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Bach: Lutheran Masses I

Hana Blažíková, Joanne Lunn, Robin Blaze, Gerd Türk, Peter Kooij SScTTB, Bach Collegium Japan, Masaaki Suzuki
65:30
BIS-2081 SACD
BWV235-238, 240-242, Anh. 26

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he interest for me in this well produced CD which has all the quality we expect from Suzuki’s forces is not only in the two Lutheran Masses, of which there are already a number of recordings like the recent one by the Sixteen or the earlier and matchless OVPP version by the Purcell Quartet (1999), but in the additional movements which have rarely been recorded – four settings of the Sanctus BWV 240, 241 (after Kerll), 238 and 237 – and the Kyrie in C minor based on Durante with the Christe in G minor BWV 242. These are presented as part of Suzuki’s mopping up operation, and have an interesting blend of scoring. They show Bach exploring styles of writing – some very dense vocally – which illuminate the way he developed the clarity of his mature style from the models which he reworked. On many occasions Bach must have used other composers material either straight or adapted in some way in his regular presentation of Sunday music. Some of this material shows him at work, and I’m grateful for these typically illuminating performances.

David Stancliffe

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Handel: Suites for Harpsichord volume 3

Gilbert Rowland
129:10 (2 CDs)
divine art DDA21225
HWV426, 440, 442, 445, 447, 448, 449, 451-3

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hough renowned in his day as a keyboard virtuoso, Handel’s own music in this medium is relatively little known, and beyond the ‘Eight Great Suites’ of 1720, surprisingly seldom performed today. This double-disc release, (which I see from the notes is the third to appear) is thus doubly welcome. Gilbert Rowland has assembled a beguiling programme, ranging from the early suites in D minor (HWV 448) and G minor (HWV 453), via the first of the Great Suites (HWV 426), to the final ones in D minor (HWV 447) and G minor (HWV 452) written in 1739 as exercises for Princess Louisa, daughter of George II. Though all sharing the ‘suite’ title, the individual movements are wonderfully varied; in addition to the standard Allemandes, Courantes and Gigues, there are extended French Overtures, Sarabandes, Menuets, Airs and an astonishing Chaconne, with no fewer than 62 variations, to finish the recital. All posess the characteristic Handelian blend of melodic charm and harmonic substance.

Gilbert Rowland is a persuasive performer. His realisations of the chordal preludes are extremely convincing, and he decorates and varies reprises as the ‘Caro Sassone’ himself might have done. He plays a fine 2005 harpsichord by Andrew Wooderson, after Goermans (Paris 1750).

Alastair Harper

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Telemann: Trios & Quartets with transverse flute and viola da gamba

Bassorilievi
76:59
TWV42: c6, F5, g7, g15, a7, h4 & 43: C2, h3

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t can surely be no coincidence that the vast majority of Telemann’s music for this combination survives in Darmstadt – there must have been players there who inspired the composer; further, there must be a reason why the most of them are in minor keys (five out of six!) The two quartets (both called concerto in the sources) add a bassoon to the mix. The booklet notes (a convoluted affair whose absolutely pitiful English translation is a hard going) suggest that the plaintive sounds of the gamba (here often coloured with the style of vibrato I associate with the French school) blend effortlessly with those of the flute, and on the evidence of this rather glorious recording I would have to agree. The continuo section includes theorbo, cello, violone and harpsichord and manages to create a rich backdrop for the “soloists” without ever sounding fussy or intrusive. In fact, this is among the nicest recital of this repertoire I have heard – and it claims (albeit with an “as far as we know” caveat) a world premiere of TWV42: F5.

Brian Clark

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Et in Arcadia ego: Italian Cantatas & Sonatas

Concentus VII
67:16
Resonus REC10142
Handel Mi palpita il cor, Pensieri notturni di Filli, Oboe sonata HWV357
Lotti Ti sento o Dio bendato
Mancini Recorder sonata no. 1 in d
A. Scarlatti Bella s’io t’amo, Filli tu sai s’io t’amo

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is an excellent recording of some really nice 18th-century music for soprano with oboe or recorder(s). Emily Atkinson’s beautifully controlled voice is perfectly matched by Belinda Paul’s oboe and Louise Strickland’s recorder. They are joined by Amélie Addison and Martin Knizia on cello and harpsichord respectively. The programme is built around the Roman Arcadian Academy, who played host to all of the composers represented apart from Francesco Mancini, whose presence is justified (if it needed to be) by his having taken over control of music in the Naples churches during Scarlatti’s sojourn in Rome. What a privilege it must have been to be a member of such a club, if the performances there were anything approaching the quality of these! My sole reservation is the soprano’s incessant “decoration” of the vocal lines to the point of their being unrecognisable; now, I know that there is evidence for some extreme ornamentation but surely the reason they survive is because someone had to write them down in order to remember them; i. e., they were not a spontaneous act of enhancement – and therefore not the norm. I feel it is actually a pity that such a beautiful voice is wasted in such gratuitous display. She would do far better to step away from the manuscript paper and play to her undeniable strength – that truly beautiful voice! In comparison the woodwind players are models of restraint. Interesting booklet notes, and full English translations of the texts.

Brian Clark

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Jadassohn: Symphonies 1-4

Brandenburgisches Staatsorchester Frankfurt, Howard Griffiths
127:34 (2 CDs)
cpo 777 607-2
+Cavatine op. 69 (Klaudyna Schulze-Broniewska violin), Cavatine op. 120 (Thomas Georgi cello)

[dropcap]J[/dropcap]adassohn’s name came up frequently when I was looking into musical life in late 19th-century Dundee; as one of the Leipzig conservatory’s professors, he taught many of the Scots students and wrote annual reports on their progress. My curiosity to hear his little-known music was piqued by the Naxos lists and they kindly sent me a review copy. The excellent booklet notes suggest that Jadassohn realised that he was not keeping pace with changes in musical fashion and that his symphonies found little favour with later audiences. There is nothing “wrong” with any of these four substantial works, and indeed there is much to admire and enjoy – he had a keen ear for instrumental colour (his textbook, “A course in instruction of instrumentation” is still readily available!) and also a strong feeling for musical architecture; every part of his creation has its rightful place. And yet there is something unchallenging and comfortable about it all; there are no great shocks or surprises. That is not to say that the music is dull or monotonous – not in the least! The most attractive material is perhaps to be found in the two solo works, like slow movements from unwritten concertos, beautifully rendered by members of the orchestra. If you find the listening experience a little intense, simply turn to the back of the booklet, where a photo of director Howard Griffiths about to perform an expelliarmus charm on someone will soon lighten your mood!

Brian Clark

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Biber: Rosenkranzsonaten 1

Anne Schumann violin, Sebastian Knebel Friedelshausen organ 1699
40:24
Querstand VKJK1423
Sonatas 1-5 + Buxtehude: Passacaglia BuxWV161

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is the first of three CDs that present each of the three sections of Biber’s print with different church organs in Thuringia. The first, the joyful mysteries, features an organ by an unknown maker from 1699, located in a gallery above the altar, which was restored to something akin to its original state (the Flöte traversiere stop was probably added in the 18th century) in 1990. As Gunar Letzbor has written in many CD booklets, the sounds performing musicians hear are very different to the experience of their audiences and I fear that the love that Anne Schumann and Sebastian Knebel share for this particular venue is based more on what they hear than what we do. That is not to say that these are not fabulous performances – indeed they rate very highly in my “best ever” for this marvellous repertoire – but I have to be honest and I found the recording (something for which Querstand are renowned and it pains me to be negative!) imbalanced in the organ’s favour. Biber’s scordatura means that the timbre of the violin is constantly changing, tuning is difficult to manage, and generating a lot of volume from strings that are either more tense or more loose than usual is a technical minefield so equalizing the two instruments was never going to be easy. Perhaps they – like Letzbor – are consciously striving for a realistic representation of the actual sound, of course! The Biber is preceded by the sound of the church bells and followed by a Passacaglia by Buxtehude. I do look forward to hearing the next volume of the set.

Brian Clark

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Bach: The Trio Sonatas BWV525-530

David Newsholme (the organ of Trinity College, Cambridge)
93:34 – 2 CDs
Opus Arte OA CD9037D

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]here is some elegant, but a trifle mannered, playing on these CDs – plural because there are two of them, totalling 93 minutes. Most players fit the six trios onto one CD – Christopher Herrick in 70 minutes, John Butt in 75, Robert Quinney in 79 and an intriguing instrumental version by Tempesta di Mare in 73. This tells you that David Newsholme’s new recording is substantially slower than others, and sometimes feels not just mannered – especially BWV 526 – but ponderous.

For in spite of being recorded on the fine Metzler in Trinity College, Cambridge, the recorded sound doesn’t have the clarity and bite of either Christopher Herrick’s on a Swiss Metzler, still less Robert Quinney’s fluent and winsome performance on the much smaller Frobenius in Queen’s College, Oxford. Newsholme doesn’t feel as much a part of his instrument as the others, and it is simply not nearly as well recorded. There is insufficient clarity, with the right hand often overbalancing the left and the pedal sometimes indistinct, and this is where Quinney’s search for the right sized, beautifully-voiced, instrument pays such dividends. The liner notes for both Newsholme and Quinney give the specifications of the organs, but neither give the actual registration of the movements, which Herrick does. I’m sure Newsholme could have done better if the recording engineers had been able to give him the clarity and directness you need for these works to sing.

Some movements of these trios – wonderful exercises in compact contrapuntal writing – have instrumental origins. So some make very convincing instrumental versions, as the relatively recent version from Tempesta di Mare on CHANdos 0803, with well-argued transpositions and a variety of instrumentation, shows on a bright, well-recorded CD with well-judged tempi.

David Stancliffe

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Telemann: Les nations – Overtures & Oboe Concertos

Vinciane Baudhuin oboe, Bach Concentus, Ewald Demeyere
62:30
Challenge Classics CC72669
TWV 51:c1, c2; 55: D13, G4, B5

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is a neat programme, sandwiching the two C minor oboe concertos (each of which instantly seizes the attention, though by different methods) between three characterful suites for strings. The latter are the well-known sequences of “ancient and modern” nationalities (TWV55: G4), a different group of peoples (TWV55: B5), and a sequence of dances and character pieces (“La Galliarde”, TWV55: D13). The composer’s invention is such that the ear is always entertained and in these lively and well-recorded accounts each of the move-ments has a distinctive flavour. Perhaps the concertos offer a darker side of his personality, C minor seemingly a rather angst-ridden key for him, and Vinciane Baudhuin relishes the challenge of bringing out the drama.

Brian Clark

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Telemann: The Grand Concertos for Mixed Instruments Vol. 2

La Stagione Frankfurt, Michael Schneider
59:36
cpo 777 890-2
TWV 52:a1, 53:D4 & D5, 54:D4 & B2

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is a real treat for the ears – not only is Telemann’s fabulous music beautifully served (as we now expect from Schneider & Co.), but the diversity of instrumental colour is just another reason why the hour rushes by. Four of the five works follow the standard slow-quick-slow-quick da chiesa format, while the final concerto dispenses with the first of the four; here it is called a concerto from violin, trumpet, strings and continuo, but it also has an obbligato part for cello (in both the Dresden and the Darmstadt sources), which is why its catalogue number begins TWV 53… It also has three ripieno violin parts and two violas, so it is a rich texture indeed, to which the trumpet does little more than add some colour in the tuttis. The trumpet player has meatier fare elsewhere – one of the composer’s best-known works is his concerto for trumpet choir and strings – I first remember hearing it on what was for me an earth-moving recording by the AAM under Hogwood. This present rendition is equally revelatory, for never has the sound of the trumpet choir sounded so martial and (in a good way) “listen to us!” The tempi are faster than Hogwood’s but it’s the energy that is uplifting. Telemanniacs will need no recommendation from me to buy this, but if there are still any cynics out there, you don’t know what you’re missing!

Brian Clark

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Bach/Mendelssohn: Matthäus Passion (1841)

Jörg Dürmüller Evangelist, Tenor arias, Marcos Fink Jesus, Judith can Wanroij, Helena Rasker, Maarten Koningsberger SAB, Elske te Lindert Ancilla 1, Chantal Nijsingh Ancilla 2, Minou Tuijp Testis 1, Arjen van Gijssel Testis 2, The Netherlands Symphony Orchestra, Consensus Vocalis, Jan Willem de Vriend
111:39 (2 CDs)
Challenge Classics CC72661

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hough entirely recognizable as the Matthew Passion, and giving us an insight into the important role Mendelssohn played in the transmission of the performing tradition, there are some surprises in this live performance, captured on CD. The first is the overall length: the playing time of this version is 1:50 as opposed to 2.40 for Paul McCreesh’s OVPP performance of the whole work. The second is how very few full arias Mendelssohn retained: in his early1828/9 version he cut 10 arias, 4 recitatives and 5 chorales (though by 1841 – this version – he had restored 4 arias though frequently with shortened da capos) since he was keen to enhance the drama of what he believed to be the essential Passion story. Third, the Evangelist’s part is accompanied by two ‘cellos double stopping and a bass, replacing the fortepiano that Mendelssohn had played himself in 1829. For this he had used an unfigured bass part, so there are some rather tame harmonies; and some of the vocal part is smoothed out and cut too.

For 1841, Mendelssohn added a substantial organ part – a precursor of the exiting organ part played by Dr Peasgood in the Bach Choir performances in the Albert Hall I was taken to in the early 1950s. Most of the choruses are taken at a brisk pace, as Mendelssohn had suggested in his metronome markings. Where did the funereal 12 beats in a bar in the opening chorus of the Reginald Jacques’ Bach Choir performances that I remember come from?

Other things you would expect: clarinets or basset horns for oboes da caccia – effective with flutes for recorders in O Schmerz, for example – as used by Vaughan Williams in his Leith Hill festival performances in the mid 50s, and German-sounding broad-toned oboes rather than the thin French sound favoured by many modern orchestras. Having just returned from an illuminating day singing Brahms and Mozart with the OAE, I caught myself wishing that de Vriend had used 1840s period instruments for a performance that probably has its chief interest for readers of the EMR in recapturing Mendelssohn’s sound-world.

So this is not really an 1841 performance in the expected sense of the word, but a good and clear account of the 1841 Mendelssohn version on modern instruments, played with a good deal of awareness of historical performance style.

David Stancliffe

[wp-review]

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