Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Fazıl Say – Janáček – Brahms – Bartók (2023) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

Patricia Kopatchinskaja, Fazıl Say – Janáček – Brahms – Bartók (2023)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/96 kHz | Time – 01:12:16 minutes | 1,16 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Front Cover | © Alpha Classics

This new recording marks the reformation of the legendary duo of Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Fazil Say. The Moldovan violinist says the Turkish pianist ‘is a volcano, with an indomitable strength and energy’, while he emphasises the ‘freedom’ that her ‘spontaneous playing’ exudes: ‘At each concert, she creates a different character and tells a new story.’ The explosive duo presents a programme devoted to Bartók’s Violin Sonata no.1 (‘a marvel from start to finish, one of his finest works’, says Patkop), Brahms’s D minor Sonata (‘I imagine a feather in flight at the opening of the sonata’) and Janáček’s Sonata, ‘an extreme work, wounded and heart-rending’.Violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja, or PatKop to her fans, and pianist Fazil Say have for some years united periodically for performances and recordings, often of a distinctly unconventional tinge. This release, featuring violin sonatas by Janáček, Brahms, and Bartók, is no exception; the three works are landmarks of the late 19th century and early 20th century repertory (the Bartók Violin Sonata No. 1, a bit less familiar than the others), but Kopatchinskaja and Say absolutely do not retread previous performances. Their most unorthodox interpretation here comes in the Brahms Violin Sonata No. 3 in D minor, Op. 108, where Kopatchinskaja largely adopts a dreamy, floaty tone punctuated by rather harsh outbursts; she generally avoids vibrato. One might say she puts a modernist, sometimes Impressionist edge on Brahms, and whatever one thinks of this, it is not something anyone else has done. The Violin Sonata of Janáček is perhaps the duo’s least successful outing here; the sense of psychological urgency that animates the best Janáček is missing, and Kopatchinskaja misses the mystery in the artless tunes that appear in the middle of the slow movement and the finale. In the Bartók, however, Kopatchinskaja is in her element, catching Bartók’s rather savage quality. Consider the explosive violin sforzandos that punctuate the finale. Whatever one’s ultimate reaction to the album, Say’s ability to keep up with Kopatchinskaja’s free tempos is impressive, and the performance represents chamber playing at a very high level. Alpha’s Teldex Studio sound is another big draw on an album that made classical best-seller charts in early 2023. – James Manheim

Tracklist:

1-1. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – I. Con moto (05:21)
1-2. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – II. Ballada (05:03)
1-3. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – III. Allegretto (02:27)
1-4. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – IV. Adagio (05:02)
1-5. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – I. Allegro (07:47)
1-6. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – II. Adagio (04:09)
1-7. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – III. Un poco presto e con sentimento (02:43)
1-8. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – IV. Presto agitato (05:22)
1-9. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – I. Allegro appassionato (13:05)
1-10. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – II. Adagio (10:56)
1-11. Patricia Kopatchinskaja – III. Allegro (10:17)

Download:

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