recent SACDs from ARS

I rather like small, independent labels, especially those who offer SACDs. ARS often entices with unusual repertoire and/or completely unknown artists. Their 2014 release of Piano Concertos caught my eye, not only because of the interesting repertoire, but the cover picture as well. Could she be any good?

While the pianist and conductor on this CD are new names to me, I'm glad I took a chance on them. What a delightful disc! The Addinsell is well-known, and this performance holds up fairly well against classic competition from the analog era (Earl Wild comes immediately to mind). Rota's Concerto Soiree is a lovely thing, with memorable, hummable tunes and colorful orchestration. It sounds so familiar, but I can't place it (although parts of it remind me of Poulenc's Piano Concerto). I wonder if Rota reused some of these themes from other pieces or film music? The booklet makes no mention of it, so until I stumble across it, I can't say for sure. But I found it to be a substantial, mature and inventive work, very much worth having in my collection.

The Piazzolla takes us into another sound world. I have to be in the mood to appreciate his music, and I was looking forward to this Cuatro Estaciones portenas (The Four Seasons of Buenos Aires), as I was not familiar with it. It is imaginative and unmistakably Piazzolla. Thankfully, he doesn't alter the standard orchestra to include things like accordions to create his unique gypsy flavor. Conductor Fraas transforms his orchestra to sound a bit like a fiddle band here, perhaps with a little help from the engineers' microphone placement, which adds a bit of unnecessary raucousness to the strings. But I suppose that suits this music.

The SACD sound afforded by ARS is very good, although, curiously, the perspective is a little different for each piece. The Rota fares best, with the most natural sound - bold, detailed and richly colorful. The Piazzolla (as mentioned above) is a little more upfront and less refined. And the Addinsell is a touch too laid back - it could ideally have used a little more punch. But on the whole, the orchestra, as recorded, provides splendidly characterful and colorful support.

I enjoyed this program from beginning to end. Do not for a minute let Ms. Angatschewa's cuteness and very stylish dress create any preconceived notions which might tempt one to question her pianistic abilities. She is the real thing: a very accomplished and imaginative player. And this is a nicely varied and enjoyable concert.
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An even more recent ARS disc caught my attention because I have enjoyed conductor Rubin Gazarian's previous discs. A Tchaikovsky set of Serenade for Strings and Souvenir de Florence were most satisfying. Another, a compilation entitled: "Simply Strings" was slightly less successful. Both were well recorded by Bayer Records on SACD. For his newest disc, he utilizes a different group - a small ensemble, Georgisches Kammerorchester Ingolstadt (Georgian Chamber Orchestra of Ingolstadt, Germany) - and turns to the ARS label. This group sounds leaner and brighter than did the previous ensemble. The clean, bold, brightly lit and slightly forward ARS recording is likely as much responsible for this as the players themselves.

As for the music, this is fascinating stuff. However, this is Martinu in an almost aggressive mood, at his most spiky. There is very little French warmth here, neither in the compositions themselves or in these performances. I was not familiar with either concertante piece (for piano trio and string orchestra). Neither is a masterpiece, although I did enjoy the Concertino much more than the Concerto. And the Partita Suite #1 is better still. 

As to these performances, recorded "live", a larger string orchestra would have benefited all of this music greatly. The contrast between the solo violin and cello in the the triple concertos is greatly minimized since the contrasting "full ensemble" is so small and meager. It all  sounds rather like angry chamber music, which I'm not sure is was what Martinu intended. I have been bothered by the sound of the Storioni Trio on previous recordings for Pentatone, one disc each of Beethoven and Brahms Piano Trios, mainly because of the very intense playing of the violinist. That feeling pervades their playing in this Martinu program as well. I had hoped I would like them better in something like Martinu, but that was not the case here.

The Georgian Chamber Orchestra, under its conductor Ruben Gazarian, sounds as if each member is playing soloistically, projecting their tone as in a concerto rather than blending into the ensemble. This, along with the bold, bright recording, adds to the aggressiveness here, and all but eliminates the differentiation of the "tutti" from the soli. Perhaps this style of playing is what these particular works call for. But while I appreciate the accomplishment and excellence of the performances, I can't say that I loved this music. All of the performers are excellent and I admit I do find myself enjoying this disc a little more each time I listen to it. ​