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Georgy Catoire - Complete works for violin & piano

£12.69

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Label: Avie

Cat No: AV2143

Barcode: 0822252214321

Format: CD

Number of Discs: 1

Genre: Chamber

Release Date: 28th January 2008

Works

Catoire, Georgy

Elegy in D minor, op.26
Violin Sonata no.1 in B minor, op.15
Violin Sonata no.2 in D major, op.20 'Poeme'

Ravel, Maurice

Tzigane
Vocalise-etude en forme de Habanera

Artists

Hervig Zack (violin)
Bernd Zack (piano)

Works

Catoire, Georgy

Elegy in D minor, op.26
Violin Sonata no.1 in B minor, op.15
Violin Sonata no.2 in D major, op.20 'Poeme'

Ravel, Maurice

Tzigane
Vocalise-etude en forme de Habanera

Artists

Hervig Zack (violin)
Bernd Zack (piano)

About

Georgy L’vovich Catoire was born in Moscow on April 27th 1861 to parents of French descent. Aside from his musical education, Catoire had studied mathematics and science at Moscow University and in 1884 graduated with high honors.

Catoire’s musical oeuvre is not extensive; about 40 opus numbers are known. His compositions include piano music (miniatures only!), songs, the symphony Op.7, one piano concerto, the cantata Op.5 and chamber music.

After his death, Catoire and his music soon fell into oblivion. Outside of Russia he had never achieved any noticeable recognition, and in Russia his personal and musical profile did not at all correspond with the ideological demands the new masters expected to be met by a Soviet composer. Indeed, a few of his compositions, like the Piano Quartet, Op.31, were reprinted in the USSR during the sixties, and outstanding musicians like Alexander Goldenweiser, David Oistrakh, Mstislav Rostropovitch and Leonid Kogan played and recorded some of his works, but still today Catoire ranks among the most neglected composers.

Catoire’s compositions are very hard to play and of formidable virtuoso demand, interspersed with technical and rhythmic difficulties. Besides Wagner and Tchaikovsky, the masters of the Franco-Belgian school around César Franck exerted an audible influence on the shaping of Catoire’s personal musical style. Catoire himself was very conscious of his French descent, being well acquainted with the compositions of Franck, Fauré and Debussy, and he strived for a synthesis of the different musical worlds. Among the characteristics of his style are a distinctive chromaticism, subtly flowing modulations into distant keys, a preference for altered chords and the use of augmented triads.

Maurice Ravel was born on March 7th, 1875 in Ciboure near Biarritz at the French Atlantic coast and studied composition with Charles de Bériot and Gabriel Fauré at the Paris Conservatory. Initially he was by no means particularly successful with his music. No less than 5 times he applied for the prestigious “Prix de Rome” and each time failed to win it. Over the years his recognition and fame grew steadily, and after the death of Claude Debussy in 1918, he was acclaimed as the greatest living French composer.