David Aaron Carpenter – Motherland (2018) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

For his second Warner Classics album, David Aaron Carpenter – “a star violist” in the words of the Los Angeles Times – brings together concertos by Dvořák, Bartók, Walton and a dance cycle by contemporary composer Alexey Shor. Carpenter identifies a connecting theme of “a longing for the homeland … a reverence for native musical folk tunes and language.” He is accompanied by the London Philharmonic Orchestra under three distinguished conductors: Kazushi Ono, Vladimir Jurowski and David Parry.

The Motherland evoked in the title is that of the four composers presented here, even though most of their exiles were voluntary. Dvořák moved to New York for a few years, tempted by the possibilities offered by the post of Director of the New York Conservatory, while Walton chose to live on the island of Ischia, near Naples, for reasons of personal enjoyment, sun, and freedom. As for the Ukrainian Alexey Shor, he lives in New York, of his own volition. Only Bartók, in fact, wound up in New York as an exile fleeing the Second World War; and his Viola Concerto, commissioned by William Primrose, was incomplete at the time of the composer’s death. The rough drafts and sketches were brought together into this concerto, which remains a “work in progress”, as the first reconstitution (or rather, constitution) by Tibor Serly in 1949 was followed by many revisions, including by Bartók’s own son, 50 years later! This recording is of the first version, by Serly. For Dvořák, viola player David Aaron Carpenter offers his own reading of the Cello Concerto. And finally, the pieces by Shor fit into a tonal, neo-romantic, melodic tradition, resolutely ignoring anything that happened after 1900, a choice which is respected these days, but a few decades ago would have seen this material pigeon-holed as “easy listening”.

Tracklist:
1. Cello Concerto, Op. 104: I. Allegro (arranged by Carpenter) 14:20
2. Cello Concerto, Op. 104: II. Adagio, ma non troppo 11:35
3. Cello Concerto, Op. 104: III. Finale (Allegro moderato) 12:08
4. Viola Concerto, Sz. 120, BB 128: I. Moderato 11:54
5. Viola Concerto, Sz. 120, BB 128: II. Adagio religioso 03:39
6. Viola Concerto, Sz. 120, BB 128: III. Allegro vivace 04:31
7. Seascapes: I. Abandoned Lighthouse 05:53
8. Seascapes: II. Lonely Sail 04:29
9. Seascapes: III. Gathering Storm 03:48
10. Seascapes: IV. Summer Hail 04:03
11. Viola Concerto: I. Andante comodo 08:28
12. Viola Concerto: II. Vivo, e molto preciso 04:21
13. Viola Concerto: III. Allegro moderato 12:33
14. Lullaby for Mark 03:23
15. Natalie’s Waltz 03:30
16. The Well Tempered Chanson: I. Murka Metamorphoses 03:35
17. The Well Tempered Chanson: II. Trans-Siberian Waltz 02:56
18. The Well Tempered Chanson: III. 7.40 Samba 03:11
19. The Well Tempered Chanson: IV. Baroken Love 02:50
20. The Well Tempered Chanson: V. Last Penny 03:41
21. The Well Tempered Chanson: VI. Odessa Walk 03:06
22. The Well Tempered Chanson: VII. Buenos Aires Bonbons 03:30
23. The Well Tempered Chanson: VIII. Chicken Tarantella 03:48
24. The Well Tempered Chanson: IX. Nostalgic Waltz 04:22
25. The Well Tempered Chanson: X. Buggy Bossa Nova 04:10
26. The Well Tempered Chanson: XI. Semi-Cannonical Great Feud 03:01
27. The Well Tempered Chanson: XII. Lament 04:22
28. The Well Tempered Chanson: XIII. Murka Variations 03:27