Schoenberg: Verklärte Nacht (Transfigured Night) / Veress / Bartok: Divertimento, Sz. 113 ~ Camerata Bern / Zehetmair
Schoenberg'sVerklärte Nachtopens this stimulating program of 20th century pieces for string orchestra. It's an expansion of a piece originally written for a string sextet. Most performances by a larger ensemble, whether in concert or on disc, are overblown, with muddy textures. Not here. Zehetmair and the excellent Swiss players give an interpretation notable for its transparency as well as its intensity and wide dynamic range (characteristics shared by the other works on this superbly recorded disc). The BartókDivertimentofeatures playing of consummate polish and a concentrated power rarely heard in this work. The novelty is Veress'sFour Transylvanian Dances. Despite the title, it's no lighthearted romp; Veress, like his mentor, Bartók, clothes serious purpose in folkish clothes. The Hungarian melodies lend a lighthearted touch to the second movement, but the opening Lassu conveys pathos; the finale is based on fierce, stomping rhythms that reach beyond mere village dances; and the longest movement is a solemn, nostalgia-drenched, slow movement.--Dan Davis