Aiman Mussakhajayeva: Lowell Liebermann: Works for Violin and Orchestra
Blue Griffin Recording

The release of Lowell Liebermann's works for violin and orchestra brings with it a number of auspicious firsts: all four are world premiere recordings, and it's also the debut recording of the Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra (KSSO). Led by conductor Tigran Shiganyan, the ensemble partners wonderfully with its founder and Artistic Director, violinist Aiman Mussakhajayeva. The American composer also participates by joining her and the orchestra's strings on piano in the performance of his first Chamber Concerto. Her initial exposure to Liebermann's work came about when she witnessed a concert performance of his well-known piano composition Gargoyles, op. 29 and was, like many have been, enthralled. Naturally, when the opportunity arose to record the material featured on this album, she leapt at the chance; even better was discovering how terrific the material is that she was set to record. Performing on a 1732 Stradivarius, the award-winning Mussakhajayeva proves herself to be an ideal conduit for Liebermann's musical imaginings.

The album's primary work comes first, the Concerto for Violin and Orchestra, Op. 74, which The Philadelphia Inquirer opined could achieve “a popularity not enjoyed by any other violin concerto since the Barber.” Such high praise is supported by the work, which one imagines any of today's major violin soloists would lust after. While it was premiered in 2001 by the Philadelphia Orchestra with violinist Chantal Juilliet, Mussakhajayeva and the KSSO make it their own with a riveting performance. Whereas some violin concertos relegate the orchestra to the background, here it figures almost as prominently as the soloist. Nothing programmatic is intimated by the three-movement work, but given its undercurrent of foreboding Liebermann could have named it his ‘Hades' concerto. While it doesn't appear that he was out to deliberately evoke the underworld, the work certainly could be sold as such. What with its cadenzas and wide array of techniques, the challenges it places before the soloist are many, including the fact that its three parts are played without pause.

The ominous tone is set by “Appassionato,” which quickly follows an atmospheric intro with the soloist's dramatic entrance. Things heat up quickly, with the composer wasting no time grabbing the listener's attention. Executed dazzlingly by the violinist, rapidly ascending and descending runs appear against an ethereal backdrop of shimmering strings and muted horns. The idyllic tone of the central “Lento” is welcome after the drama of the opening movement, but unease is never far away. Tension characterizes the movement as it advances, even if it's leavened by a regal brass chorale, lilting dance rhythms, and a lyrical clarinet turn. The onset of the third movement is announced by a sudden increase in tempo and intensity, the focus shifting to march rhythms and sardonic devilry in the solo violin part—one could be forgiven for thinking here of Shostakovich.

Originally scored for violin, piano, and string quartet, the arrangement for the Chamber Concerto No. 1, Op. 28A was revised for this recording to include string orchestra. Liebermann's involvement on piano serves as a reminder of his prowess in that department, something also accomplished by the two releases of solo piano music he issued on the Steinway & Sons label in 2021 and 2022 to widespread acclaim. Animated by an ostinato piano figure, the single-movement Chamber Concerto exudes an absorbing, dream-like quality during its opening minutes. The music swells in urgency soon enough, however, with all three components surging determinedly and all integral to the design. A return to the dream-like tone of the intro allows for a few moments of relaxation, as does the contemplative, austere episode that follows. At seventeen uninterrupted minutes, the work again places great demands on Mussakhajayeva, but her performance is unerring. If the percussive piano part that surfaces in the second half again calls Shostakovich to mind, the material never loses its identity as a Liebermann creation. It's worth noting too that he's called upon as a soloist as much as Mussakhajayeva and that his performance is as impressive.

Like the first, the second Chamber Concerto was originally arranged for violin and string quintet and is now presented in a version featuring Mussakhajayeva and the KSSO's strings. Liebermann wrote the material after learning that a close friend had passed away and consistent with that the eleven-minute piece has the aura of a lament. Desolation and bereavement shadow the writing, which is generally solemn. Swirls of strings suggest states of disorientation and distress felt by the mourner. The piece plays like an extended meditation on the fragility of life and the shock that attends a friend's sudden death. As the only soloist, Mussakhajayeva's called upon to articulate grief and does so movingly. The full orchestra returns for the closing Air, Op. 118, a largely lyrical setting that one final time showcases the artistry of the performers. Pitched at a hush, the music unfurls in a series of melancholic expressions. A feeling of suspended animation pervades the early going, as does a mood of calm and serenity. In contrast to the exuberant extroversion of some of the album's passages, Air plays like an exercise in introspective self-reflection, though there are moments where the music builds into embracing affirmations.

Engaged performances by the orchestra and Mussakhajayeva amplify the luxuriant richness of Liebermann's material. The four pieces here reaffirm what he's demonstrated in his writing before, that while his works position themselves comfortably within the continuum of classical composition, they're never overtly derivative or slot into a particular style—he's no serialist or minimalist, in other words, and his works are neither exclusively tonal nor atonal. Instead, he's carved out his own niche by creating a seamlessly integrated style that's beholden to no one but himself. Each work develops organically and on its own expressive terms, with one episode evolving naturally into the next. To state it most simply, by utilizing all of the time-honoured tricks of the trade Liebermann has created a style that fits comfortably within the tradition; it's also, however, wholly marked by his personal signature. A work might be at one moment lyrical and introspective and at another ominous and unsettling, but it's always recognizable as his.

July 2023