From My Home: Music from the Baltic Countries

After hearing a clip from "Nevertheless" on NPR, I searched for and found the album. I'm not disappointed! That piece alone made the purchase worthwhile. I'm not quite so enthused about the piece that follows. But, overall, I really like the album.

This is an exquisite collection of contemporary Baltic music, selected and played by a master of violin Gidon Kremer. My favourite is Nevertheless dedicated to him by the composer Georgs Pelecis, a friend from schooldays. It's haunting. I bought the album for that piece and then was introduced to all this other fine evocative music. Kremer writes " I associate the Baltic States with the grey of the sea..I do not mean to imply by this that Baltic music is itself grey, simply that it belongs to the Northern Hemisphere If I allow my imagination free rein, I think of mists and lakes , lonely sea-shores and the possibility of finding concentration and tranquility" And that sums up the collection beautifully.

I bought this disk a few years back after I heard "Fratres" on the radio. Somehow I had never run across this piece and it stunned me. Now, like a word you have just learned and hear everywhere, I realize how popular and well known it is. But it was new to me then and it is what led me to this great disk.

As I listened to the other pieces I was exceptionally pleased. They are all written after the Second World War and most of the composers were still living when the disk was made (and likely are still with us). Kremer's notes mentions that he knows most of them and went to school with some. However, none of the music has the sound of the serialist movement that was so dominant in the fifties and sixties (not that that is bad, just don't expect that sound). Much of it is downright tonal, if not common practice era style.

All of the pieces are of different character. The opening Elegie is beautiful and quite a romantic piece. Pärt's "Fratres" is wonderful and full of interesting colors, rhythms, and effects. The Partita is edgy and the most "modern" sounding (in the old fashioned sense of "modern"), but that is not pejorative, it is quite beautiful.

The "Music Dolorosa for String Orchestra" is simply great, dark, and even delicious.

"Nevertheless" takes up a large part of this disk. I have to admit to being attracted to this piece and yet its simplicity and purposeful naiveté seem to not allow me to become fully involved in the whole 27 minutes. When the piano is playing simple major scales as accompaniment it jars me out of the piece. And yet, it is such an attractive piece with so many wonderful aspects along with Kremer's magnificent playing, that I have to recommend it and enjoy listening to it.

The short pieces by Pakidis are attractive.

The "Conversio" is quite good and despite being the most recent is absolutely accessible and tonal in interesting ways. The piece is very rhythmic and almost minimalistic with the repetitions that term implies without becoming sonic water torture. It is interesting and fun throughout.

It is such a great disk that I wish I could give it six stars. Enjoy! I would love you to email me your comments after you have heard the disk.

From first hearing the deeply moving opening piece "ELEGIE" by Dvarionas I knew this is something of a very special recording. One of Kremer's most successful discs, he poured out his whole heart in each of these very interesting contemporary music. All the pieces hear are very easy to listen even for those who don't normally like 20th century music. Beautiful melodies without being too conventional, this is music for the soul & spirit. Though the music here is much more extrovert and direct than the mystical and spiritual music of Pärt, there is an inner spirituality in much of the music offered by these composers on this disc.

There is much nostalgia in the music, especially in "NEVERTHELESS", a piece written by Kremer's friend for him and is the most touching piece in the program. Intense and even painful moments are found in "MUSICA DOLOROSA". It is a very moving piece, thanks also to the great contribution by the solo cellist, Francoux. FRATES, the most often played work here, has a mysterious haunting effect, typical that of Pärt. The most modern compositions are the GRASSHOPPER DANCES and CONVERSIO, very fun pieces that seem to be tailor-composed to Kremer's vivacious playing style, but may sound rather chaotic to the untrained ear, and towards the end of CONVERSIO the repeated conversations between the violin and piano can seem endlessly tiring.

Needless to say, Kremer is faultless throughout, intense and concentrated without being over-sentimental. Delivering nostalgic and often haunting music with many personal touches, I cannot imagine how else they can be played. Recorded sound is beautiful throughout and realistically balanced. A great introduction to 20th century music and music of Northern Europe!