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In programming terms alone, this America-themed programme from Latvian pianist-composer and former Pēteris Vasks pupil Vestard Shimkus is extremely nicely put together. Philip Glass's Mad Rush serves as the curtain-raiser – a work originally created and performed on the organ of New York's cathedral of St. John the Divine in honour of the Dalai Lama's 1979 first public address in North America, but now largely performed on the piano. Onwards, and Shimkus leads us through a succession of hops back and forth between the 20th and 21st centuries, beginning with Charles Tomlinson Griffes' Piano Sonata, sitting as a pleasingly organic segue despite its much earlier composition date of 1917, thanks to its own concise, abstract language (in fact “wandering in the nowhere” was how Musical America's bemused Herbert Peyser described it when it first appeared).
Next come Elliott Carter's Two Thoughts About the Piano, Intermittences and Caténaires, written in 2005 and 2006 respectively for Peter Serkin and Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Then George Crumb's flowing 1984 dreamscape, Processional, described by Crumb himself as “an experiment in harmonic chemistry” for its blending of whole-tone, chromatic and modal elements. The programme then concludes with Shimkus's own two-movement Piano Sonata “Light Years Away”, feeling like an eminently natural coda with its otherworldly, minimalist-inspired language.
Shimkus brings a pleasing soft warmth to the programme's many dreamlike landscapes, going for a clearly haloed sound, but no means at the expense of definition; and if you want a great combination of definition and technical aplomb then head to Carter's Caténaires, with its dizzyingly high-speed single line of notes. Part voicing and architecture are also strongly present.
Equally strong is the sheer physical power Shimkus hurls at the programme's louder moments, the first taster of this coming with the thunderous wall of sound suddenly hitting your ears at Mad Rush's first outburst. This, combined with the very resonant recording space and up-close capturing, makes for an intense listen when the dynamics are at the top end. Your ears feel literally as though they're brushing the piano's open lid. So, while some listeners will love that sense of sonic immediacy, others will find it uncomfortably overpowering. Either way, though, it's certainly an experience. © Charlotte Gardner/Qobuz
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Mad Rush (Philip Glass)
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Philip Glass, Composer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Philip Glass, Composer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Philip Glass, Composer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Philip Glass, Composer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Piano Sonata, A. 85 (Charles Tomlinson Griffes)
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Composer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Composer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Composer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Charles Tomlinson Griffes, Composer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Two Thoughts About the Piano (Elliott Carter)
Elliott Carter, Composer - Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Elliott Carter, Composer - Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - GEORGE CRUMB, Composer - Vestard Shimkus, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Piano Sonata "Light Years Away" (Vestard Shimkus)
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Vestard Shimkus, Composer, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Frédéric Briant, SoundEngineer - Vestard Shimkus, Composer, Piano, MainArtist - Cyrille Cassier, MasteringEngineer
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
Album review
In programming terms alone, this America-themed programme from Latvian pianist-composer and former Pēteris Vasks pupil Vestard Shimkus is extremely nicely put together. Philip Glass's Mad Rush serves as the curtain-raiser – a work originally created and performed on the organ of New York's cathedral of St. John the Divine in honour of the Dalai Lama's 1979 first public address in North America, but now largely performed on the piano. Onwards, and Shimkus leads us through a succession of hops back and forth between the 20th and 21st centuries, beginning with Charles Tomlinson Griffes' Piano Sonata, sitting as a pleasingly organic segue despite its much earlier composition date of 1917, thanks to its own concise, abstract language (in fact “wandering in the nowhere” was how Musical America's bemused Herbert Peyser described it when it first appeared).
Next come Elliott Carter's Two Thoughts About the Piano, Intermittences and Caténaires, written in 2005 and 2006 respectively for Peter Serkin and Pierre-Laurent Aimard. Then George Crumb's flowing 1984 dreamscape, Processional, described by Crumb himself as “an experiment in harmonic chemistry” for its blending of whole-tone, chromatic and modal elements. The programme then concludes with Shimkus's own two-movement Piano Sonata “Light Years Away”, feeling like an eminently natural coda with its otherworldly, minimalist-inspired language.
Shimkus brings a pleasing soft warmth to the programme's many dreamlike landscapes, going for a clearly haloed sound, but no means at the expense of definition; and if you want a great combination of definition and technical aplomb then head to Carter's Caténaires, with its dizzyingly high-speed single line of notes. Part voicing and architecture are also strongly present.
Equally strong is the sheer physical power Shimkus hurls at the programme's louder moments, the first taster of this coming with the thunderous wall of sound suddenly hitting your ears at Mad Rush's first outburst. This, combined with the very resonant recording space and up-close capturing, makes for an intense listen when the dynamics are at the top end. Your ears feel literally as though they're brushing the piano's open lid. So, while some listeners will love that sense of sonic immediacy, others will find it uncomfortably overpowering. Either way, though, it's certainly an experience. © Charlotte Gardner/Qobuz
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 13 track(s)
- Total length: 01:02:26
- 1 Digital booklet
- Main artists: Vestard Shimkus
- Composer: Various Composers
- Label: ARTALINNA
- Genre: Classical
2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management 2021 ARTALINNA, a label D2C Production & Management
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