BRAHMS GLINKA ENESCU RYSANOV CHANG - SONTA FOR VIOLA & PIANO CD

SKU/Barcode: 822252211122

Violist Maxim Rysanov is a dynamic young Ukrainian who also conducts; he has made the rounds of the international competition circuit, prevailing on his choice of instrument in several. Rysanov has concertized with Janine Jansen, Marc-Andr Hamelin, Gidon Kremer, Viktoria Mullova, and many other big names in classical music. Avie's Maxim Rysanov -- Evelyn Chang is his first recital disc and therefore Rysanov's debut entry into recording, a realm of endeavor that is quite different from the concert hall and one that often yields results that even the best-laid plans of the world's great virtuosi find rather mixed and only partly representative of their talents. Such is the case here. It is unusual in a recital that spotlights a soloist that the accompanist would appear more upfront than the star of the show. Chang's accompaniments in the Brahms "F.A.E." and in the Glinka Sonata have such well-defined, outstanding qualities of attack, contour, and articulation that you find yourself listening to her and not Rysanov, who is not helped in that his instrument is mixed a bit too far behind Chang in these pieces. You finally notice Rysanov's presence in the Enescu, where the album as a whole suddenly comes alive. The performance of Enescu's Concert Piece for viola is easily the best thing on the disc; Rysanov is very dedicated to the work and plays it with a rich, burnished tone and a gutty, deeply romantic feel. The spell continues through the two short pieces of Frank Bridge, and Rysanov's fluidity and lightness of touch in Bridge's Pensiero that is moving and truly noteworthy. The Franck A major Violin Sonata, in a viola version specifically crafted by Rysanov himself, sounds quite good for the most part, though the second movement Allegro is a little over the top. Though short and sparse, Dobrinka Tabakova's Chinese-inflected Whispered Lullaby is a highly charming and individualistic piece; one wishes Rysanov could have found more selections like this one and put either the dusty old Brahms or Franck works back on the shelf. Nevertheless, Rysanov is a very strong and talented player whose Avie debut promises good things to come; both viola players and fans of the instrument probably will not want this one to get away from them. That said, this Avie effort is a recital that is exciting more in spots than as a contiguous whole.