Magic moments of the utmost delicacy ...

Magic moments of the utmost delicacy ...

Volodos plays Mompou (Audio CD)

Customer Review

Catalan piano miniatures, French piano models, Russian star interpretation - what I want more ?!

Now solo pieces for piano by Federico Mompou're highly idiosyncratic miniatures, but of extraordinary beauty, which open up to the attentive listeners the best in complete tranquility and suppleness. Both finely engraved, magical moments and deliberately 'recorded improvisations', their elegant sound and rhythm structures newly revealed repeatedly, so nothing to just once 'listen and take', but rather to the very conscious 'listen and enjoy!' Minimalist music that does not shine with superficial virtuosity, but charmed by its finesse and elegance. As far as the short characteristic to Mompou works.

Who could this rather introverted and exceptionally subtle musician Federico Mompou Genius better interpreted as Arcadi Volodos? I can / want me currently think of any other artist this and want!

Devotion to the 'creativity of the moment' - Volodos game is exactly, voices, immediately to the musical spirit of the Catalans, as the Russian star pianist brings not only an almost forgotten composer from obscurity, rather Volodos can Mompou finest pieces so fine elegant, subtle sound that you like to 'drown' in this magical world of Catalan piano miniatures Master with the background of French piano-like art itself; since no 'Russian sound-storm', but lots and lots of tender, mysterious, haunting sound-beauty to enjoy. Gern perfect score, absolute recommendation!

(Quote Süddeutsche Zeitung :) Volodos deep sensitivity to nuances inspired art.

Probably true!

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Additional info for those interested:

The Catalan composer and pianist Federico Mompou (* 16.04.1893, 06.30.1987, Barcelona) and his music, mainly comprising solo pieces for piano, are rather little known, rarely played and heard. They are of great refinement and elegance, often with multiform, slightly dissonant sounds, including highly influenced by Eric Satie, the Mompou saw as a great role model. Many pieces / miniatures wrote Mompou in the style of 'listed improvisation'. He spent many years in France and was friends with, inter alia, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Francis Poulenc, Darius Milhaud, Paul Valéry and Arthur Rubinstein.

Mompou father was Catalan, operating a bell foundry, the mother was French. Frederico got piano lessons from an aunt, 15 years old, he gave his first public piano concert and decided in 1909, inspired by a concert by Gabriel Fauré to become a composer. He studied first at the 'Conservatorio del Liceo' in Barcelona, ​​then went in 1911 (Recommendation by Enrique Granados to Gabriel Fauré) to Paris to the conservatory to Ferdinand Motte-Lacroix. There he composed the first part of his Suite for Piano. Mompou was strongly influenced by Debussy and Satie. But his pronounced shyness caused him to abandon the first target pianist career; so he composed then only, only played yet among friends piano. At the beginning of World War I, he returned to Barcelona, ​​there wrote important works such as 'Impresiones intimas, Cants Magics and Escenas de niños'. 1920 drew Mompou returned to Paris, he ran then 1924 Confectionery (!), But quickly went bankrupt. A nervous disorder, he no longer wrote then a long time, his brother fell ill with tuberculosis in 1937, his father died, his mother married again in 1938. Federico remained until 1941 in Paris, then fled from the German occupiers to Barcelona, ​​learned the pianist Carmen Bravo know, both were married in 1957, his second composition phase began. Federico Mompou was the 'Real Academia de San Jorge Barcelona' on, lived a very secluded life, died in 1987 at the age of 94 years.

The French Impressionists influenced Mompou recognizable works, primarily composed for piano solo. The bell sounds of his childhood find themselves, often sounds fade away bell equal. The sensitive, introverted composer wrote almost exclusively piano miniatures of seemingly unadorned style, with just a few notes, without great virtuosity; but that is their minimalist musical stimulus, focusing on the 'essentials', the devotion to the 'creativity of the moment', comparable with works by Satie - 'no touch too much, not too little'; many of his compositions were written in the course of several decades. The famous 'Prix de Rome' said Mompou again that the jury rather 'a mediocre Symphony küre, but no views of a single page have good music' ...

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