MARGA RICHTER: “LANDSCAPES OF THE MIND,” II....

MARGA RICHTER: “LANDSCAPES OF THE MIND,” II. Daniel Heifetz, violin; Michael Skelly, piano. Leonarda Records LPI 122. Much contemporary music is too complex for the average listener. This piece is not. It is utterly simple. The violin winds away at long, wistful passages that carry the listener along for minutes at a time, while the piano supplies a thoughtful, subdued background. Time seems to slow down. The effect is very much like Debussy, evocative and mysterious; the mystery, however, is not of Debussy’s oceans or clouds, but of the dark recesses of the mind. A twist occurs near the end when the piano drops its sullen cloak to imitate the violin, and the two instruments together race on toward a fever pitch.