The jazz leanings of her husband's quartet, the Matthew Barley Ensemble, exert perhaps too great an influence over this set from violinist Viktoria Mullova, which mingles gypsy-influenced jazz compositions by the Modern Jazz Quartet and Weather Report with several of Bartók's folk-derived pieces and Zoltan Kodály's three-part "Duo for violin and cello".
The latter's astringent, bare-wire tonalities are the standout here, aptly described by Barley as not so much classical influenced by gypsy music, as gypsy music with a smart set of clothes. There are rewarding moments elsewhere – notably in "For Nedim" – but the album could profitably have been pared back to a single disc.
DOWNLOAD THIS: Duo for violin and cello; Duos with improvisations; For Nedim; Dark Eyes
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