In Clair de Lune, the follow-up album to Salut D’Amour, Yuriy Rakevich and Olga Kopylova return to the repertoire of short pieces, with a characteristic expressive aspect. The inspiration, inclination or rhythm itself raise and unify the miniature works. As many times as an encore, its melodies mark a concert in memory.

The duo’s agogic – their “breathing” in musical time – creates fascination in Canciones Mexicanas: II. Estrellita, by Manuel Ponce. The arrangement chosen for the album also favors it. Crafted by Jascha Heifetz, with inventive harmonies, it creates games of echoes that are never identical. In Danny Boy (Londonderry Air), Rakevich and Kopylova build a subtle final climax based less on volume and more on liveliness. The sophisticated adaptation for violin and piano, this time, is signed by Fritz Kreisler. It is doubtful to assert that the chord blocks emanate from impressionism rather than jazz, which the legendary virtuoso occasionally nods to in the 1920s.

The composition that gives the album its title is one of the most dear to Debussy admirers. In this recording, the violin’s participation brings a sense of newness, even to those who know the work well, especially in the “tempo rubato” section immediately after the beginning. Orfeo ed Euridice, Wq.30: Melodie has its vehemence emphasized in the way the duo constructs and reaches the climaxes throughout Gluck’s pages. The same can be said when, in the final moment, perdendosi, Rakevich and Kopylova lead the music to the beauty of silence.

Clair de Lune is, in fact, about melodies that are not forgotten.

Text: Daniel Bento – @enxerguemusica