What do you get when you have a child, born in Moscow to French parents, who ends up admiring the music of Wagner above any other? You get the very little known composer Georgy L'vovich Catoire. This album, featuring his complete works for violin and piano, clearly demonstrates what the liner notes so clearly lay out: a distinct struggle between his musical education and his own, self-taught musical ideals. It is not that Catoire's works are of low quality, but even his earliest works are rather abstract harmonically, structurally, and rhythmically, making for music that is at times a bit difficult to comprehend and digest. Violinist
Herwig Zack and pianist Bernd Zack (brothers, presumably) do their very best to offer listeners the most easily comprehensible performance of these works that could be hoped for.
Herwig's playing is often warm, even sweet, but rhythmically complex passages in the violin's higher registers are a bit grating. The complex rhythmic configurations between piano and violin seem strained at times, requiring very active listening to truly discern what's going on. By contrast,
Herwig's playing of the
Ravel Piece en forme de habanera and Tzigane are much more even and enjoyable. Those interested in broadening their listening repertoire will certainly find this album appealing, but Catoire's music is unlikely to be universally appealing.