Gypsy

Gypsy

How cool is that? The champion of the 2008 USA Olympic Team, gold medal winning gymnast Nastia Liukin used this CD, the song 'Variations on Dark Eyes,' as her floor routine music. Arranged by the pianist on this recording, Ilan Rechtman. Fabulous!

Not what I thought it would be according the the jacket. Very limp and not a gypsy verve that would attend with a CD title like that

Overall, this wasn't a bad album, just a silly one. Most of these "gypsy" themed confections are throwaway encore pieces anyway, and one really cannot fill an album with nothing but encores. Thus, a few genuinely weighty compositions from Ravel & Bartok are necessary to fill out the album as a whole.

Sadly, she struggles at times with the Tzigane and gives an interpretation that I did not care for at all. What appears to be some overly close miking did not help matters, as one can at times hear her fingers hitting the strings & fingerboard, as well as occasional scratchy bowing.

The Bartok, however --- this gives me hope that perhaps some day Lara St. John can get away from dippy albums such as this and concentrate on making some real music. There is real, honest-to-goodness musical sophistacation to be found here. Why can't she do this all of the time?

Its fair to say that violinist Lara St. John projects a public image that can be described as provocative, daring, uninhibited and free-spirited (forget the open top here - check out the bold leather blazer, confident hand on hip, daring look in her eyes and violin at the ready). While such an attitude may not be to the taste of all, it would seem ideally suited for bringing out the drama and passion of Gypsy-inspired music - a genre of music definately not for the timid or academic-at-heart.

Indeed such music is far from the formal restraints of Bach which this Canadian violinist first made her mark. But judging from the tantilizing result here, Miss St. John's personna and talents are a great match for this music. Also a factor must have been her frequent trips in her youth to the epicenters of this tradition - Russia, Yugoslavia and Hungary - which perhaps awakened the Gypsy-within. Regardless, she is stellar in this Gypsy repertoire on this CD - as is her musical partner, Israeli pianist Ilan Rechtman.

While more-aquainted with music from Bach to Brahms, I was not too familar with the music of this genre before hearing this CD - so I had no idea what to expect. And I also cannot say how her readings here compare to X, Y or Z. But, I have to say most every piece on the CD caught my interest and admiration and jazzed me. While Miss St. John is the cover star of this recording, pianist Rechtman is equally engaging from the piano. I was impressed with his clear sense of direction and non-intrusive flair in the music - and especially his three original arrangements (the Gypsy Nocturne being particularly poetic and moving).

St. John and Rechtman show wonderful synergy here with crisp ensemble, elegance when needed (Chornye) and with the right intensity and bravura to ignite the spirit behind the compositions. Showmanship is a big part of Gypsy, and both these musicians step up confidently - but not in an annoying way - producing a most electrifying and satisfying result. St. John brings great nuance of color, inflection and flair to her lines that are sung with a similtaneous gorgeous and evocative quality (in Ravel and Bartok especially). Equally fascinating is her harmonics, pizacatto and bowing subtleties in Sarasate's "Zigeunerweisen" that are downright mezmerizing. Whether all indididual touches are part of the score, I am not entirely sure; but it seems vituoso diversions are inherent in such music.

I found each work musically fascinating, tonally gorgeous and with the ability to hold you in suspense throughout the piece. The range of selections is excellent: from the serene and rhapsodic "Gypsy Nocturne" ... to the graceful lyricism of Kriesler ... to the virtuostic and passionate Sarasate piece ... to the curiously-emotive modern works from Bartok and Ravel. The quirky Bartok number may be her most intelligently conceived effort of the program which she plays with great furvour. I thought her Sarasate was pretty hot and matched the spirit embodied in the music. The Carmen piece is, well, perhaps the least interesting composition here with its wearisome sliding violin riffs that are a really a poor substitute for true virtuso writing (no fauly of St. John). But, in all of these, St. John coaxes fascinating nuances of timbre along with a huge, powerful tone from her instrument, well-earning her merits as a "soloist par-excellence."

Other highlights include a very compelling history of the origins of Gypsy music (orginating from low-caste tribes from India) and a rather lengthy description of the HDCD and 56-bit digital signal processing technology used for this recording (Sonic Solutions). The technical talk here is not hype as the recording quality is indeed absolutely brilliant: super clear, super vivid and with a nice balance between instruments. It really allows the music to come alive and out of the speakers. In fact, I would say it is one of the best-sounding CD's I have out of a few hundred.

In summary, this fine duo find a marvelous spirit and rhythm within this music and give a most invigorating performance that commands as much attention as the violinist's cover photos. (In case you are wondering, Miss St. John is 34 this year of 2006). But, more should be said about the fine pianist, Ilan Richtman, whose spirited pianism creates a energetized backdrop for St. John's pyrotechnics (but who is unfortunately missing from the cover photo). Fascinating music, dazzling performances, super-realistic sound and a surprize favorite. 5 stars.

This is an excellent album if you subscribe to the school of thought where "virtuosity" in the violin essentially equates to "dragging notes and comprehencively ignoring what is written on the page in the name of expressionism". I have heard better playing at amateur recitals from violinists half her age. I find it rather sad that her label knows this and peddles it anyway, plastering her pretty face everywhere in a blatant publicity attempt.