Fanfare Magazine CD review Dark Velvet

Fanfare CD Review by Ken Meltzer

DARK VELVET: An Autobiography in Music • Julija Hartig (vn, voc); Maja Bogdanovič (vc); Reineke Broekhans1 (pn) • CHALLENGE 72906 (71:32)

ŽEBELJAN/NENADIĆ Dark Velvet. HARTIG Monolog. Dijalozi. TSOUPAKI A Song for Isidora. ŽEBELJAN 1Oh, Die, My Love. BRUČI Guslarska. VREBALOV Constellation Hartig. NENADIĆ Air and Riffs. WALLER De Jaque, Sal, Gala y Luna. MAIER The Music of Erich Zann

Violinist Julija Hartig, born and raised in Yugoslavia, has made her home in the Netherlands since 1994. Dark Velvet: An Autobiography in Music presents works either written or arranged for Hartig. With the exception of Isidora Žebeljan and Veljko Nenadić’s Dark Velvet, and Juan Felipe Waller’s De Jaque, Sal, Gala y Luna, all of the works receive world premiere recordings. In her introductory comments, Hartig describes the repertoire as “an autobiographical story. It is a reflection of my Yugoslav and Dutch identity described in 10 pieces by 8 composers.” It should be noted that two of the works are by Hartig’s father, composer and cellist Tibor Hartig. Julija Hartig describes the music as ranging “[f]rom pure, honest, most tender love to unearthly sounds in search of answers.” In truth, the great majority of the repertoire will probably strike most listeners as falling into the “unearthly sounds” category. Those works fully embrace Modernist/avant-garde forms of expression, both in terms of the harmonic language and use of extended techniques. But Julija Hartig’s committed and technically impressive renditions (ably partnered by pianist Reineke Broekhans and cellist Maja Bogdanovič) are undeniably impressive (Hartig even takes a turn as a vocalist in Isadora Žebeljan’s Oh, Die, My Love). And the cumulative result is an intriguing and thought-provoking musical journey. The booklet includes extensive and informative program notes, especially helpful given the nature of the repertoire. Recommended to the adventurous. Ken Meltzer