Vladigerov: Impressions, Bulgarian Suite
Etsuko Hirose (piano) (Mirare)
(scroll down for English review)
最近有很多保加利亞作曲家Pancho Vladigerov（1899-1978）作品錄音推出，以往對他的認識，大多局限於他是戰後保加利亞的嚴肅音樂主宰者，以及逃出鐵幕、最後定居巴黎的鋼琴家魏森貝格不斷感激的老師。如果身處鐵幕，又不以創作或政治和政權對抗，很容易會被西方人忽視，現在正好是重新發現他的時候。
廣瀨悅子這裏錄的作品，都是Vladigerov二十出頭時在柏林學藝時所作，十樂章的《印象》（軌一至十）對我來說很一鳴驚人，充滿簡潔而深情的旋律，又好像是蕭邦和Bill Evans之間的中轉站，當然我不是說後者就他影響，只是比喻。原來這套作品是Vladigerov從熱戀到失戀的經過，雖然不知道這點也無損作品的價值。特別值得聽的有一（倦怠）、五（優雅）、六（告白）、八（熱情）、九（驚愕）。患得患失的bittersweet，亦令我覺得很適合做默片配樂。
《保加利亞組曲》（軌11至14）是四首民族風樂曲，快的舞曲或者不算特別，但第二樂章的特殊調性頗有風味。最後的《前奏曲》（軌15）深受拉赫曼尼諾夫影響，但Vladigerov也能用這個範模去表達直接奔放的感情。
There has been a flush of new recordings of the works of Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978), who was previously remembered as the key man of Bulgaria’s classical music scene in the communist era, and the teacher of Alexis Weissenberg, who fled Bulgaria, eventually settling in Paris. Those days the West obviously overlooked Iron Curtain artists who didn’t confront their regimes artistically or politically. Now the time is ripe for a reappraisal of Vladigerov’s genius.
The works played by Etsuko Hirose were all composed in the composer’s twenties, when he was in Berlin. The ten-movement Impressions (tracks 1-10) sure left me a huge impression. The work was filled with simple yet passionate melodies and Vladigerov seemed to find a style somewhere between Chopin and Bill Evans. (I’m not suggesting Vladiegrov influencing Evans, though.) The ten movements depict a love affair of the composer from infatuation to disappointment. Hirose, in her programme notes, suggested Hollywood but I don’t think the silent-era back then came up with that musical style. Still, the bittersweet melodies would make for ideal accompaniment for silent films so Hirose’s view wasn’t entirely off the mark.
Bulgarian Suite (tracks 11-14) consists of four folksy pieces. The fast dances might not be so one-of-a-kind but I admire the exotic tonality in the second piece. The op.15-1 Prelude bore the mark of Rachmaninov, but Vladigerov was able to use the format as a springboard for his own blend of direct emotions.