Zara Levina: The Piano Concertos

Albumbeschreibung

Active in the mid-20th century, Soviet composer Zara Levina composed two impressive piano concertos that represent a meeting point between the post-Romanticism of Rachmaninov and the modernism of Prokofiev, while the less pronounced influences of Scriabin and Bartók are also notable. This 2017 Capriccio release by Maria Lettberg and the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Ariane Matiakh presents the concertos with transparent sound and crisp details, so even though this will be a first hearing of these pieces for most listeners, Levina's music is given its due and everything comes across as intended. Lettberg's performance is energetic and propulsive in the Piano Concerto No. 1 (1942), and while the work has its share of languorous and lyrical moments, her virtuosic playing ripples under the long-breathed melodies in the orchestra, and the piano part is nearly unrelenting and quite demanding. In contrast to the standard three movements of the Piano Concerto No. 1, the Piano Concerto No. 2 (1975) is cast in a single movement, and Levina's music has an organic wholeness that gives it expressive consistency and stylistic unity, even though the work more closely resembles a rhapsody than a conventional concerto. Lettberg's playing is striking for its strength and edginess, and even though there is plenty of lushness in this material, she gives the work a resilience and a sharp metallic edge that keeps it from sounding too atmospheric.
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