Search - Mikhail Simonyan, Alexei Podkorytov :: Prokofiev: Sonatas for Violin and Piano

Simonyan is musically assured but a bit lacking in charisma

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 05/23/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I enjoyed this infrequently heard pairing of Prokofiev's two Violin Sonatas. Their gestation is a bit confusing. Sonata No. 1 was begun in 1938 but not finished until 1946, by which time the composer had written his most seductively melodious chamber work, the flute sonata of 1943. Davis Oistrakh suggested turning the flute part into a violin part, which retains much of the simplicity of the original line, with little resort to violin specialties albeit a flurry of double stops appears in the finale. The reason Sonata No. 1 appears to be a bleak postwar work -- the composer called the ghostly scales in Mvt. 1 and 4 "the wind passing through a graveyard"--is that it didn't come to completion until after the gentle Sonata No. 2 was finished.



Because it's so cheerfully melodic, the Flute/Violin Sonata works well even though the full possibilities of the violin aren't exploited, and young Siberian violinist Mikhail Simonyan, now 23, gives an easy-going, even sprightly account compared to the heavier going of the young Itzhak Perlman on RCA. Despite the lineage of his teacher back to Oistrakh, Simonyan's tone is rather lgiht and supple. He reminds me more of Nikolaj Znaider, for instance, than of Maxim Vengerov.



The somberness and angularity of Sonata No. 1 are somewhat underplayed compared to the almost stark reading from Richter and Oistrakh, but Simonyan isn't reluctant to make th raw scraping sounds demanded in the second movement. Frankly, I've always found this piece nerveracking, but Simonyan gives us accomplished, stylish playing, and his accompanist, Alexei Podkorytov, though not quite independent or strong enough, is nevertheless very good.



It will be interesting to see if Simonyan is given the change to step into the spotlight with a major concerto, the venue that brings stardom if that is to be his destiny. His charisma is a bit low-key so far."

Enjoyable listen

Francis Arres | 04/06/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Considering that Simonyan studied under Victor Danchenko, who studied under David Oistrakh, the violinist that Prokofiev had in mind when he wrote these sonatas, Mikhail Simonyan seems to have an intimate understanding and emotional connection to these pieces. Simonyan moves Violin Sonata No. 2 in D Major, Op. 94a along with a precise light and breezy ease that some may find interesting considering that it was written in 1943 at the height of the war. Violin Sonata No.1 in F Minor, Op. 80 is the complete opposite of Sonata No. 2. Melancholic and dark, this sonata sways from wide and long moments to frenzied and choppy. Along with pianist Alexei Podkorytov, Simonyan captures the sense of hopelessness in this wartime piece. This is definitely an enjoyable listen."