Blumina

Grigori (Grigory) Samuilovich Frid was a distinguished member of the generation of composers born in Russia just before the Revolution of 1917. Frid’s significant corpus of piano music can trace its lineage to Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky and Stravinsky, and his skill in conjuring entire worlds in music can be heard throughout this recording. His albums of Children’s Pieces are rich in gems that evoke poetic nostalgia, seasonal moods and witty pictorial descriptions that genuinely transcend their didactic purpose. In these world première recordings, distinguished pianist Elisaveta Blumina reveals Frid’s extraordinary character – a gifted composer, pedagogue and artist who lived his life to the full, despite many personal setbacks and difficulties.

Piano music is central to Valentin Silvestrov’s output. With its frequent allusions to lingering recollections of the past, this programme presents an overview of various creative periods. It begins with the composer’s reworkings of youthful sketches (Naive Musik), followed by Der Bote (The Messenger) with its beautiful Mozartian theme leading into a sonatina in the style of the 18th century. After recent works from Silvestrov’s self–defined ‘Bagatelle’ period, the recording concludes with the striking Kitschmusik, which engages with the music of Schumann, Chopin and Brahms. The Two Waltzes are dedicated to Elisaveta Blumina.

Ensemble Blumina - Previn / Francaix / Poulenc: Trios for oboe, bassoon and piano
SACD ISO (2.0/MCH): 2,69 GB | 24B/88,2kHz Stereo FLAC: 808 MB | Full Artwork
Label/Cat#: MDG "Scene" # 903 1827-6 | Country/Year: Germany 2013 | 5% Recovery Info
Genre: Classical | Style: Early 20th Century, Contemporary

"The first thing to say about this splendid new CD from MDG is that the sound quality is quite simply stunning. My usual prerequisite for any recording is to feel that I am in the same room as the performers. This present disc makes me think I am sitting amongst the trio. Every detail, every nuance, of these three intricate works is crystal clear. That is before I consider the stunning playing by the Ensemble Blumina. (…) This is a recording to treasure." ~musicweb-international

Ensemble Blumina - Previn / Francaix / Poulenc: Trios for oboe, bassoon and piano
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 177 MB | Full Artwork: 108 MB | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: MDG "Scene" # 903 1827-6 | Country/Year: Germany 2013
Genre: Classical | Style: Early 20th Century, Contemporary

"The first thing to say about this splendid new CD from MDG is that the sound quality is quite simply stunning. My usual prerequisite for any recording is to feel that I am in the same room as the performers. This present disc makes me think I am sitting amongst the trio. Every detail, every nuance, of these three intricate works is crystal clear. That is before I consider the stunning playing by the Ensemble Blumina. (…) This is a recording to treasure." ~musicweb-international

Mieczyslaw Weinberg - Elisaveta Blumina - Children's Notebooks, Piano Sonata No. 1
EAC+LOG+CUE | FLAC: 174 MB | Full Artwork | 5% Recovery Info
Label/Cat#: CPO # 777 517-2 | Country/Year: Germany 2010
Genre: Classical | Style: Modern

“Elisaveta Blumina's achievementis to provoke a re-evaluation of this corner of the Weinberg repertoire. Where previously one might have suspected the 21-year-old composer's debut sonata of a degree of formal and textural miscalculation, Blumina's superior clarity and agility reveal it as a bold and uncompromising statement…She crafts each piece with care and insight.”

Who the devil is Walter Kaufmann? Sorry that the cloven-hoofed one is summoned right at the start in a prominent place. But it is true – Armin Kaufmann is an Austrian composer, known at least for the title of one of his orchestral works, Erotikon. Dieter Kaufmann is an Austrian composer, pioneer of electro-acoustic music, co-founder of the society for electro- acoustic music. So far, so good.