Alissa Firsova Fantasy
A. FIRSOVA Tennyson Fantasy. Bride of the Wind.
Expressions. Here in Canisy. Unity. Fantasy for Cello and Piano
Tippett Qrt
Mark van de Wiel
(cl)
Ellie Laugharne
(sop)
Nicholas Crawley
(bar)
Simon Mulligan
(pn)
Alissa Firsova
(pn)
Tim Hugh (vcl)
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This portrait disc of Alissa Firsova as composer
follows a previous release, Russian Émigrés,
on the same label, where she made her recording debut as a pianist. There is symmetry,
in that Firsova and her family (her parents the composers Dmitri Smirnov and
Elena Firsova, her brother the artist Philip Firsov) left Russia for the UK in
1991. Where Russian Émigrés looked
back to the family’s Russian connections, this release is more focused on
Britain, in particular through inspiration from English-language poetry. The
whole concept offers a refreshing perspective on the UK, increasingly regarded
as a hostile environment for immigrants, but here celebrated, in Firsova’s
words, as “paradise on Earth.”
The program opens with Tennyson Fantasy, a string quartet written in 2016 in which each
movement is inspired by a Tennyson poem. In live performance the poems are to be
recited, but here they are wisely omitted, though the texts are included.
Intriguingly, Firsova uses excerpts from the poems in lieu of performance
directions, and despite the lack of any performed words, the music has an undeniably
poetic quality. The lines are long and lyrical, and supported by open and
abstract harmonies. It is difficult to pin down Firsova’s style. Harmonies are
broadly consonant but only fleetingly tonal. There is a clear influence from
French Impressionism, but the expression is more direct and focused—the harmonies
are deliberately ambiguous, but never merely atmospheric. Those paradoxes are
highlighted in the performance from the ever-adventurous Tippett Quartet, who
commissioned the work. While the players afford the music its melodic and
expressive breadth, they are also very definite in their articulation and
phrasing. The recorded sound brings the players up close as well, increasing
this sense of focus and definition.
Bride of the
Wind for
piano duet (one piano, four hands) was inspired by Kokoschka’s painting of the
same name, which also appears on the cover. That, in turn, was inspired by the
painter’s relationship with Alma Mahler, and represents the two of them as
Tristan and Isolde. Firsova’s approach is again Impressionistic, but now more
turbulent and psychological. Despite the four hands, and the plentiful sustain
pedal, the textures are remarkably clear, even if the mood is decidedly murky. And
again, the harmonies are more complex than they first seem: The textures are
reminiscent of Ravel, or perhaps early Scriabin, but the harmonic structure is
much more mobile and ethereal. Firsova and Simon Mulligan give a compelling
account, particularly impressive for the clarity of detail in the ever changing
sound fabric.
Three clarinet works follow, collectively entitled Expressions, two with piano
accompaniment and one for clarinet quintet. The quintet, Loss, is the most substantial, and the most expressive. Again,
Firsova’s ability to infuse melodic lines with a direct, lyrical impulse makes
the clarinet writing particularly effective. Clarinetist Mark van de Wiel,
principal of the Philharmonia, plays effectively and finds few challenges. The accompaniments
are straightforward, indicative perhaps of these being earlier works.
Two songs make explicit the underlying poetic
inspiration behind the album. Here in
Canisy refers to the town in Normandy, also memorialized in Hommage to Canisy by Elena Firsova,
while Unity takes a more philosophical
approach to the “Paradise on Earth” theme, concluding that “the true paradise
can be found in one’s own garden.” The texts are by Peter Wolrich and pose a
real challenge for musical setting, composed as they are in free, apparently
unstructured verse. But Firsova’s flexible and accommodating melodic lines just
about meet the challenge, and her now resolutely tonal, though still
imaginative, accompaniments offer solid support. Singers Ellie Laugharne and
Nicholas Crawley give expressive readings, although the range goes too low for
Crawley at times, and both would benefit from warmer recorded sound.
Firsova herself accompanies the songs, and is particularly
evocative in the bell chimes of the first. She also accompanies on the last work
of the disc, Fantasy for Cello and Piano, performed by Tim Hugh, principal of
the London Symphony Orchestra. Though this is a substantial work, it has the
feeling of a reflective epilogue to the program as a whole. It is beautifully performed,
too, by Hugh and Firsova, both players giving the music its full measure of breadth
and reflective, even nostalgic, expression.
The close-up sound, here and throughout the recording,
denies the music some of the atmosphere and warmth that it could clearly
benefit from. But otherwise, the production values here are top class. As ever,
the Vivat label pulls out all the stops, with elegant packaging, detailed
recording information, an informative essay from Firsova herself, and full
texts (even the modern ones they have to pay rights for). Commercially and
artistically, this is a brave venture for the label, their first substantial
foray into contemporary music, and hopefully not their last.
This review
appears in Fanfare magazine issue 41:2.
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