Search - Nikos Skalkottas, Nikos Christodoulou, Malmö Symphony Orchestra :: Nikos Skalkottas: Violin Concerto / Largo Sinfonico / 7 Greek Dances

12-tone music you might like

V. Wilson | Cambridge, MA United States | 12/09/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Skalkottas' Violin Concerto may be a 12-tone piece, but it's clearly modelled on the great virtuoso concertos of the 19th century. As a result, the pre-eminent Greek composer of the early 20th century remembers something that his mentor Schoenberg forgot when he write his incomprehensible Violin Concerto--an audience will be listening.Played admirably by Demertzis, Skalkottas' piece is full of fascinating music which must test the soloist to the utmost. While by no means an "easy" piece, the composer provides certain recognizable signposts to guide the listener. Moreover, because of the concerto's orientation towards showy virtuosity, the listener can just sit back and enjoy the fireworks even if he or she isn't quite sure what is going on.The Greek Dances are not as pungent as some of the other nationalistic folk dances (say Dvorak's Slavonic dances), but contain alot of interesting music and a propensity to slide into darker places than most dance music. The Largo Sinfonico is a tougher nut to crack than either the Violin Concerto or the dances, but it repays repeated listening.Performances and sound are uniformly good. Hopefully, this recording will be the start of a Skalkottas cycle which will include his chamber music. This Greek composer deserves to be heard."