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Track(s) taken from CDA67514

Five Melodies, Op 35bis

composer
composed in 1920 as Five Songs without Words for the soprano Nina Koshetz; transcribed for violin and piano with the assistance of Paweł Kochański in July 1925

Alina Ibragimova (violin), Steven Osborne (piano)
Studio Master FLAC & ALAC downloads available
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Recording details: July 2013
Henry Wood Hall, London, United Kingdom
Produced by Andrew Keener
Engineered by Simon Eadon
Release date: July 2014
Total duration: 11 minutes 49 seconds

Cover artwork: The Violin (1916) by Juan Gris (1887-1927)
Kunstmuseum, Basel / Bridgeman Images
 

Reviews

‘From the austere opening bars of the First Violin Sonata, one of Prokofiev’s towering masterpieces, it’s clear that this violin-and-piano duo is capable of the subtlest interplay. Steven Osborne is the lion, or the demon, that needs taming by Alina Ibragimova’s fiddler, dancing—sometimes ever so frailly—on the volcano. There are revelations in the outer movements: never have I heard the violin’s tentative B minor melodising as so much the heart of the preludial Andante assai—it's equal in effect to what Prokofiev described as the 'wind in the graveyard’ rushings which appear at the end of that movement and return so strikingly at the end of the work—and the way the scherzo's abrasive insistence returns in the piano bass of the finale is truly hair-raising’ (BBC Music Magazine)» More
PERFORMANCE
RECORDING

‘For her new Prokofiev release Ibragimova teams up with Steven Osborne in one of those astute mergers of talent for which Hyperion is well known. Osborne revealed his penchant for Prokofiev last year in the Visions fugitives and Sarcasms that accompanied his compelling, multi-faceted interpretation of Musorgsky’s Pictures from an Exhibition (CDA67896). In the two Prokofiev violin sonatas, his instincts are just as finely honed … performances of depth of perception and strength of character … shifting kaleidoscopes in the piano part and the subtle vocal inflections of the violin’ (The Daily Telegraph)» More

‘The dark moods of the F minor Sonata … are relished to the full by both musicians: the range of colours and the precision of the rhythmic articulation are two notable features of a performance that grips the listener from start to finish, thanks to its unflinching conviction as well as its consummate skill. It’s a magnificent performance. The D major Sonata (originally written for flute and piano and transcribed at Oistrakh’s request) is even better. The attention to detail, to subtle nuances, is breathtaking, and the overall drive and momentum of the performance results in a reading as fine as any I’ve heard, in sound that is better than most. It’s interesting to compare Ibragimova and Osborne with Kremer and Argerich (DG). While the latter is a magnificent partnership by any standards … I get a feeling of even greater involvement and excitement from the new Hyperion disc … this Prokofiev disc is a triumphant achievement, recommended without reservation’ (International Record Review)» More

‘Prokofiev's two violin sonatas make a stark juxtaposition. The F minor is a big-boned, dark-hued expression of feeling that can be taken as mourning for the depredations of Soviet terror; the D major is one of those seraphically contented neoclassical excursions that adorn mid-20th-century music. They are played here with an intense-feeling virtuosity, Ibragimova equally magnificent in restraint—as when executing those 'graveyard' scales slipping in during the F minor—and when belting out, say, the second movement of that work, as strongly contrasted with its predecessor as the whole sonata is with its successor’ (The Sunday Times)» More

‘There is something deeply disturbing, and at the same time uplifting, in the violin music of Sergei Prokofiev. Such extremes are encapsulated in this captivating recording of both Violin Sonatas and the Five Melodies by Russian violinist Alina Ibragimova and Scots pianist Steven Osborne. Their reading of the F minor Violin Sonata combines angst-ridden weight with vigorous spirit and blissful moments of timeless beauty. The Five Melodies offer a deliciously poetic and nuanced transition to the brighter skies of the Sonata No 2, a work transcribed from the Flute Sonata, which this duo present with radiant self-assurance’ (The Scotsman)» More

In 1915, while he was beginning to compose his First Violin Concerto, Prokofiev heard the violinist Paul (Paweł) Kochański perform Szymanowski’s pioneering Mythes with the composer at the piano. This stirred the composer’s creative imagination, and he soon sought Kochański’s collaboration in completing the concerto. In all his subsequent major violin works, Prokofiev was to work closely with several distinguished violinists: Robert Soetens for the Violin Concerto No 2, and David Oistrakh for the two violin sonatas.

Prokofiev turned to Kochański again when transcribing his Five Songs without Words, Op 35, for violin and piano. He originally composed these late in 1920 for Nina Koshetz, the larger-than-life Russian mezzo-soprano. Prokofiev had been touring California at the time, and appears to have been inspired by the state’s natural beauty: before completing the fifth and final song he noted in his diary how he admired ‘the ocean, which at sunset shimmered with the most beautiful colours’. In Paris a little over four years later, Prokofiev was impressed by a recital by the Hungarian violinist Joseph Szigeti, and considered writing a series of small violin pieces as ‘Songs without Words’. Another violinist, Cecilia Hansen, wife of one of his pianist friends from his St Petersburg Conservatory years, then demonstrated to Prokofiev that the second of the Songs without Words ‘went beautifully’ on violin. Nevertheless, Prokofiev entrusted the transcription of all five vocalises ‘not with the naïve Cecilia but with Kochański, whose skills in this respect are fabulous’. In July 1925, accordingly, Prokofiev visited Kochański at his home in Paris, and in just two intensive sessions of a few hours’ duration they transcribed all five songs for violin. The result, if anything, exceeds in beauty and expression the original vocalises. Prokofiev dedicated the second piece to Hansen, and the fifth piece to Szigeti, dedicating the rest of the cycle to Kochański.

from notes by Daniel Jaffé © 2014

En 1915, il entendit Paul (Paweł) Kochański jouer au violon les novateurs Mythes de Szymanowski, lui-même au piano pour l’occasion. Sa créativité ainsi aiguillonnée, il rechercha bientôt l’aide de ce violoniste pour terminer le Concerto pour violon nº 1 qu’il venait d’entamer. Dès lors, il rédigera toutes ses grandes œuvres violonistiques en étroite collaboration avec d’éminents instrumentistes: Robert Soetens (Concerto pour violon nº 2) et David Oïstrakh (les deux sonates pour violon).

Quand vint l’heure de transcrire pour violon et piano ses Cinq Romances sans paroles, op.35, originellement composées à la fin des années 1920 pour Nina Koshetz—une mezzo-soprano russe douée d’une vraie personnalité—, ce fut de nouveau vers Kochański que Prokofiev se tourna. Manifestement inspiré par la beauté naturelle de la Californie, où il était en tournée, il nota dans son journal, avant d’achever sa cinquième et dernière romance, combien il admirait «l’océan que les plus splendides couleurs faisaient brasiller au soleil couchant». Quatre bonnes années plus tard, impressionné par un récital parisien du violoniste hongrois Joseph Szigeti, il envisagea d’écrire une série de petites pièces violonistiques dans le genre de ses «Romances sans paroles». La violoniste Cecilia Hansen, la femme d’un de ses amis pianistes (une amitié qui remontait au Conservatoire de Saint-Pétersbourg), lui prouva alors que sa deuxième Romance sans paroles «allait splendidement» au violon. Pourtant, ce ne fut «pas à la candide Cecilia mais à Kochański, dont les talents, à cet égard, sont fabuleux» qu’il confia la transcription des cinq vocalises. En juillet 1925, il alla donc voir le violoniste chez lui, à Paris et, en seulement deux séances intensives de quelques heures, les cinq romances furent transcrites pour violon. Le résultat surpasse encore en beauté et en expressivité les vocalises originales. Prokofiev dédia la deuxième pièce à Hansen, la cinquième à Szigeti et les trois autres à Kochański.

extrait des notes rédigées par Daniel Jaffé © 2014
Français: Hypérion

Als Prokofjew 1915 mit der Komposition an seinem Ersten Violinkonzert begann, hörte er den Geiger Paul (Paweł) Kochański mit dem bahnbrechenden Werk Mythes von Szymanowski—der Komponist selbst spielte dabei Klavier. Dieses Erlebnis regte Prokofjews Kreativität an und er wandte sich bald darauf an Kochański mit der Bitte um Zusammenarbeit bei der Vollendung seines Ersten Violinkonzerts. Prokofjew arbeitete auch bei allen folgenden großen Werken für Violine mit bedeutenden Geigern zusammen: Robert Soetens beriet ihm bei der Entstehung des Zweiten Violinkonzerts und David Oistrach bei der Komposition der beiden Violinsonaten.

Als Prokofjew seine Fünf Lieder ohne Worte op. 35 für Violine und Klavier einrichtete, wandte er sich wiederum an Kochański. Er hatte diese Stücke ursprünglich gegen Ende des Jahres 1920 für die legendäre russische Mezzosopranistin Nina Koshetz komponiert. Prokofjew hatte zu jener Zeit eine Reise durch Kalifornien unternommen und war offenbar von der landschaftlichen Schönheit dieses Staates inspiriert—bevor er das fünfte und letzte Lied vollendete, notierte er in seinem Tagebuch, wie beeindruckt er von dem „Ozean, der bei Sonnenuntergang in den schönsten Farben schillerte“ war. Als er etwas über vier Jahre später in Paris ein Konzert des ungarischen Geigers Joseph Szigeti hörte, war er so beeindruckt davon, dass er sich mit dem Gedanken trug, eine Reihe von kleinen Violinstücken als „Lieder ohne Worte“ zu schreiben. Eine weitere Geigerin, Cecilia Hansen, die Ehefrau eines Pianistenfreundes aus seiner Zeit am Petersburger Konservatorium, zeigte Prokofjew daraufhin, dass das zweite der Lieder ohne Worte sich „wunderschön“ auf der Geige spielen ließ. Nichtsdestotrotz vertraute Prokofjew die Bearbeitung der fünf Vokalisen „nicht der naiven Cecilia, sondern Kochański“ an, „dessen Talent dafür hervorragend ist“. So suchte Prokofjew Kochański im Juli 1925 in Paris auf und in nur zwei intensiven Sitzungen gelang es den beiden Künstlern, alle fünf Lieder für Geige einzurichten. Wenn man die beiden Versionen miteinander vergleichen kann, so übertrifft die Geigenfassung die ursprüngliche Version in Schönheit und Ausdruckskraft. Prokofjew widmete Hansen das zweite Stück, Szigeti das fünfte und den restlichen Zyklus Kochański.

aus dem Begleittext von Daniel Jaffé © 2014
Deutsch: Viola Scheffel

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