piano music by two essential Baltic pianist composers, Lūcija Garūta & Ester Mägi makes for a marvellous, compelling disc

Lūcija Garūta (Picture courtesy of the Lūcija Garūta web site)

Born right into a non-musical household, Lūcija Garūta taught herself music notation and would enter the composition class on the newly based Riga Conservatory. In Paris, within the Twenties she studied piano with Alfred Cortot and composition with Paul Dukas although she stated of this latter, “I didn’t research. I turned acquainted along with his strategies and his large persona.” Again in Riga, she taught and carried out, coping with ill-health, the Nazi Occupation after which life beneath the Soviet Regime, regardless of a few of her music being banned.

Doroszkowska begins with Legenda a quasi-tone-poem from 1934 that’s moderately darkish but filled with advanced romanticism. A hanging piece, it makes clear that Garūta has a specific voice and this carries on along with her Etudes for the Sostenuto Pedal. 

These are 4 research, relationship from 1936 and 1956, which discover textures on a piano utilizing the sustaining pedal. But, they don’t seem to be mere sketches and every is remarkably totally developed little tone-picture in its personal proper. ‘A Critical Melody’ is fascinating, a spare but characterful depiction of gripping anxiousness. ‘Fairy Story’ makes use of arpeggiated figures mixed with the pedal to create clear elegant textures that Garūta develops then permits to evaporate, tantalising us. ‘Bells’ is simply that. Quite spare, Garūta makes use of the pedal to evocative impact, however then develops her materials in attention-grabbing methods. ‘The Legend of the Boy and The Kokle’ the place the title refers back to the Baltic psaltery. Right here we now have a folk-ish melody utilized in a splendidly evocative manner but with story-telling drama too. These 4 etudes are little gems, undeservedly uncared for.

Meditation dates from 1935. This started as an orchestral work, later being transcribed for organ. The notes are unclear as as to whether the piano model is Garūta’s personal. It begins gently and romantically, lush darkish harmonies and you may hear the tone poem rising and we really feel that Scriabin just isn’t far manner because the richly advanced piano writing takes over. The 4 Preludes are from the late Twenties, and therefore when Garūta was in Paris. Right here, it’s Scriabin who appears to be an affect once more. From the piano writing and sophisticated romanticism of the primary, it’s clear that Garūta was clearly a nice pianist, although the second prelude does really feel moderately backward trying. The third introduces some attention-grabbing chromaticism into the combo, while the 4 appears essentially the most superior.

Ester Mägi (Picture: Kaupo Kikkas)

Born right into a non-musical household in Tallinn, Ester Mägi taught herself piano and studied piano and composition at Tallinn Conservatory (with a pupil of Rimsky Korsakov) when she started happening subject journeys, gathering people music and runic singing traditions. She later studied in Moscow with Vissarion Shebalin. In Soviet occupied Estonia she saved her integrity by not accepting state commissions.

Three Sea Tableaux from 1961 discover cyclical type, the actions merely marked Allegro, Adagio con moto and Vivo. There’s a beautiful magnificence and readability to the opening motion, for all of the elaborateness of texture and it instantly charms. One thinks of Ravel (which isn’t essentially the primary identify you may think about in Soviet period Estonia) and sure the ocean. These marvellous textures are changed by spare depth within the center motion, the melodic materials feeling distinctly folk-like. Then the ultimate motion is extra skittish and filled with intriguing references.

Junipers of Kassari from 1994 was written for a younger pianists competitors and evokes the fantastic thing about the Kassari shoreline, an space famed for its junipers. The result’s a compelling and atmospheric piece, suitably difficult for the competitors, little question, however you believe you studied rewarding to play in its descriptive evocativeness.

From her Ten Piano Items of 1957 we hear a collection of seven from this assortment of straightforward miniatures the place Mägi manages to herald a complete number of references from people melody and past, with the perky appeal of ‘Etude’, the clear people inspiration of ‘Herding Name’, the appeal of ‘Cuckoo’, the elegant melodiousness of ‘Hassle Tune’, the remarkably chirpy ‘Nightingale’, a energetic ‘Polka-Mazurka’ and the ultimate ‘Little Waltz’ that proves remarkably headlong.

We finish along with her late piece, The Historical Kannel relationship from 1985, a tribute to the folklorist Herbert Tampere. The title refers each to an historic people instrument and to the folklore assortment, The Historical Kannel revealed in 1875 by Jakob Hurd. There’s a wealthy dept to the melodic writing right here, and giving the Kannel references, the writing is spare, utilizing melody and sustaining pedal to dramatic and evocative impact. this can be a piece positively not written for younger pianists, it’s a giant and sophisticated work which demonstrates a composer on the full extent of her expertise, weaving Estonian folk-influences with twentieth century piano masters and far else.

While particular person objects within the recital stood out as little gems, general I’ve to commend Eva Maria Doroszkowska for the way in which she has crafted a satisfying recital from 22 disparate items by these two totally different voices. And sure, wherever you might be within the disc the Baltic sea by no means feels far-off.