KornGOLDMark - Works by Korngold & Goldmark

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Violinist Orsolya Korcsolan's recording of music for violin and piano, its program ingeniously summed up in the album title, "KornGoldMark", brings together the romantically exotic music of Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957), Carl Goldmark (1830-1915), Rubin Goldmark (1872-1936) and, included as a lovely bonus track, a short piece by Robert Dauber (1922-1945). This handsomely packaged and finely engineered recording comes from the Solo Musica label; pianist Emese Mali accompanies Ms. Korcsolan's sumptuous violin playing.

There's a great variety of music here, but it all has in common an air of spontaneity and intimacy, rather evocative of turn-of-the-century Viennese parlor music. Playing tenderly or brazenly, with sauce, sass or sweetness, Ms. Korcsolan captures the distinct sentiment of each piece. You can hear that she loves this music, and her affection for it is catching.

The first two sets of pieces come from Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957). The first is a suite of four transcriptions for violin and piano of arias and melodies from the composer's operas and ballets. The second is Korngold's Much Ado About Nothing Suite, Op. 11, music from his incidental music to the Shakespeare play. The next composer represented is Rubin Goldmark, nephew of Carl Goldmak, and the premiere recording of his Plaintive Air. This wistful three and a half-minute composition, graceful and full of yearning, dissolves into an exquisite silence.

The next music is by Carl Goldmark, Suite Op. 11 for violin and piano. Melancholy, tentative, and very beautiful, the sample in the right sidebar is the second movement Andante Sostenuto from that suite. This is followed by Romanze in A Major, Op. 51. As a bonus, the program concludes with Serenata by Robert Dauber. This rarely performed composition was written in 1942, while Dauber was imprisoned in Terezienstadt. Shortly afterwards, at the age of 22, he was deported to Dachau and killed. This is Dauber's only surviving composition.

As diverse as is the music on this program, there's a common thread running through it. What it is exactly is elusive, but you can hear that Ms. Korcsolan understands it. She concludes her fine album notes stating simply: "My intention in making this recording was to bring you, dear listeners, back to a colorful, turbulent and exotic place and time". I've been transported there each time I've heard this charming album.

Enjoy this very fine trailer for KornGoldMark produced by Solo Musica