Composer: César Cui
- Suite concertante for violin & orchestra, Op. 25
- Suite Miniatures (Suite No. 1), Op. 20
- Petite Suite (Suite No. 3) "In modo populari", Op. 43
Takako Nishizaki, violin
Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra
Kenneth Schermerhorn, conductor
Date: 1984
Label: Marco Polo
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Cui, a member of the original Russian 'Five', was a dedicated encourager of the other members of the group (and indeed of all living Russian composers) to aim at less imitation of the West; and instead to write, without inhibition, more obviously independent Russian-style music. Nevertheless, he seemed to exempt himself from the encouragement, tending to write his own music in a pretty well accepted western European mould.
Quite often this apparent dichotomy is referred to disparagingly as a betrayal of his own principles. Yet surely there was no betrayal here. He thought Russian composers should write Russian music, true; but with a French father and a Lithuanian mother, he was not himself Russian at all, and so obviously not a Russian composer. Therefore he felt free to write exactly what he wanted.
This record declares that what he wanted to write was music of total charm; it declares, too, that he managed to do this with total success. The Suite concertante, for example: could not this be found by many to be one of the most immediately enjoyable sequences of music for solo violin and orchestra they have ever heard; a competitor with Lalo, say? And the Suite miniature: perhaps a competitor with all those Bizet suites? There is, too, the suite In modo populari: well, oddly this seems less popular in style than the other music. But less enjoyable? This can only be decided for each listener by himself.
The enjoyability of all the music is helped along greatly by the quality of its performance. Takako Nishizaki is among the most winning of soloists; and the quality of the Hong Kong Philharmonic is one of the newer wonders to add to all those older wonders of one of the most astonishing cities on earth. More mundanely, the recording is of broadly similar quality: well toned, well balanced, and among the best available. Marco Polo himself never heard anything like this; but that was certainly his loss.
-- Gramophone
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César Cui (18 January 1835 – 26 March 1918) was a Russian composer and music critic. He was one of the prominent members of The Five, a group of Russian nationalist composers who sought to create a distinct Russian musical identity. Cui was known for his operas, chamber works, and art songs. He composed fifteen operas in total, including four fairytale operas for children. Although his music was initially well-regarded, his reputation declined over time. Apart from composing, Cui was also an active music critic. Despite his contributions, he is often overshadowed by his contemporaries in the Russian nationalist movement.
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Kenneth Schermerhorn (November 20, 1929 – April 18, 2005) was an American composer and conductor. Born in Schenectady, New York, he attended the New England Conservatory of Music, graduating in 1950. He also studied and played under Leonard Bernstein at Tanglewood, and worked under Bernstein as assistant conductor of New York Philharmonic. Schermerhorn was music director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra from 1963 to 1965, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra from 1968 to 1980, the Nashville Symphony from 1983 to 2005, and the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra from 1984 to 1988.
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