Friday, February 13, 2015

Jeronimas Kačinskas - Chamber & Instrumental Music - Nonet for Woodwinds & Strings - Reflections for Piano - Chamber Fantasy for Flute, String Quartet. & Piano - String Quartet No. 3 - Toccata Classics 2013

This disc is from a pile of never opened, immaculately plastic-wrapped discs that I bought mostly in 2013 (I won't admit as to how many such piles I happen to have!) in this case. Sometimes I find unopened discs that I bought over a decade ago-and I must say it's actually a great feeling, especially with my financial state preventing the purchase of anything these days. I find myself excited as if I had just "pulled it from the racks" of a record store (remember those, ladies and gents??) or just received it via snail-mail :)

That said, I am actually listening to the opening work, "Nonet for Woodwinds and Strings" as I type.
I have never heard Kačinskas's music before and thus far I'm not sure what I think. Certainly it is well made. Hopefully more of a musical personality will emerge as the music continues..

I managed to find the booklet notes (pdf file) online and they seem quite lengthy and hopefully informative.

So, let's explore this obscure Lithuanian composer together, shall we? ;)



Enjoy I hope!

Kačinskas-Chamber_&_Instrumental_Music_Tzadik.zip

http://www59.zippyshare.com/v/7MUmIaxU/file.html

10 comments:

Gogolino said...

Dear Tzadik, many thanks for this and all your other interesting posts. Kacynskas is especially rare! What an interesting personality and what a long life! I am grateful that you are sharing this with us! All the best, Gogolino

AT said...

Many thanks and regards from The Netherlands.
Veel dank en groeten uit Nederland.

Pko said...

Thank you n_n

Johannes R. Becher said...

Very nice. An absolute surprise. Even the solo piano pieces, which, lacking the slightest musical education I usually find very hard to tackle, sound accesible, although far from obvious. All that said I think the meat of the album lies on the strings pieces.

The liner notes are indeed detailed, only a bit too hagiographic for me. And well, I have the impression the heads behind Toccata, brilliant as they are when it comes to pick up unknown, never or rarely recorded repertoire, are also a bit McCarthyan: I don't think many outside the Union of Soviet Composers whould have opposed to the idea that "a composer should first of all express an individual, not collective, consciousness".

Johannes R. Becher said...

And by the way, after having read about your piles of unopened cds I know understand how it was possible that you were not sure whether you owned the Schulhoff/Smit cd :)

Tzadik said...

Hi Gogolino, thank you for commenting. And thank you for your kind words! Yes, this is rare music indeed; I have decided that I quite like it, now that I have had a few spins. Regards, TZ

Tzadik said...

Toon you are welcome, thank you for your continued comments :) TZ

Tzadik said...

Pko happy you enjoy! TZ

Tzadik said...

Johannes I agree about the works with strings, especially the Nonet and the Chamber Fantasy. I think it will take more listens for me to get anything out of the String Qt. Or perhaps I won't. And yes I agree wholly about the booklets notes; however it's not too surprising as they are written by a fellow Lithuanian. Lithuania is not exactly known as the musical/cultural center of Europe, so the praise and pride is indeed inflated quite like those zeppelins from the Kochurov album cover ;) Well..as far as accurate and just info goes- I suppose the notes go on for so long the hope it that no one will spot it! Good detective work, my friend :) TZ

Tzadik said...

Ha, yes Johannes that is the issue! If I do have it it's likely unplayed and lonely for attention!! I know I have the complete Stravinsky ballets box set on Naxos, right here, also not opened, and that I have been meaning to play for a long time-I am a tad forgetful what with everything that life kindly throws my way. TZ