Duo X²: A Celebration of Women Composers Recording in Review
Xiao Chen, piano, and Xenia Deviatkina-Loh, violin
May 15, 2023
Recognizing, performing, and recording works of under-represented composers is a popular and welcome trend now; the hope being that their proliferation will gain acceptance into the canon of standard repertoire. Duo X² has realized a dream in their recording of works by women composers. This selection showcases music written in the 21st century by extremely accomplished women hailing from differing cultural heritages.
The video recording can be viewed on YouTube: A Celebration of Women Composers. Each track brings the listener into a unique world, from Chen Yi’s Chinese diaspora (From Old Peking Folklore) to Ellen Taffe Zwilich’s eclectic expression (Episodes for Violin and Piano). Some of the composers wrote pieces as a reaction to global events, such as Gillian Whitehead’s Tōrua, written in the wake of the destruction of the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, and Jessie Montgomery’s Peace, a reflection composed during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Other works on this recording include Impulse by Franghiz Ali-Zaden, Memories by Michiro Oshima, Ara Ri Yo by Eun Young Lee, and Speak, Memory, by Lera Auerbach, which shares its title with Vladimir Nabokov’s critically acclaimed memoir.
Duo X² delivers a crystalline accuracy in their highly refined ensemble playing; they are consummate professionals whose commitment to excellence is evident throughout this recording. Xenia Deviatkina-Loh possesses a toolbox of comprehensive technical skills: finger pizzicato, intricate bowing, and mastery of intonation in the extremely high registers. Xiao Chen displays a deep understanding of the transparent textures, playing with clarity and brilliant rhythmic backbone. The two musicians are consistently successful in achieving balance.
The only distraction seemed to be in the sound engineering. Often the audible breathing was too present in the violin part, possibly a result of microphone placement. In addition, between each selection was dead air as opposed to an ambient sound to connect the music.
While the music in this recording is by no means “easy listening,” the performances are riveting and a worthy addition to the continuing mission of expansion and inclusion.
Alexandra Eames
