Tania Lukic-Marx now gives the CD reviews a rating
system. This system includes a number of stars at the completion
of the review, for example 5 stars (*****) means the CD was "brilliant"
or "excellent", 4 stars = impressive, 3 stars = good,
2 stars = satisfactory and 1 star = didn't impress.
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The name of Friedrich Lips
is, I believe, well known to everyone in the international accordion community.
Mussorgsky's work "Pictures at an Exhibition" is often included
in the repertoire of famous pianists. The cycle was written in 1874 and
was inspired by Hartmann's drawings, which the composer discovered after
the artist's death. Nowadays, "Pictures at an Exhibition" are
included in the repertoire of accordion concert artists.
In addition to "Pictures at an Exhibition", another big musical
'painting' "Concert Symphony for Bayan" by Cholminov is presented
on this recording. The second one is written in the contemporary musical
language.
I have heard Friedrich Lips
perform many times live as well as recorded, and every time I hear him playing,
one particular quality of his artistry strikes me the most: everything sounds
as if it has been meticulously prepared. Lips plays with incredible intellectual
grasp and authority, but the control is never paralysing and at the same
time he infuses the interpretation with unbelievable warmth.
Lips performs "Pictures at an Exhibition" with a strong, generous
and broad vision and his interpretation is almost classical in proportion
and yet the life springs out from it representing an ideal balance between
contained form and heart-felt passion. *****
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