This Centaur album features some of the violin-centered chamber and solo works by Bulgarian-born composer Henri Lazarof. The program consists of pieces all written in the twenty first century, although Lazarof's career extends back more than half a century. Like many of his compositions, these pieces are quite eclectic stylistically, never really taking root in any one compositional pigeon hole. The album opens with Lazarof's second piano trio, performed by
Christiane Edinger,
Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, and
Klaus Hellwig. From a performance perspective, this is by far the weakest on the album.
Edinger and
Schmidt, on violin and cello respectively, often have contrasting ideas of pitch, rhythm, and articulation, yielding an imprecise performance throughout. The remainder of the program really focuses on
Edinger, and shine as a result. Her tone is rather brilliant without being shrill, and her intonation is generally solid in even the most technically demanding passages. Collaboration with pianist
Hellwig in Tempi Concertati for Violin and Piano gives listeners a true sense of Lazarof's rapidly shifting styles and the many moods and atmospheres the composer is capable of producing.
Edinger is joined by violinist Adrien Iliescu for 4 Etudes for 2 Violins in the most successful and engaging performance on the album. The two violinists match sound quality and musical vision well as they explore these technically demanding works. The liner notes, written by the composer himself, are comically short and uninformative.