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ACOUSTIC PROJECT STRING ENSEMBLE • Marco Graziani 1, Katarina Kutnar 1 (vn); Rocred 18004; (48:43)

SORKOČEVIĆ Symphony No. 3. BACH Concerto for 2 Violins, BWV 1043. GRIEG Holberg Suite. PALANOVIĆ Towards the Stars
The album is also available as a studio master download, 24-bit/192 kHz at shop.rocred.se

There are multiple delights to this disc: a freshness of approach and execution being primary (top drawer recording is another). The Croatian Acoustic Project String Ensemble, originally a collaboration between double bassist and composer Dubravko Palanović and violinist Marco Graziani, records in long takes, and it shows in the musical experience (and, please note, the result also happens to be technically flawless). The string disposition is 4:3:2:2:1, giving a lovely transparency to textures, while the involving recording gives plenty of body and presence.

The mix of the familiar with the new is beautifully managed. The first composer, for example, Luka Sorkočević, was born in 1734 and trained in both Dubrovnik under Giuseppe Valenti and in Rome under Rinaldo da Capua; the first movement of his Symphony No. 3 is as fresh and bracing as a J. C. Bach symphony; and this performance completely honors that freshness. The central, short Andante is the epitome of charm and good manners (Boyce as well as J. C. Bach spring to mind), while the Presto finale bristles with energy. Interested listeners who want to follow up on this composer should head over to a disc of his complete instrumental output on CPO, reviewed by Martin Anderson in Fanfare 27:4 (performed by the Salzburger Hofmusik). In terms of the present offering, suffice it to say it is the freshest, most perfect of openers.

Far more familiar will be Bach’s Concerto, BWV 1043, for Two Violins. Freshness is again the order of the day, the dialogue between the two excellent soloists, Marco Graziani and Katarina Kutnar, eloquent and, importantly, accurate. The central Largo has a whispered sense of intimacy about it; note particularly how the main string body’s contribution is particularly alive to each and every nuance, while the finale has not only vim but depth also. Stylish and intensely human, this is a wonderful performance, up there with the finest in the catalog (it would make a fine complement to The King’s Consort on Helios or Suzuki on BIS).

That freshness pervades the Grieg Holberg Suite; as does a consistent excellence of delivery. Tenderness meets sprung rhythms in the irrepressible Prelude before the noblest, most heartfelt Sarabande steals upon us. Each movement is perfectly placed, the dance of the Gavotte and Musette poised and noble. The defining positive for the Air is the lack of harshness to the long lines on the upper violin register; there is no hint of shrillness. Reverb is perfectly judged on the recording, too, while the ensemble’s tracking of Grieg’s harmonic shadings of the melody is superbly sensitive. The final Rigaudon feels for all the world like a Norwegian folkfest, the scampering lines blissfully alive. There is an overall warmth and affection that seems reminiscent of, from another era, the Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields and Marriner’s 1970 recording.

Finally, we have Dubravko Palanović’s Towards the Stars. Inspired by a starlit sky, the piece is generally dynamic rather than reflective (it does hold a slower middle section). The stark close of the first section cannot be missed; it is like putting on the brakes and skidding to a halt, leading to a slowly moving (almost rotating) central panel, of which the Acoustic Project String Ensemble negotiates the intertwining lines hypnotically. This appears to be Palanković’s only available recorded work. With such obvious imagination, one hopes for more; the devotion of the ensemble in this performance cannot be faulted.

Available on all main download and streaming sites, including Tidal and Qobuz, this introduces what is obviously a major group. On the evidence of these recordings, if the group visits London, I for one will be doing my best to attend any concerts.

/Colin Clarke

Colin Clarke writes for journals in both the U.S. and the U.K. After experience as a French-horn player and as a pianist in the North of England, followed by a music degree at the University of Surrey (Guildford), I settled down to a spell in the the world of musical theory and analysis at King’s College, London (KQC), studying with Arnold Whittall and V. Kofi Agawu. Currently based in the East End of London, I have worked on the editorial teams of Gramophone and International Record Review, as well as acting as a discographer for the MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) and as an expert listener for the Consumer Association.

Fått tummen ur och köpt denna (eller snarare sa åt hustrun att köpa det). Tummen upp och en klar rekommendation Det här är bra!

Grattis till en bra recension som är fullt rättvis för det är en suverän skiva både musikaliskt och ljudmässigt! Har själv köpt den nerladdad högupplöst och det är lätt att höra hur mycket bättre det låter än Tidal som ändå låter glänsande.
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"There are multiple delights to this disc: a freshness of approach and execution being primary ..."

"..., this is a wonderful performance, up there with the finest in the catalog (it would make a fine complement to The King’s Consort on Helios or Suzuki on BIS)"

"There is an overall warmth and affection that seems reminiscent of, from another era, the Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields and Marriner’s 1970 recording."

"..., this introduces what is obviously a major group."

ACOUSTIC PROJECT STRING ENSEMBLE • Marco Graziani 1, Katarina Kutnar 1 (vn); Rocred 18004; (48:43)

SORKOČEVIĆ Symphony No. 3. BACH Concerto for 2 Violins, BWV 1043. GRIEG Holberg Suite. PALANOVIĆ Towards the Stars
The album is also available as a studio master download, 24-bit/192 kHz at shop.rocred.se

There are multiple delights to this disc: a freshness of approach and execution being primary (top drawer recording is another). The Croatian Acoustic Project String Ensemble, originally a collaboration between double bassist and composer Dubravko Palanović and violinist Marco Graziani, records in long takes, and it shows in the musical experience (and, please note, the result also happens to be technically flawless). The string disposition is 4:3:2:2:1, giving a lovely transparency to textures, while the involving recording gives plenty of body and presence.

The mix of the familiar with the new is beautifully managed. The first composer, for example, Luka Sorkočević, was born in 1734 and trained in both Dubrovnik under Giuseppe Valenti and in Rome under Rinaldo da Capua; the first movement of his Symphony No. 3 is as fresh and bracing as a J. C. Bach symphony; and this performance completely honors that freshness. The central, short Andante is the epitome of charm and good manners (Boyce as well as J. C. Bach spring to mind), while the Presto finale bristles with energy. Interested listeners who want to follow up on this composer should head over to a disc of his complete instrumental output on CPO, reviewed by Martin Anderson in Fanfare 27:4 (performed by the Salzburger Hofmusik). In terms of the present offering, suffice it to say it is the freshest, most perfect of openers.

Far more familiar will be Bach’s Concerto, BWV 1043, for Two Violins. Freshness is again the order of the day, the dialogue between the two excellent soloists, Marco Graziani and Katarina Kutnar, eloquent and, importantly, accurate. The central Largo has a whispered sense of intimacy about it; note particularly how the main string body’s contribution is particularly alive to each and every nuance, while the finale has not only vim but depth also. Stylish and intensely human, this is a wonderful performance, up there with the finest in the catalog (it would make a fine complement to The King’s Consort on Helios or Suzuki on BIS).

That freshness pervades the Grieg Holberg Suite; as does a consistent excellence of delivery. Tenderness meets sprung rhythms in the irrepressible Prelude before the noblest, most heartfelt Sarabande steals upon us. Each movement is perfectly placed, the dance of the Gavotte and Musette poised and noble. The defining positive for the Air is the lack of harshness to the long lines on the upper violin register; there is no hint of shrillness. Reverb is perfectly judged on the recording, too, while the ensemble’s tracking of Grieg’s harmonic shadings of the melody is superbly sensitive. The final Rigaudon feels for all the world like a Norwegian folkfest, the scampering lines blissfully alive. There is an overall warmth and affection that seems reminiscent of, from another era, the Academy of St Martin’s in the Fields and Marriner’s 1970 recording.

Finally, we have Dubravko Palanović’s Towards the Stars. Inspired by a starlit sky, the piece is generally dynamic rather than reflective (it does hold a slower middle section). The stark close of the first section cannot be missed; it is like putting on the brakes and skidding to a halt, leading to a slowly moving (almost rotating) central panel, of which the Acoustic Project String Ensemble negotiates the intertwining lines hypnotically. This appears to be Palanković’s only available recorded work. With such obvious imagination, one hopes for more; the devotion of the ensemble in this performance cannot be faulted.

Available on all main download and streaming sites, including Tidal and Qobuz, this introduces what is obviously a major group. On the evidence of these recordings, if the group visits London, I for one will be doing my best to attend any concerts.

/Colin Clarke

Colin Clarke writes for journals in both the U.S. and the U.K. After experience as a French-horn player and as a pianist in the North of England, followed by a music degree at the University of Surrey (Guildford), I settled down to a spell in the the world of musical theory and analysis at King’s College, London (KQC), studying with Arnold Whittall and V. Kofi Agawu. Currently based in the East End of London, I have worked on the editorial teams of Gramophone and International Record Review, as well as acting as a discographer for the MCPS (Mechanical Copyright Protection Society) and as an expert listener for the Consumer Association.