Żal: The Music of Miłosz Magin
Gidon Kremer (violin), Lucas Debargue (piano), Kremarata Baltica (Sony)
(scroll down for English review)
馬金（Miłosz Magin，1929-1999）是生於波蘭的鋼琴家及作曲家，他1960年定居巴黎，曾在1960年代灌錄蕭邦全集，但一次車禍令他改為專注於作曲及教學。本碟的鋼琴家迪巴格小時候彈過他的作品，他在柴可夫斯基大賽成名後，在一場巴黎音樂會後以一首馬金作品作安歌，馬金的孫女及女兒主動聯絡他。及後甘祈頓邀請迪巴格設計一套可以供他們演奏的節目，迪巴格想出這套全馬金節目。
這碟的主菜是兩首協奏曲：《第三鋼琴協奏曲》（軌二至六）及《第一小提琴協奏曲》（軌十至12），另外有原為聲樂、現改編給小提琴及鋼琴的《四首練聲曲》（軌七、八、13、14），一首小提琴行板（軌一），給弦樂隊演奏的《聖母悼歌》（軌15），還有就是迪巴格安歌彈奏的《鄉愁》（軌九）。
要形容馬金的音樂很容易：旋律主導，寫法傳統，古典及浪漫並重。這碟還是短曲最好聽，扼要的旋律帶出哀愁，雖然我不會說是蕭邦風格，但異曲同工。我也想用電影音樂的標籤，因為馬金可以很快便傳遞到感覺，就如傑出電影作曲家那般，或者這就是我覺得他的短曲比協奏曲好聽的原因，因為後者每每令我覺得，雖是廿分鐘悅耳音樂，但也只是將幾分鐘說完的話延續下去罷了。暫時我不會視作偉大音樂，但也是值得介紹的好音樂。
Miłosz Magin (1929-1999) was a Polish pianist-composer who settled in Paris in 1960. He made a recording of Chopin’s complete works in the 1960s but an accident made him reduce his concertizing, and he turned his attention to composing and teaching. As a kid, Lucas Debargue was assigned Magin’s music by his teacher. After making his name at the Tchaikovsky Competition, Debargue played a short Magin piece at a Paris concert as an encore. After that Magin’s granddaughter and daughter got in touch. Gidon Kremer asked Debargue to devise a programme for a collaboration with the Kremerata Baltica and Debargue came up with an all-Magin programme.
Two concertos, Piano Concerto No.3 (tracks 2-6) and Violin Concerto No.1 (tracks 10-12) made up the core of this album. These were supplemented by Four Vocalises (tracks 7, 8, 13, 14) arranged for violin and piano; a violin Andante (track 1); Stabat Mater for strings (track 15); and the above-mentioned encore Nostalgie du pays (track 9).
It’s rather easy to describe Magin’s music. It’s melodic, traditional, classical and romantic. To me the best selections are the shorter pieces. The concise melodies evoke emotions instantaneously. It’s not really Chopinesque but Magin achieved very similar effects. I might even compare Magin to the best film composers in the efficiency in conveying emotions, perhaps that’s why I prefer the short works to the concertos. The latter are pleasing music, but I have the feeling of a five-minute talk being extended to twenty minutes. I don’t think it’s great music, but definitely good music worthy of attention.