CD Reviews (The Straits Times, March 2012)

RUSSIAN FANTASY
Vladimir & Vovka Ashkenazy, 2 Pianos
Decca 478 2940 / *****

This is a totally enjoyable collection of Russian music played on two pianos. Only two works were originally written for that medium. The first is Scriabin’s Fantasy in A minor, composed when he was only 17, and still under influence of his idol Chopin. Its understated charm and gentility are leagues away from his more familiar emotionally volatile self. The other is the 20-year-old Rachmaninov’s First Suite (Op.5), sometimes referred to as the Fantaisie-Tableaux. Its four movements are inspired by Russian poetry, and imbued with typical Slavic pathos. Obsessed with bell sounds all his life, the third movement Tears is redolent of sad tolling, while the finale Easter is a joyous festive carillon which incorporates the Orthodox chant Christ Is Risen.

The anthology also features third generation pianist Vovka Ashkenazy as a brilliant crafter of transcriptions. His arrangements of Mussorgsky’s Night On Bald Mountain and Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances from Prince Igor, both originally orchestrated by Rimsky-Korsakov, are highly effective showpieces. Also included is Glinka’s non-nationalist Valse-Fantaisie, a trifle of salon-like sensibilities. Both Vovka and his father Vladimir bring a certain authority and glorious sweep to music of their homeland.

HINDEMITH Orchestral Works
Sao Paulo Symphony / John Neschling
BIS SACD-1730 / ****1/2

Twentieth century modernism and orchestral lushness seem to be mutually exclusive entities, but not so in the case of German composer Paul Hindemith (1895-1963). It is hard to imagine anyone else who could use terse and astringent themes to build monuments of tonal grandeur and textural opulence. Come to think of it, Johann Sebastian Bach was such a creator as well. It was Hindemith’s lifelong devotion to Bach’s musical principles that spelt his own success, evident in the three popular orchestral works here, in thrilling performances from Brazil and recorded in sumptuous sound.

The Mathis Der Maler Symphony is perfectly proportioned in three movements, using themes from Hindemith’s opera of the same title on the life and conscience of German Renaissance painter Matthias Grünewald. The ballet suite Nobilissima Visione has the frescoes of Giotto on St. Francis of Assisi as its inspiration, the final movement being a splendid passacaglia that Bach would have whole-heartedly endorsed. The best known is Symphonic Metamorphoses On Weber, which has the unusual attribute of being entertaining as well. The chinoiserie of the Turandot Scherzo is hilarious and the fugue based on the theme’s inversion enters into the brassy realm of jazz bands. Listen to the final March, and one might imagine Hindemith writing the soundtrack to Star Wars. This is strangely but seriously enjoyable music.

ASHKENAZY X 3 in Hong Kong / Review

ASHKENAZY X 3
Dimitri Ashkenazy, Clarinet
Vovka Ashkenazy, Piano
Vladimir Ashkenazy, Piano
Hong Kong Cultural Centre
Friday (12 March 2010)

Strange as it may seem, the musical Ashkenazy family – Vladimir and his sons the pianist Vovka and clarinettist Dimitri – have never performed together in concert until this week when the trio did a short tour of Southeast Asia. The final leg was held in Hong Kong, organised by the ever-resourceful Chopin Society of Hong Kong.

The programme was a varied and enjoyable one, commencing with a first half of works for clarinet and piano. A familial rapport was evident on the outset with Dimitri and father exchanging eye contact and reassuring smiles throughout. With a shrug of the shoulders, they began with Schumann’s Three Romances Op.94. Dimitri or Dimka played with a mellow, almost creamy sound, one rich in lustre supported by excellent breath control. These varied character pieces were ideal starters, alternating between meditative lines, a seamless singing tone (as in the well-known second Romanze) and the blissful repose of the final retiring number.

Much more animated were the five Dance Préludes by Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski. The first, third and fifth dances were filled with the same earthy rhythms and catchy melodies commonly heard in Bartok’s nationalist dance suites, certainly a shared heritage of the Eastern European cultures. Does anyone else also think that the central section of the second dance shares the same theme as the rhythmic middle part of Live And Let Die by Paul McCartney and Wings?

More humour arrived in Francis Poulenc’s Clarinet Sonata, written for jazzman Benny Goodman. Its bittersweet melodies, breakneck passages and chameleonic shifts in dynamics found sympathetic interpreters in the Ashkenazys. The elegiac slow movement was the heart and soul of the work, while the perpetuum mobile finale revelled in an irrepressible joie de vivre. Poulenc was a marvellous pianist himself and Ashkenazy senior found his hands full but scarcely missed a note.

In the second half was all piano, with Vovka – the eldest of five siblings – in tandem with Vova (Vladimir Senior) on two pianos. Schubert’s Divertissement a la Hongroise is not his greatest music, too long by half (about 25 minutes in total), but fun to listen to, and probably also fun to play. 

The Hungarian element is in its quaint dance episodes, rhythmic and filled with decorative touches and drones. The short central movement reminded one of Schubert’s better-known Marches Militaires while the finale began with the rhythm to be found in the familiar Moment Musicaux No.3 and Impromptu in F minor (Op.142 No.4). It seemed to go on forever, content with its innocuous Biedermeyer charm, but the Ashkenazys kept it alive and ultimately worth listening.

It was almost a relief when Ravel’s rapturous La Valse arrived. The duo lost no time in establishing fin de siecle Viennese decadence through its swirls and waves of lush sound. There was intricate interplay between both pianists, washed with crashing octaves and chords, and sweeping glissandi. It was a very secure performance, one in which there was hardly a threat of rushing headlong into calamity. Sometimes one almost misses that inherent danger of collapse, which adds to the work’s appeal. Nevertheless, it was always thrilling to witness it “live” than via speakers at home.

There was a surprise encore, one involving all three Ashkenazys. As there is virtually no music for the combo of clarinet and two pianos, the Ashkenazys had one commissioned for the tour. Grandma Had a Little Goat by Nikolai Morozov was its title, described by Vova as having dramatic, tragic (the goat ended up a lupine lunch) and comedic elements, hence typical of lots of Russian music. Eliciting surprisingly good balance between all three instruments, this merry short piece (another Peter and the Wolf in the making?) also had a Jewish flavour to it. Its playful melody could have been from the pen of Shostakovich in an unusually good mood, bringing a historic concert to a happy close.

Vovka & Vova Ashkenazy

meet fans after the concert

CD Review (The Straits Times, March 2010)

DEBUSSY & RAVEL
Music for Two Pianos
VLADIMIR & VOVKA ASHKENAZY, Pianos
Decca 478 1090

****1/2

This album handily juxtaposes music for two pianos by Claude Debussy (1862-1918) and his rival Maurice Ravel (1875-1937), Frenchmen often described as impressionists. Debussy’s output here is far less familiar; after all, how often is En blanc et noir (In Black and White) performed? Three movements dedicated to friends lost in the Great War, these are elusive in melody yet subtly contrast light and shade amid dazzling fingerwork. Even more obscure are the brief Lindaraja, a short dance in habañera rhythm, and Jeux (Play), his underrated 1913 ballet transcribed by award-winning French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.

Ravel provides further atmosphere and sonority in the clangourous Entre Cloches and Rapsodie Espagnole, both bathed in infectious ostinato rhythms. The tumultuous sweep of the popular La Valse closes the programme with great aplomb. This well-known father and son duo have been recorded dryly, allowing for much musical detail to be discerned but with a loss of aural brilliance. If the programme entices, do not hesitate.

A Few Words with VOVKA ASHKENAZY

Vovka & Alessandra Ashkenazy

in Hong Kong.

VOVKA (VLADIMIR VLADIMIROVICH) ASHKENAZY is the concert pianist son of Vladimir and Thorunn Ashkenazy. His performing career has taken him to many parts of the world, including Southeast Asia performing with his father and brother Dimitri. This interview, conducted over telephone between Singapore and London, is in conjunction with the ASHKENAZY X 3 concert in Hong Kong.

You were born in Russia, raised in Iceland, educated in England, and presently reside in Switzerland. Which of these lands and cultures do you feel closest to?

That’s a difficult question. I spent one and a half years in Russia, five years in UK and ten years in Iceland. Iceland was my mother’s country and UK became culturally my adoptive country. A love for Russian music is however the greatest manifestation of my Russian heritage. I knew my Russian grandparents (the Ashkenazys) as a young adult but never learnt the Russian language. Having given up learning Russian as a child, I now regret about being so unenthusiastic about it!

The young Ashkenazy family on tour.

Both your parents are accomplished musicians and pianists. What was it like to grow up in such a musical family? Did you receive your first music lessons from your parents? How much did this influence your decision to become a pianist?

It was both incredibly stimulating and intimidating! I had my first official piano lessons at a relatively old age of seven (my mother began at two!), and was taught for nine years by an Icelandic gentleman called Rögnvaldur Sigurjónsson. I would play for my father occasionally, and my mother would listen in and tell me off! She still has a very accurate ear! I love the piano and its repertoire, and always wanted to play the piano professionally. I guess you could say that the intimidation was an imaginary one.

Are there others in your family who are musicians?

All of us learnt music. My brother Dimitri is a professional clarinettist, and among the other siblings, two played the flute and one the piano. My wife Alessandra is a ballerina. We have two children; our son (15) will do quite well as a clarinettist, and our daughter (8) is a good ballerina and learns the cello.

Among your teachers was Sulamita Aronovsky (left), UK-based but schooled in the Russian tradition. Has her guidance and that of your family heritage conferred a “Russian-ness” to your music making?

I spent eight years at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, including six years with the Lithuanian-born Sulamita Aronovsky. She was very much part of the Russian method, which integrates technical comfort with expressive playing. It is never a purely technical approach but one that describes the whole psychology of performing. It is part of the Russian system to be very methodical; very much to include rituals - certain moves and visualisations – and studying the score before deciding what to do before playing the music.

Did you take part in piano competitions?

The good advice I received was not to do competitions. Competitions could work badly both ways. If I won, people would say that’s because I was the son of the famous Vladimir Ashkenazy. And then there would be a loss of face if I did not do so well. Music is not a competition anyway.

Tell us about your début with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1983 performing Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No.1.

I was incredibly nervous, but managed to conquer the nerves and pulled it off. I enjoyed the performance and it was a memorable experience for me.

Your father was quoted to have been out of sympathy with Tchaik One. He recorded it once and never played it again.

I can understand that. It is not Tchaikovsky’s greatest work and the technical preparation required to play it really well do not always justify the results. The three Tchaikovsky concertos are more suitable for the “sportsman virtuoso”.

What are some of the other piano concertos you have performed?

Rachmaninov’s First Piano Concerto, the Paganini Rhapsody, Schumann and Grieg, Mendelssohn’s First Piano Concerto… I really love the Beethoven Fourth and have played several of Mozart’s, Gershwin’s Concerto in F and Liszt’s transcription of Schubert’s Wanderer Fantasy. I also recently performed Mozart’s Double Piano Concerto (with Massimo Palumbo) in Milan, conducted by my father.

You seem to favour collaborative performances, such as music for two pianos and chamber music, for your recordings projects. Do these give you more satisfaction than purely solo or concerto performances?

Yes, there is more pleasure, and I am more comfortable with the communication that takes place in chamber music. The piano still provides the main framework in piano trios, besides its less stressful than playing on your own. The chamber repertoire is quite amazing, especially the instrumental sonatas of Beethoven, Brahms and Rachmaninov’s Cello Sonata. If the right cellist comes along…

Your latest CD of 2-piano works by Debussy and Ravel on Decca (above) with your father was a great success. How did that come about?

It was a celebration in Hamburg in 2005 of the 125th anniversary of Steinway & Sons where we performed Ravel’s La Valse on two pianos. That received a very good reponse, and so we thought it natural to make a recording of this French repertoire. On the same disc, there is also a first recording of Debussy’s Jeux arranged by Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.

What further repertoire will you record in the future?

We will possibly be doing Russian repertoire, 2-piano music which my father did not do with André Previn. Among them, works by Medtner, Arensky, Scriabin’s Fantasy and Victor Babin’s transcription of Borodin’s Polovtsian Dances.

Ashkenazy family portrait from 1983.

Vovka is on the extreme left,

and Dimitri on extreme right.

What is like performing with your parents and brother Dimitri (the clarinettist)? Is there a sense of better musical understanding and closeness performing with them than with non-related artists? Besides family, do you have other favourite collaborators?

Certainly there is an underlying assumption that this makes for intuitive music making. We do occasionally discuss a bit about the music, but not that much unlike string quartets where there are sometimes four different points of view. Mostly we have the same ideas, with minor changes in details, and this saves a lot of time. Among my favourite collaborators is Milan Rericha, principal clarinettist of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, who also happens to be my son’s clarinet teacher. As with chamber music among friends, we usually organise things in a haphazard fashion!

Tell us about your forthcoming humanitarian work involving the Concerts for Peace in Southeast Asia.

There will be a cultural exchange organised by the International Peace Foundation, where my father, Dimka (Dimitri) and I get to meet young musicians in Cambodia and the Philippines to discuss about music and music careers. We will also giving concerts in Phnom Penh and Manila. I was told there will be a Yamaha and Boston in Phnom Penh, probably the only two grand pianos in Cambodia!

The programme for the Ashkenazys’ concerts in Cambodia, Philippines and Hong Kong is as follows:

SCHUMANN Three Romances, Op.94
LUTOSLAWSKI Dance Preludes
POULENC Clarinet Sonata
SCHUBERT Divertissement à la Hongroise
RAVEL La Valse

The Hong Kong concert on 12 March 2010 – Ashkenazy x 3 – is presented by The Chopin Society of Hong Kong.

Family Photos from Ashkenazy/ Parrott Beyond Frontiers