Solomiya Ivakhiv - Poems & Rhapsodies original and beautiful

In my previous review of Solomiya Ivakhiv's releases, I praised her playing and her programming. I have to do the same here.

Poems & Rhapsodies is a showcase album, but a refreshingly original one. Mercifully absent are Ravel's "Tzigane," and Massenet's "Meditation from Thais." Yes, those are masterworks, but everybody's recorded them.

Ivakhiv mixes some familiar works with some that deserve a wider audience. Her performances show that Ivakhiv connects with these compositions on a deeply personal level.

The familiar works include Ralph Vaughan Williams' "The Lark Ascending," and Camille Saint-Saens' "Poeme symphonique." The lush lyricism of these pieces gives Ivakhiv an opportunity to shine. And the results are ravishing.

The album starts with Saint-Saens' "La muse et le poete" for violin, cello, and orchestra. A showcase album that beings with two soloists sharing the spotlight. Now that's innovative programming!

Cellist Sophie Shao is a colleague of Ivakhiv at the University of Connecticut. There's an easy exchange between these performers. To me, it suggests that Ivakhiv and Shao play together often.

"American Rhapsody" by Kenneth Fuchs is another welcome surprise. Fuchs writes in an accessible style full of right harmonies and engaging melodies. Oh -- and imaginative orchestrations. Another great choice.

The real showpieces for me were the compositions by Ukrainian composers. Myroslav Skoryk and Anatol Kos-Anotolsky.  Western audiences are just now discovering Myroslav Skoyrk's music. Kos-Anotolsky is still awaiting his due.

Both works draw on Ukraine's rich musical heritage for inspiration. And what we hear are inspired performances.

The National Orchestra of Ukraine musicians know these pieces well. The Ukrainian conductor Volodymyr Sirenko knows these pieces well. And Ukrainian violinist Solomiya Ivakhiv intimately understands these works.

I had never heard Kos-Anotolsky's "Poem" before. Its unexpected beauty was breathtaking. Skoryk's "Carpathian Rhapsody" sifts Ukrainian folk traditions through a classical filter.

For this work to succeed, the performers need to understand the folk styles Skoryk references. They do. Ivakhiv's wild and energic playing had my foot tapping and head bobbing.

Highly recommended for the performances and the repertoire. For her showcase album, Ikvakhiv didn't play the pieces she had to -- she played the music she loves. I heard that love in every track.

Poems & Rhapsodies
Solomiya Ivakhiv, violin
National Symphony Orchestra of Ukraine; Volodymyr Sirenko, conductor
Sophia Shao, cello
Centaur CRC 3799