GYÖRGY KURTÁG (b.1926): For Cimbalom: Un brin de bruyère, Szálkák, Op. 6/c, Hommage à Berényi Ferenc 70, For Cimbalom and Clarinet: 3 pezzi, Op. 38, 3 altri pezzi, Op. 38a, ALESSANDRO SOLBIATI (b.1956): Quaderno d'imaggini - 8 pezzi per cimbalom, 3 duetti da Piccoli canti for Harp and Cimbalom, Clarinet and Cimbalom and Vibraphone and Cimbalom, LUCA FRANCESCONI (b.1956): Etude.

Catalogue Number: 01J110
Label: Stradivarius
Reference: STR 33785
Format: CD
Price: $17.98
Description: The cimbalom and its antecedents can be traced back to the middle ages, but it was mainly in the 20th century that it achieved new prominence as a concert instrument, largely due to Kurtág's advocacy of the instrument. He is represented here by five typically succinct and concentrated works that exploit the instrument's distinctive timbre. Despite their brevity, these are extraordinarily expressive pieces, alternating folk-derived monodic lyricism and splintered, fragmentary aphoristic obliqueness. Solbiati was introduced to the cimbalom as the result of a commission for a tribute to Kurtág, and soon fell in love with the instrument's expressive potential. His substantial 'Notebook' documents his exploration of the possibilities of timbre and articulation unique to the instrument. Unlike Kurtág's own pieces here, Solbiati's eight brief movements do not eschew the element of virtuosic display, for which the cimbalom is well suited, with its scintillating, fast, percussive attack. The tiny 'jazz' movement ingeniously suggests the participation of several different instruments; far from a traditional use of the cimbalom, but unexpectedly appropriate. Francesconi's Etude is a challenging showpiece, fully exploiting the instrument's unusual layout of notes, the result of the agglomeration of the requirements of various diverse folk traditions.