Ginevra Petrucci, Gleb Kanasevich, Dorotea Racz & Dmitry Samogray - Muczynski: Chamber Music (2017)

Tracklist
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01. Fantasy Trio, Op. 26: I. Allegro energico - Gleb Kanasevich, Dorotea Racz & Dmitry Samogray
02. Fantasy Trio, Op. 26: II. Andante con espressione - Gleb Kanasevich, Dorotea Racz & Dmitry Samogray
03. Fantasy Trio, Op. 26: III. Allegro deciso - Gleb Kanasevich, Dorotea Racz & Dmitry Samogray
04. Fantasy Trio, Op. 26: IV. Introduction and Finale. Andante molto e sostenuto - Gleb Kanasevich, Dorotea Racz & Dmitry Samogray
05. Sonata, Op. 25: I. Theme and Variations. Andante sostenuto - Dorotea Racz & Dmitry Samogray
06. Sonata, Op. 25: II. Scherzo. Allegro grazioso - Dorotea Racz & Dmitry Samogray
07. Sonata, Op. 25: III. Andante sostenuto - Dorotea Racz & Dmitry Samogray
08. Sonata, Op. 25: IV. Allegro con spirit - Dorotea Racz & Dmitry Samogray
09. Duos, Op. 24: I. Andante sostenuto - Ginevra Petrucci & Gleb Kanasevich
10. Duos, Op. 24: II. Allegro risoluto - Ginevra Petrucci & Gleb Kanasevich
11. Duos, Op. 24: III. Moderato - Ginevra Petrucci & Gleb Kanasevich
12. Duos, Op. 24: IV. Allegro ma non troppo - Ginevra Petrucci & Gleb Kanasevich
13. Duos, Op. 24: V. Andante molto - Ginevra Petrucci & Gleb Kanasevich
14. Duos, Op. 24: VI. Allegro - Ginevra Petrucci & Gleb Kanasevich
15. Time Pieces, Op. 43: I. Allegro risoluto - Gleb Kanasevich & Dmitry Samogray
16. Time Pieces, Op. 43: II. Andante espressivo - Gleb Kanasevich & Dmitry Samogray
17. Time Pieces, Op. 43: III. Allegro moderato - Gleb Kanasevich & Dmitry Samogray
18. Time Pieces, Op. 43: IV. Introduction. Andante molto-Allegro energico - Gleb Kanasevich & Dmitry Samogray
19. Sonata, Op. 14: I. Allegro deciso - Ginevra Petrucci & Dmitry Samogray
20. Sonata, Op. 14: II. Scherzo. Vivace - Ginevra Petrucci & Dmitry Samogray
21. Sonata, Op. 14: III. Andante - Ginevra Petrucci & Dmitry Samogray
22. Sonata, Op. 14: IV. Allegro con moto - Ginevra Petrucci & Dmitry Samogray

Often cited as the most distinguished neoclassical composer of post-war America, Robert Muczynski (1929-2010) was born in Chicago to Polish parents. This album of chamber music surveys an output which is always restless and unpredictable thanks to the embrace of both Bartokian harmonies and structures as well as the more lyrical yet open-ended language of Samuel Barber.

The Cello Sonata of 1968 is often considered to be Muczynski’s chamber music masterpiece, in which the problems of balance and register inherent to the genre are not only solved but transcended with a mastery especially evident in the central Scherzo. From a year later, the Fantasy Trio Op.26 is a welcome addition to the clarinet-cello-piano trio genre established by Beethoven. Energy and punchy rhythmic interplay are hallmarks of Muczynski’s music, as the earlier Flute Sonata engagingly demonstrates: in its whimsical, abrupt, headstrong progress through a compact four-movement form, it may even be considered the most important such work by an American composer.

Muczynski took technical agility and devil-may-care confidence for granted in his interpreters; in this case, an international quartet of musicians based in the US. There is an extended booklet essay by the pianist Dmitry Samogray which places both composer and works in invaluable context. Any listeners curious to fill out their appreciation of American music beyond Copland and Bernstein will want to hear this release.

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