Valentin Silvestrov: Piano WorksGrand Piano
When the Soviet Union collapsed, a generation of fine composers vanished into the vortex. Bereft of a parent state that fed and restrained them, some embraced exile, others bewailed the loss. Valentin Silvestrov, a Ukrainian rebel in Soviet times, adopted a baby-faced musical innocence that is at once appealing and disturbing.His set ‘Naïve Music’ sounds as if it could have been written by Tchaikovsky, a pair of waltzes defer to Chopin. Silvestrov refers obliquely to his ‘metaphorical style’ but what one hears is close to imitiation. Beyond that beats a heart that aches for the certainties of melody and a head that knows exactly how to steer a tune clear of sentimentality. If you love Chopin, you will wonder why Chopin didn’t write these waltzes first.Elisaveta Blumina, an accomplished Leningrad pianist exiled in Dublin, delivers marbled enigmatic serenity, much as Tatiana Nikolayeva did when she played the Bach-like preludes and fugues written by Dmitri Shostakovich in darker times. There may be secrets in this neo-classical revival for John Le Carre to decode.Three Rachmaniov recordingsCello sonataOehmsThe German cellist Julian Steckel, 30, is more sentimental than most Russians in this ultra-romantic sonata. Paul Rivinius is the pianist. Prokofiev’s late sonata is the companion piece.Cello sonataOnyxThe British-based cellist Leonard Elschenbroich pairs an attractively muscular account of the Rachmaninov with a thoughtful reading of the little-known cello version of Shostakovich’s deathbed viola sonata. Alexei Grynyuk is the pianist and the sound is outstanding.3rd symphonyNaxosThe Detroit SO with Leonard Slatkin give one of the most compelling accounts of the symphony’s hypnotic hushed opening. The Adagio slackens off a bit, but the orch’s in fine fettle and go on to raise the roof in Symphonic Dances. Fabulous sound.___Norman Lebrecht is a regular presenter on BBC Radio 3 and a contributor to the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg and other publications. He has written 12 books about music, the most recent being Why Mahler? He hosts the blog Slipped Disc.
