Anastasia Khitruk - Khandoshkin: Virtuoso Violin Music at the Court of Catherine the Great (2006)

Most listeners will never have heard the name Ivan Khandoshkin (1747-1804), but violinist Anastasia Khitruk has admirably undertaken to bring this little-known solo-violin repertoire to wider attention. Published in the early years of the 19th century, Khandoshkin’s Op. 3 sonatas show the influences we might expect, given the composer’s exposure to a court musical environment that included musicians from Italy, Germany, and France. As court soloist and Kapellmeister for Catherine the Great Khandoshkin apparently was a highly regarded and accomplished performer–and as these compositions show, he also was very adept at creating works that seem perfectly designed for the purpose of entertaining his audience.

While the famed solo violin works of Bach are formally sophisticated, technically complex, and artistically profound, Khandoshkin’s efforts, while quite substantial (the longest is nearly 20 minutes) and far from fluff, are mostly functional vehicles for virtuoso display–and virtuoso they are, demanding the most advanced fingering (double-, triple-, and quadruple-stops) and bowing techniques (detached staccato, louré, sautillé/spiccato, and leaping arpeggio effects) as well as a comprehensive sense of the composer’s style and expressive intent.

Khitruk is a remarkable artist, not only giving sure-footed life and uninhibited flair to these rigorous, relentlessly showy pieces, but also taking care to articulate the contrapuntal textures and expressive/dramatic elements that run through each work from beginning to end. The Six Old Russian Songs are less successful, inhibited both by the songs’ melodic constraints and the composer’s imagination, but also marred by a bass line (played here by cellist Kyrill Yevtushenko) that’s overly prominent and pedestrian. Nevertheless, violin aficionados will be very interested in hearing these pieces, and anyone who appreciates dynamic, virtuoso instrumental playing of any kind will enjoy Khitruk’s flashy, fiery style and impeccable technique. Outstanding! [7/7/2006]