down side is Sofia could never match that climax before the slow movement when she comes to the final climax at the end. She wouldn't be the first composer that ran out of bullets (ask Custer)--despite that, this is truly an amazing piece. May western composers be shipped to the gulag post-haste, no foam, for correction and reproof.
The second cut, Silenzio for violin, cello and accordion (1989) is equally enthralling although completely opposite in mood and intent. It's a five movement work that barely gets louder than a pp and consists of long microtonal sustains from which flows various short melodic fragments. It is like the most personal of Bergman film, delicate, deeply refined reflection on mankind's interior life. Built into the structure of the piece is basically the cello gets higher as the violin gets lower, inverting the same plaintive melodic fragments, until the two instruments are at the top and bottom of their respective registers. Meanwhile the accordion throughout is sustaining and mirroring the main pitch sets, almost like reverb or delay, bathing the whole progression in a dream-like resonance. Another great piece!
Please buy every CD Sofia ever made so she can retire to a nice Dacha on the Black Sea and churn out more amazing music. -Signed her new agent and #1 fan!
The first stellar piece on this CD is `Fachwerk' (2009) for accordion and orchestra. It opens with this amazing sus accordion, to harp arpeggio, followed by a five octave gliss through the entire string orchestra (which is very familiar?--is it Britten's Midsummer Night's Dream?) Anyway the music never flags, Mussorgskyish in its juxtapositions, harmonic boldness and triumphalism. The gliss. eventually transforms into extremely dangerous chromaticism (Erwartung on Quaaludes) and is so fresh and stern at the same time, it reminds me of animation music for religious correction and reproof. The string gliss continues being transformed in a million different ways, all the post-modern juxtapositions of the permutations being reminiscent of my past fav, Schnittke. Also, The shear brilliance of the orchestration put it easily into the spectral camp of eastern block composers. The accordion part keeps expanding exponentially and by the middle is sonically huge (overdubbing?). The piece eventually reaches a mind numbing climax with is followed by a slow movement. Here a circle of fifths moves through all 12 keys making a connection to the 5 octave gliss. There's lots of Siberia like-type space and breathing here (in the slow movement), as there is throughout the piece-the sign of a real master. After a while, you start to realize you've been listening to the same gesture over and over again, like a slow motion Cossack sword coming down on your head forever, over and over! The only down side is Sofia could never match that climax before the slow movement when she comes to the final climax at the end. She wouldn't be the first composer that ran out of bullets (ask Custer)--despite that, this is truly an amazing piece. May western composers be shipped to the gulag post-haste, no foam, for correction and reproof.
The second cut, Silenzio for violin, cello and accordion (1989) is equally enthralling although completely opposite in mood and intent. It's a five movement work that barely gets louder than a pp and consists of long microtonal sustains from which flows various short melodic fragments. It is like the most personal of Bergman film, delicate, deeply refined reflection on mankind's interior life. Built into the structure of the piece is basically the cello gets higher as the violin gets lower, inverting the same plaintive melodic fragments, until the two instruments are at the top and bottom of their respective registers. Meanwhile the accordion throughout is sustaining and mirroring the main pitch sets, almost like reverb or delay, bathing the whole progression in a dream-like resonance. Another great piece!
Please buy every CD Sofia ever made so she can retire to a nice Dacha on the Black Sea and churn out more amazing music. -Signed her new agent and #1 fan!
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