Violeta Dinescu – Solo Violin Works
Irina Muresanu
Metier mex 77106 (divineartrecords.com)
Romanian composer Violeta Dinescu’s works for solo violin are one of the biggest discoveries for me in terms of contemporary repertoire for this instrument. Her music is deeply meaningful and closely connected to literary works and philosophical concepts. It is precisely how Dinescu experiences, translates and depicts the inner musings that makes her music so captivating. The performer is seen as a storyteller and directs the flow of the pieces much like a storyteller would do – by making choices that enhance a particular phrase, action or emotion.
Violinist Irina Muresanu shares a special rapport with Dinescu’s music, one that is perhaps based on the fact that they share a Romanian heritage and understand the musical language that is strongly tied to their homeland. Dinescu’s music, influenced by folkloric melodies, particularly the melos of traditional Gypsy music, also includes contemporary violin techniques and an array of unorthodox sounds. The space between the notes is of particular importance to both composer and performer.
Muresanu seduces, mesmerizes and probes with her violin. Her deep, sonorous sound never lets the intensity lessen and never gives way to the technical challenges. That is particularly obvious in the opening piece Aretusa. In this composition, Arethusa, a nymph from Greek mythology (as described in Ovid’s Metamorphosis) is chased by the river God Alpheus. There is an ethereal beauty to this piece, the transcendent emerging amidst the passion, which becomes a signature mark of Muresanu’s performance on this album.
