Wilhelmina Smith - Per Nørgård & Poul Ruders: Works for Solo Cello (2021) [Hi-Res]
![Wilhelmina Smith - Per Nørgård & Poul Ruders: Works for Solo Cello (2021) [Hi-Res]](https://www.dibpic.com/uploads/posts/2021-01/1609950505_wilhelmina-smith-per-norgard-poul-ruders-works-for-solo-cello-2021.jpg)
BAND/ARTIST: Wilhelmina Smith
- Title: Per Nørgård & Poul Ruders: Works for Solo Cello
- Year Of Release: 2021
- Label: Ondine
- Genre: Classical
- Quality: flac lossless (image +.cue, log, artwork) flac 24bits - 96.0kHz +Booklet
- Total Time: 01:02:21
- Total Size: 256 mb / 1.01 gb
- WebSite: Album Preview
Tracklist
01. Cello Sonata No. 1: I. Lento ma espansivo - Allegro non troppo
02. Cello Sonata No. 1: II. Tranquillo
03. Cello Sonata No. 1: III. Allegro con brio
04. Cello Sonata No. 2 "In due tempi": I. Solo intimo
05. Cello Sonata No. 2 "In due tempi": II. Solo in scèna
06. Cello Sonata No. 3 "What - Is the Word!": I. Prayer I
07. Cello Sonata No. 3 "What - Is the Word!": II. Outcry
08. Cello Sonata No. 3 "What - Is the Word!": III. Prayer II
09. Bravourstudien: I. Overture
10. Bravourstudien: II. Recitative
11. Bravourstudien: III. Serenade I
12. Bravourstudien: IV. Potpourri
13. Bravourstudien: V. Etude
14. Bravourstudien: VI. Intermezzo
15. Bravourstudien: VII. Fantasia
16. Bravourstudien: VIII. Serenade II
17. Bravourstudien: IX. Finale. Variation classique
18. Bravourstudien: X. L'homme armé
![Wilhelmina Smith - Per Nørgård & Poul Ruders: Works for Solo Cello (2021) [Hi-Res]](https://www.dibpic.com/uploads/posts/2021-01/1609950480_wilhelmina-smith-per-norgard-poul-ruders-works-for-solo-cello-2021-back.jpg)
When American cellist Wilhelmina Smith’s earlier CD of solo cello works by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Kaija Sariaaho came out in February 2019, I wrote a review in which I praised her for her deep commitment to modern music as well as for her playing ability but had some misgivings about much of the music contained therein. Happily, I had no such qualms about this CD since it is of music by two composers I admire, Per Nørgård and Poul Ruders.
Nørgård’s solo cello sonatas are typical of his writing style, moody and emotional, using an essentially lyrical approach with some modern harmonies. Here, the solo cellist accompanies itself with counterpoint and rhythmic figures played on the lower strings, to interesting effect, as the music grows from its slow beginning into something more rhythmic and almost menacing in tone. Smith has impeccable control of her instrument as well as a deep, rich tone which she displays throughout. Nørgård also plays with pitch, including some out-of-tonality notes to add interest. The figures used in the latter part of the first movement are particularly interesting, employing “bent” notes in the upper line against a strong motor rhythm in the lower strings.
More note-bending is employed in the second movement, which at times sounds like microtonal music, but once again Nørgård never does anything for cheap effect; everything has a musical reason and moves the monologue along. After some upper-range solo statements, the last movement also sets up a rhythmic figure which, this time, is broken up to include some syncopated figures in the lower register.
The first movement of the second sonata is titled “Solo intimo,” and here Nørgård creates a relatively tonal, sad-sounding theme played with a light vibrato. Here the composer develops his theme slowly and deliberately, even including some brief pauses in the musical progression. The second movement, though more energetic in tempo, can by no means be described as “lively”; the odd melodic line, which constantly leaps up and down and includes some purposely distorted tones, sounds heavy and portentous. A bit later on, the note spacing in the top line becomes even wider, making the thematic material sound as if it were jumping around. In the second movement, he creates an eight-note theme out of these jumping notes that he repeats several times before letting it go.
The third sonata opens with a “Prayer,” played lovingly by Smith, but then the music becomes edgier and faster. Interestingly, Ruders’ Bravour-Studies opens with a similar edgy motif which is continued as the cellist plays some edgy close chords with a purposely rough tone. Some of this, I felt, was written more for effect than for musical reasons.
Or is it Smith’s fault? I compared this performance to one by cellist Morten Zeuthen on Dacapo and found that he played the score more like music and less like effects. So the cat is out of the bag! For all her great technique, Smith has very little concept of musical style. She revels in the novelty of the pieces she plays, but unless the audience is familiar with the music she is performing—and most, including myself, would not know unless we compared her to someone else—they wouldn’t know that this music can be made to sound more attractive than how she plays it. Just to be sure, I checked out Zeuthen’s recording of the Nørgård Solo Sonata No. 1, and yet again I found that I enjoyed the music much better in his reading, so much so that it almost sounds like an entirely different piece.
01. Cello Sonata No. 1: I. Lento ma espansivo - Allegro non troppo
02. Cello Sonata No. 1: II. Tranquillo
03. Cello Sonata No. 1: III. Allegro con brio
04. Cello Sonata No. 2 "In due tempi": I. Solo intimo
05. Cello Sonata No. 2 "In due tempi": II. Solo in scèna
06. Cello Sonata No. 3 "What - Is the Word!": I. Prayer I
07. Cello Sonata No. 3 "What - Is the Word!": II. Outcry
08. Cello Sonata No. 3 "What - Is the Word!": III. Prayer II
09. Bravourstudien: I. Overture
10. Bravourstudien: II. Recitative
11. Bravourstudien: III. Serenade I
12. Bravourstudien: IV. Potpourri
13. Bravourstudien: V. Etude
14. Bravourstudien: VI. Intermezzo
15. Bravourstudien: VII. Fantasia
16. Bravourstudien: VIII. Serenade II
17. Bravourstudien: IX. Finale. Variation classique
18. Bravourstudien: X. L'homme armé
When American cellist Wilhelmina Smith’s earlier CD of solo cello works by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Kaija Sariaaho came out in February 2019, I wrote a review in which I praised her for her deep commitment to modern music as well as for her playing ability but had some misgivings about much of the music contained therein. Happily, I had no such qualms about this CD since it is of music by two composers I admire, Per Nørgård and Poul Ruders.
Nørgård’s solo cello sonatas are typical of his writing style, moody and emotional, using an essentially lyrical approach with some modern harmonies. Here, the solo cellist accompanies itself with counterpoint and rhythmic figures played on the lower strings, to interesting effect, as the music grows from its slow beginning into something more rhythmic and almost menacing in tone. Smith has impeccable control of her instrument as well as a deep, rich tone which she displays throughout. Nørgård also plays with pitch, including some out-of-tonality notes to add interest. The figures used in the latter part of the first movement are particularly interesting, employing “bent” notes in the upper line against a strong motor rhythm in the lower strings.
More note-bending is employed in the second movement, which at times sounds like microtonal music, but once again Nørgård never does anything for cheap effect; everything has a musical reason and moves the monologue along. After some upper-range solo statements, the last movement also sets up a rhythmic figure which, this time, is broken up to include some syncopated figures in the lower register.
The first movement of the second sonata is titled “Solo intimo,” and here Nørgård creates a relatively tonal, sad-sounding theme played with a light vibrato. Here the composer develops his theme slowly and deliberately, even including some brief pauses in the musical progression. The second movement, though more energetic in tempo, can by no means be described as “lively”; the odd melodic line, which constantly leaps up and down and includes some purposely distorted tones, sounds heavy and portentous. A bit later on, the note spacing in the top line becomes even wider, making the thematic material sound as if it were jumping around. In the second movement, he creates an eight-note theme out of these jumping notes that he repeats several times before letting it go.
The third sonata opens with a “Prayer,” played lovingly by Smith, but then the music becomes edgier and faster. Interestingly, Ruders’ Bravour-Studies opens with a similar edgy motif which is continued as the cellist plays some edgy close chords with a purposely rough tone. Some of this, I felt, was written more for effect than for musical reasons.
Or is it Smith’s fault? I compared this performance to one by cellist Morten Zeuthen on Dacapo and found that he played the score more like music and less like effects. So the cat is out of the bag! For all her great technique, Smith has very little concept of musical style. She revels in the novelty of the pieces she plays, but unless the audience is familiar with the music she is performing—and most, including myself, would not know unless we compared her to someone else—they wouldn’t know that this music can be made to sound more attractive than how she plays it. Just to be sure, I checked out Zeuthen’s recording of the Nørgård Solo Sonata No. 1, and yet again I found that I enjoyed the music much better in his reading, so much so that it almost sounds like an entirely different piece.
Year 2021 | Classical | FLAC / APE | CD-Rip | HD & Vinyl
As a ISRA.CLOUD's PREMIUM member you will have the following benefits:
- Unlimited high speed downloads
- Download directly without waiting time
- Unlimited parallel downloads
- Support for download accelerators
- No advertising
- Resume broken downloads