Piano Concerto #1 by Artur Lemba of Estonia: A+ work!
Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 12:08 am
Estonia is that part of northwestern Europe, the uppermost of the Baltic states. The USSR made it a part of their empire in 1940 and it regained its independence in 1991. So much for the history lesson!
It also had its share of really fine composers. I've rediscovered the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Artur Lemba (1885-1963), composed in 1910, so its right on the heels of the Romantic era. I have been so overwhelmed with the beauty of the piece, that I played the almost 25-minute piece three times in one evening. The first movement is so rich in melody that one wonders why this work is not performed more frequently. It reminds me of the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff in many ways, but there's it own hugely individual imprint on the work. The second movement is ravishing in its quietude and mystery, and the last is as compelling as the first in this melodic richness. The orchestral textures are one of the best complements I've found in an "unknown" piano concerto. Performance of the work requires a pianist of the first rank technically as well. All this can be found on a Finlandia CD [20684], issued in 1997. Finlandia is now a part of the Warner Music Group. It appears as though the disc is unavailable in the USA.
Lemba's works on record are not many. Chandos has issued a symphony (Neeme Jarvi, conductor) that's still in print.
The other works on the disc include Eduard Tubin's (1905-1982) Concertino for Piano and Orchestra (composed 1945) and Lepo Sumera's (1950-2000) shockingly delightful Piano Concerto (1987/revised 1997), all performed by Lauri Väinmaa.
The big news is the pianist in these performances, Lauri Väinmaa. Here's a top-drawer pianist, born in 1961, who studied at the Estonian Academy of Music, and also with Mikhail Pletnev at the Moscow Conservatory, and also at the Royal College of Music in London. He has won competitions in England, America and other countries. He is partnered in this outstanding disc by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under Arvo Volmer. Incidentally, the Steinway D piano used is one of the best instruments I've heard on recordings coming out of Europe.
If you can find this disc—used or otherwise—GRAB IT! You will thank me for some incredibly beautiful music and performing artistry.
It also had its share of really fine composers. I've rediscovered the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Artur Lemba (1885-1963), composed in 1910, so its right on the heels of the Romantic era. I have been so overwhelmed with the beauty of the piece, that I played the almost 25-minute piece three times in one evening. The first movement is so rich in melody that one wonders why this work is not performed more frequently. It reminds me of the music of Sergei Rachmaninoff in many ways, but there's it own hugely individual imprint on the work. The second movement is ravishing in its quietude and mystery, and the last is as compelling as the first in this melodic richness. The orchestral textures are one of the best complements I've found in an "unknown" piano concerto. Performance of the work requires a pianist of the first rank technically as well. All this can be found on a Finlandia CD [20684], issued in 1997. Finlandia is now a part of the Warner Music Group. It appears as though the disc is unavailable in the USA.
Lemba's works on record are not many. Chandos has issued a symphony (Neeme Jarvi, conductor) that's still in print.
The other works on the disc include Eduard Tubin's (1905-1982) Concertino for Piano and Orchestra (composed 1945) and Lepo Sumera's (1950-2000) shockingly delightful Piano Concerto (1987/revised 1997), all performed by Lauri Väinmaa.
The big news is the pianist in these performances, Lauri Väinmaa. Here's a top-drawer pianist, born in 1961, who studied at the Estonian Academy of Music, and also with Mikhail Pletnev at the Moscow Conservatory, and also at the Royal College of Music in London. He has won competitions in England, America and other countries. He is partnered in this outstanding disc by the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra under Arvo Volmer. Incidentally, the Steinway D piano used is one of the best instruments I've heard on recordings coming out of Europe.
If you can find this disc—used or otherwise—GRAB IT! You will thank me for some incredibly beautiful music and performing artistry.