Search - Valentin Silvestrov, Roman Kofman, Munich Philharmonic Orchestra :: Silvestrov: Dedication; Post scriptum

The most prominent violin works of Silvestrov's late output

Christopher Culver | 10/01/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Valentin Silvestrov's "Dedication" for violin and orchestra (1990-91) is very typical of the composer. After an opening dissonant chord, numerous melodies unfold, bearing a resemblance to the lines of the Romantic era but without any development towards a clear goal. The occasional Webern-like dissonant interval reminds us that we are listening to a product of the late 20th century, but the prevailing mood is a "postlude" (Silvestrov loves that word) of the era of common-practice tonality. Though this is ostensibly a violin concerto, Silvestrov's approach to the genre is reminiscent of Takemitsu's, and here Gidon Kremer's violin is just the most prominent strand in a rather symphonic texture, instead of some partner in dialogue with the orchestra. If you've heard the Symphony No. 5, for example, you know what to expect here. But I find Silvestrov's music quite compelling in spite of its fairly invariable mood from piece to piece. Even though his approach to form remains the same, he continues to conjure up myriad new melodies for each piece when he could probably get away with outright recycling of previous material. That requires considerable talent.



"Post Scriptum" for violin and piano (1990) is in much the same vein, Unfortunately, the piece suffer froms excessive length. Sure, the first movement of "Post Scriptum" is lovely, but the second and third feel completely unnecessary, as if he's just milking it. And in any event, I rather prefer the ECM recording which has a nicer studio ambience."