Igor Raykhelson

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Raykhelson: Va Conc, Vn Conc; Bashmet/Sachenko/Slatkovsky/Vandelli/NovaRossSt SO [Toccata]

Bob McQiston, Classical Lost and Found (CLOFO.com, P121014)

Please welcome Russian-born Igor Raykhelson (b. 1961) to these pages! Here's someone who began his career as an itinerant jazz pianist, but a meeting with his compatriot violist-conductor Yuri Bashmet in 1998 convinced him to become a self-taught composer. 

Thanks to the adventurous folks at Toccata Classics we're fortunate to have these world premiere recordings featuring two of his major concertos. Originally released last July, distribution problems made it difficult to get this disc in America. But now that Toccata has joined the Naxos stable of labels that should no longer be the case. 

The four movement concerto for viola completed in 2005 was commissioned by, and dedicated to Bashmet. The initial largo [track-4] begins with the low strings paraphrasing the dark opening measures (DO) [00:00] of Schubert's (1797-1828) Unfinished Symphony (No. 8, 1822). The viola then enters [01:26] playing the first four notes of his Arpeggione Sonata (1824), which along with DO serves to unify the work. 

A somber moving discourse between soloist and tutti reminiscent of Delius (1862-1934) follows with an unexpected oblique orchestral reference [03:39] to the big tune (BT) from Rachmaninov's (1873-1943)second piano concerto (1900-01). You'll also be surprised to find a prominent part for piano, which enters fairly early on [05:59] playing something similar to the first few notes of Beethoven's (1770-1827) Moonlight Sonata (No. 14, 1801). 

The music gradually brightens with an infectious perky middle episode where the soloist does a jazzy gigue to a romantic orchestral accompaniment spiked with woodblock knocks à la Prokofiev (1891-1953). All this culminates in more veiled references [10:01] to BT, a tam-tam enhanced climatic chord for full orchestra, and a return to the subdued mood of the opening. 

A brief tipsy waltz with a virtuosic part for the viola follows. Then we get a beautiful andante [track-6] where the homage to Rachmaninov becomes even more apparent in the piano part [00:00], and a clarinet solo [01:58] recalling BT. Hearing Bashmet's loving performance of this movement, it's easy to understand why many consider the viola the most amorous of stringed instruments. 

Not one to get into a romantic wallow, Raykhelson then gives us a raucous finale [track-7]. It begins with a jazzy aggressive percussion-spiked episode worthy of Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990), and features a naughty bravura viola part. A curious repentant bluesy passage that starts like a sonata for viola and piano follows [02:29], concluding with a cyclic reference in the low strings to DO [04:27]. 

But all hell breaks loose again [04:58] with some hot cymbal brush work, whacks on the drum set, and more woodblock knocks. The spirit of Bernstein returns to end the concerto in an irreverent romp with the viola sounding as insolent as you'll ever hear it! 

The violin concerto of two years later (2007) is dedicated to the composer's second wife, and by his own admission the most romantic work he's written to date. In the usual three movements, the opening sonata form moderato [track-1] begins with passages for solo piano, which is given a significant accompanying role as it was in the viola concerto. 

The soloist senza vibrato, and orchestra soon enter introducing a couple of amorous themes. These undergo a heart on sleeve elaboration recalling the more emotional moments in Miklós Rózsa's (1907-1995) concert works. And then the movement ends much like it began. 

A rhapsodic love elegy for soloist and strings follows [track-2]. Wide-ranging spun-out melodies for the violin and a chromatically diverse accompaniment ensure it never becomes overly romantic. The former are the thematic basis for the closing allegro [track-3], where tango and bossa nova rhythms lend a South American air. The concerto ends with a fiendish cadenza and flashy final flourishes for soloist and tutti

Violinist Nikolay Sachenko is superb, and so is the support he receives from the Novaya Rossiya State Symphony Orchestra (NRSSO) under Italian conductor Claudio Vandelli. As for the other concerto, Yuri Bashmet once again shows why many consider him the greatest violist living today. When he plays there's absolutely no hint of the intonational instabilities that frequently plague lesser performers. Also the NRSSO, this time under Russian conductor Alexander Slatkovsky, gets another big round of applause for their ardent support. 

A studio production made at the Moscow State House of Recording in 2007, the violin concerto presents a generous soundstage in a warm acoustic. The violin tone as well as the orchestral timbre is resplendently lush, with a good balance between soloist and tutti

The recording of the viola concerto was done two years later (2009) at a live performance in theTchaikovsky Concert Hall, Moscow. But there's no sign of an audience thanks to what must have been some clever miking and editing, 

The soundstage is large and in a reverberant acoustic with Bashmet adequately highlighted, however the sonic image does seem a bit skewed to the left channel. That said, the overall viola tone and instrumental timbre are quite natural, assuring a generally pleasing listening experience.