Thomas de Hartmann Rediscovered – CD Review, September 16-17, 2024

Published: Monday, September 16, 2024, 11:19 a.m

I. Concerto op. 66 for violin and orchestra (Joshua Bell, Lviv Symphony Orchestra, conductor Dalia Stasevska).

II. The concerto op. 57 for cello and orchestra (Matt Haimovitz, Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor Dennis Russell Davies)

Debut album, released on August 16

The album entitled “Thomas de Hartmann Rediscovered” brings to light the concert creation of this Ukrainian composer, practically unknown nowadays, who asserted himself in the first half of the last century. He was born in Horujivka in Poltava in 1884, he worked as a composer, pianist and composition teacher in cities such as Munich, Tbilisi, Saint Petersburg, Paris and Berlin, and in 1950 he moved to the United States of America. He composed orchestral and chamber scores, concerts and stage music. In the first stage of his creation, he was influenced by Slavic romanticism, and after 1908, along with his studies in Europe, he took over modern current compositions such as impressionism, then elements of bitonalism and jazz. He combined various compositional techniques to create unique, expressive and original musical works. He died on March 28, 1956 in New York.

His music fell into oblivion in the latter part of the last century, and this album aims equally to draw attention to the work of Thomas de Hartmann and to bring together extraordinary musicians such as violinist Joshua Bell, cellist Matt Haimovitz, the National Orchestra Lviv Symphony and Leipzig Radio Orchestra, conductors Dalia Stasevska and Dennis Russell Davies.

The first work in the disc program is the Concert Op. 66 for violin and orchestra, of which the famous North American musician Joshua Bell says: “When I began to explore this score, I was immediately overwhelmed by the depth of its emotions and the fact that such a powerful work had eluded me until now , as well as the majority of listeners. It is a score as captivating and relevant today as when it was composed in 1943,” says Joshua Bell, who is accompanied in this recording by the National Symphony Orchestra from Lviv.

At the conductor’s desk – Dalia Stasevska, a 39-year-old musician with a prodigious international career, born in Ukraine and settled in Finland. She is principal conductor of the Lahti Symphony Orchestra, artistic director of the International Sibelius Festival and principal guest conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Dalia Stasevska says about the significance of this album: “When a country is fighting for its freedom, preserving and protecting the culture that defines its identity becomes vital. I feel privileged to celebrate one of Ukraine’s greatest composers, Thomas de Hartmann, together with musicians outstanding performances of the Lviv Symphony Orchestra and the unparalleled artistic mastery of violinist Joshua Bell”.

The second track from the album, released on August 16 on the Pentatone record label, is the Concerto op. 57 for cello and orchestra composed by Thomas Hartmann in 1935, inspired by Ukrainian musical folklore and Hebrew culture. It is performed by Matt Haimovitz, an exceptional North American cellist born in Israel in a family of Romanian origin. He says of this score: “Hartmann’s expansive melodies, progressive forms, rich chromatic harmonies and virtuosity of the cello in colorful dialogues with the orchestra transcend the suffocating oppressions of the 1930s. The Hartmann Concerto for Cello and Orchestra is a remarkable composition, a gem of music Ukrainian songs and a significant contribution to the cello repertoire”, says Matt Haimovitz, accompanied in this recording by the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra, with Dennis Russell Davies.