Kõrvits / Schumann / Grieg

Duo Gazzana

Released on 11/18/22 by ECM New Series
Main artists: Duo Gazzana
Genre: Classical

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The two sisters of the violin-and-piano Duo Gazzana are the only Italian chamber group ever signed to the boutique label ECM, and they have already mastered a common formula employed by that label: a combination of Romantic repertory pieces with contemporary works, tending toward the sparse and abstract, with a group that can manage a clean, rather hypnotic sound. The results here, in a pair of recent works by the veteran Tõnu Kõrvits, are excellent. The ominously named Stalker Suite is an homage to the 1979 Soviet science fiction film Stalker; it is unconnected to the film's original soundtrack, but the film's atmospherics suggest more than one musical realization. Sample the third movement, "Monologue," for violin solo. Equally compelling are the four Notturni of Kõrvits, crystalline little things that would be simple if one could ever pin them down. Duo Gazzana is a bit less successful in the repertory works. The Violin Sonata in A minor, Op. 105, of Schumann has sometimes been criticized, even by Schumann himself; it shows the composer beginning to engage with the dense balance of motive and larger structure that would be explored by Brahms. It requires a close, intense performance that it doesn't quite get here, although everything is no less than competent. The sisters let their hair down a bit more in the Grieg Violin Sonata No. 3 in C minor, Op. 45, and its rollicking, tuneful finale, which really ought to be better known than it is, makes a rousing ending. Beautifully recorded at the Reitstadl Neumarkt and with booklet notes by Paul Griffiths that are just about worth the price of admission, this is an enjoyable ECM release.

© James Manheim /TiVo

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Kõrvits / Schumann / Grieg

Duo Gazzana

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