Moses Pergament Volume One: A Musical Miscellany
The neglect of Moses Pergament (1893–1977) can be ascribed in part to the complexities of his life: he was born in Finland of Lithuanian-Jewish stock, a student in Russia and a Swedish citizen by 1919. As a result, no national culture stepped forward to claim him, with his outsider status initially worsened by blatant anti-Semitism – and the gradual realisation that he was one of the most interesting Swedish composers of the mid-twentieth century then fell away again after his death. This series of recordings aim to return his music to the public ear, beginning with an album tracing the growth of his style, from early Romanticism to a spicy Bartókian vivacity, occasionally animated by Jewish melos and dance-rhythms.
Martin Malmgren, piano
Tomas Nuñez, cello
Helsinki Metropolitan Orchestra
Sasha Mäkilä, conductor
Helsinki Chamber Orchestra
Aku Sorensen, conductor
Listen To This Recording:
Piano Concerto No. 1 (27:52)
- I. Maestoso (10:04)
- II. Molto adagio (9:42)
- III. Allegretto grazioso (7:48)
- Sorrow, Op. 5 (2:00)
Lyrical Dances for piano (4:18)
- Elf Dance I (0:58)
- Elf Dance II (1:36)
- Mazurka (1:44)
- Incidental Music for Kung Salomo (‘King Salomo’): ‘Sulamith’s Dance’ for piano (1:36)
- Chanson triste, version for for violin, violino obbligato, cello and piano(3:32)
Incidental Music for Esthers gästabud (‘The Feast of Esther’)
- I. Dance (1:58)
- II. Adagio (2:57)
Med livet som insats (‘They Staked their Lives’): Film Score
- Act I: The Mill (transc. Malmgren) (1:51)
- Act II: Minuet (transc. Malmgren) (3:16)
- Act III: Valse lente
- Festive Fanfare (transcr. composer) (2:05)
- For Nicole for piano (1:23)
- Meditation for cello (4:12)
- Meditation for cello and piano (4:12)
- Melodica romantica for cello and piano (3:16)
- Fantasia different – ‘Cielo e térra’ for cello and string nonet (9:50)
First Recordings
Rondo Classic :
‘Martin Malmgren is a steely-fingered soloist in the demanding piano part, but the orchestral part is also symphonically weighty. The Helsinki Metropolitan Orchestra, conducted by Sasha Mäkilä and made up of professionals, amateurs and students, plays with skill and heart. […]
In all of these works, one hears the voice of an original composer, and they also cast important light on the multicultural heritage of Finland.’
—Antti Väyrynen, Rondo Classic
Keskisuomalainen :
‘A well-deserved return for Moses […]
The album, titled simply “Moses Pergament”, is an impressive example of a happy union of passionate artistic commitment and free-field production skills, complimented by high-quality booklet texts.’
—Jari Hoffrén, Keskisuomalainen
Veijo Murtomäki :
‘The result is an altogether enjoyable and challenging album, with a follow-up coming on the same Toccata label. […] All in all, Martin Malmgren has struck upon a remarkable composer whose output is well worth exploring more widely.’
—Veijo Murtomäki
MusicWeb International :
‘the disc opens with the biggest and strongest of them, the Piano Concerto of 1951-52. It lasts not far short of half an hour and is cast in three conventional movements, opening with some exotic, Eastern orchestral cadences, some quite slashing in effect. The piano writing is terse and brusque and the protagonist remains percussively brittle for much of the opening movement. The slow movement offers a serene elysian escape, an Arcadian grove of intimate beauty after the first movement’s pummelling, and contains some of the most beautiful writing to be heard on the disc. Though he ensures tension, even here, the limpid spell endures. The finale unleashes a Jewish dance, concerto grosso style, jocular and with a neoclassical feel. This is a most attractive work, strongly characterised and with a real sense of personality, and it’s played with authority by Martin Malmgren with the Helsinki Metropolitan Orchestra under Sasha Mäkilä. […]
Pergament’s enthusiasm for sonority and instrumental conjunctions can be appreciated in the Fantasia differente for cello and string nonet, a strangely compelling piece that flows through expressionist and gently lyrical writing alike toward a rather ambiguous end – a meditation on the passing of time, or on death? Members of the Helsinki Chamber Orchestra under Aku Sorensen lend their support.
This is a splendidly realised project, and the inaugural volume of a Pargament series. The documentation is up to Toccata’s highest standards, and the performances are dedicated and assured. Malmgren is an especially valuable presence here, both for his stirring performance in the concerto and in the solo piano works and transcriptions. Tomas Nuñez distinguishes himself too. The recordings made in two different locations are excellent.’
—Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb International