Schubert, What Happened to You?
CD: Gil Shaham and Goran Sollscher: Schubert for Two
How many of you thought of the guitar? Yes, I thought that would be the reaction.
With that in mind, I was pleased to see one of my favorite CDs of the past few years back in stock: Schubert for Two, by the violinist Gil Shaham and guitarist Goran Sollscher. It consists entirely transcriptions for guitar and violin, and wait till you hear them.
Of course, this is hardly the first project these two guys have worked on together. Their collaboration on CDs for Deutsche Grammophon goes back at least 15 years -- a startling figure, as I'll always think of Gil Shaham as the kid with the fiddle.
I've talked before about Gil Shaham, his musicality and sensitivity, and what a refreshing element he has been within classical music.
His partner in crime, Sollscher, is a guitarist whose repertoire stretches dramatically in two directions: Would you believe from the Renaissance to the Mersey beat and beyond? Trust the guy to come out with interpretations of Dowland, Takemitsu, or Bach, and then come back with a delicate little rendering of Lennon and McCartney's "Michelle" or perhaps a recording of the Cavatina from The Deer Hunter.
But get these guys together to play Schubert and it's chamber music time, with Gil going after your heartstrings and Goran taking the more subtle but rewarding role. It might actually take a few minutes of listening to acknowledge it's violin paired with guitar, because at times Shaham seems to be everywhere, and it's easy to take Sollscher for granted. I love the way they just carry each other along, though, and how the selections incorporate the familiar but always seem fresh.
My favorite track is number 9, Valse noble, D. 969, No. 3, which in the space of a few minutes captures wonderfully how the two artists play as one man. So expressive and rich is the tone that I forget what instruments I'm listening to -- Strings? Woodwinds? -- and simply breathe in the music.
But I also find the performance of the Arpeggione Sonata particularly appealing, with its meltingly sweet violin passages and a guitar part arranged by Sollscher himself. In fact Sollscher adapted a number of Schubert works for the album, and you can admire the result when he goes solo for three of the tracks.
At the conclusion of more than an hour of these intimate arrangements of Schubert dances, sonatas, and other works, there is one surprise. Suffice it to say that the adaptation in question is the work of several musical figures, and it can be enjoyed from various perspectives -- spiritual, romantic, and artistic.
As someone once remarked to Schubert, "Take us to your Lieder." -Tom LehrerWhen you think of Franz Schubert, what immediately comes to mind? The Trout Quintet? The Unfinished Symphony? The seemingly endless procession of recordings of Die Winterreise? Lieder performed by succeeding generations of sweet-voiced sopranos and virile baritones?
How many of you thought of the guitar? Yes, I thought that would be the reaction.
With that in mind, I was pleased to see one of my favorite CDs of the past few years back in stock: Schubert for Two, by the violinist Gil Shaham and guitarist Goran Sollscher. It consists entirely transcriptions for guitar and violin, and wait till you hear them.Of course, this is hardly the first project these two guys have worked on together. Their collaboration on CDs for Deutsche Grammophon goes back at least 15 years -- a startling figure, as I'll always think of Gil Shaham as the kid with the fiddle.
I've talked before about Gil Shaham, his musicality and sensitivity, and what a refreshing element he has been within classical music.
His partner in crime, Sollscher, is a guitarist whose repertoire stretches dramatically in two directions: Would you believe from the Renaissance to the Mersey beat and beyond? Trust the guy to come out with interpretations of Dowland, Takemitsu, or Bach, and then come back with a delicate little rendering of Lennon and McCartney's "Michelle" or perhaps a recording of the Cavatina from The Deer Hunter.
But get these guys together to play Schubert and it's chamber music time, with Gil going after your heartstrings and Goran taking the more subtle but rewarding role. It might actually take a few minutes of listening to acknowledge it's violin paired with guitar, because at times Shaham seems to be everywhere, and it's easy to take Sollscher for granted. I love the way they just carry each other along, though, and how the selections incorporate the familiar but always seem fresh.
My favorite track is number 9, Valse noble, D. 969, No. 3, which in the space of a few minutes captures wonderfully how the two artists play as one man. So expressive and rich is the tone that I forget what instruments I'm listening to -- Strings? Woodwinds? -- and simply breathe in the music.
But I also find the performance of the Arpeggione Sonata particularly appealing, with its meltingly sweet violin passages and a guitar part arranged by Sollscher himself. In fact Sollscher adapted a number of Schubert works for the album, and you can admire the result when he goes solo for three of the tracks.
At the conclusion of more than an hour of these intimate arrangements of Schubert dances, sonatas, and other works, there is one surprise. Suffice it to say that the adaptation in question is the work of several musical figures, and it can be enjoyed from various perspectives -- spiritual, romantic, and artistic.
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