La Simphonie du Marais, Hugo Reyne
300:21 (4 CDs)
harmonia mundi heritage HMY 2921337.40
[dropcap]P[/dropcap]lease will translators into English of the French word ‘patrimoine’ (and similar words in similar languages) note that the word they want is ‘heritage’. Thank you.
Moving on, this is a re-issue of a monumental (185 pieces) recording from 1990. The discs are in paper sleeves, with a 20-page booklet (track list, four pages in itself; performers; essay in three languages condensed from the original) all enclosed in a reasonably robust cardboard box. Some performers take the view that the surviving source material needs the addition of parties de remplessisage. Here we get the equally valid ‘this is what we have’ approach, except that it isn’t. Unfortunately, to my ears, the melodies have been put through the orchestrational mincer and had percussion added. Scarcely two phrases pass without a change of scoring and I must say that had I been Louis XIV I’d have been sharpening the guillotine at the first sound of castanets during my supper. I enjoyed this in inverse proportion to the number of players employed at any given moment and in direct proportion to the length of time they were allowed to play.
Acronym (Edwin Huizinga & Beth Wenstrom violin, Adriane Post and Karina Schmitz violin/viola, Kyle Miller viola, Paul Dwyer violoncello, Loren Ludwig viola da gamba, Kivie Cahn-Lipman viola da gamba, violoncello & lirone, Doug Balliett violone, Simon Martyn-Ellis theorbo and Elliot Figg harpsichord/organ)
64:05
Olde Focus Recordings FCR901
[dropcap]A[/dropcap]nyone who knows me or is regular reader of these pages will be well acquainted with my partiality for music from 17th-century Vienna, so it will come as no surprise that I love this recording. In fact, I had no idea the CD existed, but I had spent many evenings a few months ago watching Acronym’s live performances on youtube. They tackle everything from sonatas for two soloists (either two violins or violin and gamba) to the three works in eight parts. The latter include what is effectively a prototype concerto grosso (and look out for the harmonies when the tutti group join in), a sonatas for two choirs with solo violin and gamba and two ‘filler’ parts (no disrespect to the performers!), and a proper eight-voiced sonata, which is recorded here for the first time. Precise playing and clever positioning of the two treble groups on either side of the bass instruments ensures that all of the lines are clearly audible and the sophistication of Bertali’s fine part-writing comes through, without that ever distracting from the sense of overall shape, of which he was a master. As well as the links below, the album is downloadable (along with a PDF of the booklet note, which details the performers and all the musical sources used) from the recording company’s website; their about page makes for very interesting reading, and musicians with a plan might consider getting involved with them. I’m glad Acronym did and I wholeheartedly recommend this CD to everyone!
Barbara Hollinshead mezzo-soprano, Ryland Angel countertenor, Artek, Gwendolyn Toth organ/director
70:11
Zefiro Recordings ZR107 Ach Herr strafe mich nicht, Aeterne Deus, Ascendit Christus in altum, Christum ducem, Lieber Herre Gott, O dives omnium, O Salvator dilectissime, Salve dulcis Salvator, Treiffet ihr Himmel & Vox dilecti mei
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his survey of Rosenmüller’s music for solo voices (five pieces each for alto and soprano) takes us from the depths of despair in Ach Herr, strafe mich nicht to the bliss of Ascendit Christus in altum. Artek (from “art of the early keyboard”) is a very fine New York-based continuo ensemble, here consisting of two theorbos and organ. Rosenmüller’s writing for solo voices involves extended passages of simple continuo accompaniment, then contrasted with the same music played by an instrumental ensemble (here either a very, very nice string group led by violinist Cynthia Freivogel, or – in O dives omnium – a trio of dulcians! The composer asked for violas or trombones, but who cares? The reedy combination with countertenor is glorious! And the violas had shone in the previous track, Lieber Herre Gott, in any case.) Five of the pieces come from the two sets of ‘Kern=Sprüche’ issued in Leipzig before he fled to Venice, four others are from the Bokemeyer Collection, so their heritage is rather more difficult to track; the other work survives in both Dresden (as part of the Grimma collection) and Uppsala, suggesting that it, too, dates from the German period – given the plaintive nature of the text, perhaps it was after the scandal that saw him forced to flee. Whatever the history of the music, these beautifully paced and elegantly sung and played renditions confirm its consistently high quality, and all credit to Artek for producing such an impressive recital of still largely unknown music.
Adrian Chandler director/violin, Peter Whelan bassoon, La Serenissima
73:45
Avie AV2344
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]f you are going to record ‘The Four Seasons’, you have to do something that makes your version stick out from the crowd; Adrian Chandler, who has immersed himself for years now in Vivaldi’s music, has opted to go down the ‘let’s have lots of fun and really bring out the character of these pieces’ route, so the bird song is even more chirpy than you might be used to, the distant thunder takes on a more ominous nature, extremes of dynamic, ornamentation abounds, and personally I must admit that listening to it once was exciting but I think I would find repeated listening less so. While taking Boris Begelman’s point about the performer transforming baroque music on the page into baroque music for the ear, and impressive as Chandler and La Serenissima are (and goodness is some of the ensemble playing breathtaking!), I would not want this to be my only recording of the work. There is much more to the disc, though, as the wonderful Peter Whelan gives us two contrasting bassoon concertos (the characterful ‘La notte’ – related to but not simply a re-working of the flute concerto of that name – and a piece whose designation ‘per Maestro di Morzin’ indicates that it was written for the devotee of ‘The Four Seasons’ set, and whose orchestra was at one time headed by Whelan’s friend, Fasch) and world premiere recordings of two concertos for violin ‘in tromba marina’ with Chandler playing on three metal strings that give the instrument a different brightness than one gets on an instrument with an E string, though with a hint of hurdy-gurdy to the tone. As with the rest of the disc, here there is a clear sense of the musicians having fun with their material – so as we head into Autumn (and the wettest September on record, as the weather people are predicting), buy yourself this as a reminder of summer fun times!
Zsolt Kalló violin, Capella Savaria, Nicholas McGegan
60:18
Hungaroton HCD32771
[dropcap]H[/dropcap]aydn’s violin concertos are not as popular as the ones for cello; along with Mozart’s, they are somewhat neglected by violinists, who would rather progress from the ultra-virtuosic works of Locatelli and Vivaldi to something more substantial like the Beethoven, and so are mostly left to youngsters at the beginning of their professional careers. This is a real pity because, as the present excellent disc shows, played with love and care, they are delightful pieces, with some of the most graceful slow movements of their era. Combine this with 44321 strings of Capella Savaria (with bassoon and harpsichord), Nicholas McGegan’s baton, and the poised playing of Zsolt Kalló – even when Haydn was pushing his friend Tommasini almost to the bridge of his instrument! – and you get an irresistible hour of easy entertainment. Kalló’s Liszt Prize (2014) was well deserved, having premiered a whole raft of previously unheard classical violin works in his home country. Particularly impressive here are the cadenzas – the otherwise first class booklet notes do not credit a composer, so I imagine they must be Kalló’s own work; they reflect their context perfectly with a finely managed balance of virtuosity and suaveness, indeed the warmth he draws from his instrument and his shrewd use of ornamental vibrato is exemplary.
Ariadne Daskalakis, Kölner Akademie, Michael Alexander Willens
57:30
cpo 777 692-2
Overtures Nos. 3, 7, 10, Concertinos 1 & 5
[dropcap]O[/dropcap]nce again this month it is hats off to Willens, his excellent Kölner Akademie, Deutschlandfunk, Kunststiftung NRW and – of course – cpo for taking us on another voyage of discovery. Anyone who plays violin will be familiar with Kalliwoda’s name, but other EMR regulars may not be – born in Prague in 1801, by the age of 15 he was already hailed by his teachers as “a superb soloist” with “excellent abilities in composition”. He became a touring virtuoso but a chance stopover in Donaueschingen saw him appointed Kapellmeister. Music-wise, think Spohr and Rode crossed with hints of Gilbert and Sullivan – I do not mean that disparangingly, but rather in the sense of Kalliwoda’s ready facility with melody, in other words, had he been alive today, he would be described as composer of earworms, so catchy are the tunes he writes. The three overtures last under ten minutes (the first one under five, actually!) but they are full of drama – the timpani stroke at the opening of No. 7 (misnumbered in the inside of the booklet, where it appears there are two No. 3s – which is the only reason the stars below are not five across the board), must have startled its original audience. Here, too, there are dark premonitions of Brahms and even Tchaikovsky. The two solo violin works are more substantial and beautifully played by Ariadne Daskalakis, her violin sometimes sounding more like a viola in the lower reaches, but with some exquisite finesse at the other end of the instrument. Compliments to everyone involved in this enterprising project. I’m already looking forward to where Willens & Co. take us next!
Johannes Pramsohler, Ensemble Diderot
60:02
Op 1/1, 5-8, Dresden Concerto in C
[dropcap]E[/dropcap]veryone knows that the great German violinist Pisendel studied in Italy with Vivaldi and took sonatas and concertos by him (and the deep influence of his compositional style!) back to Dresden, where the court orchestra became one of the most celebrated of the age. What is not so well known is that Pisendel also knew Antonio Molinari and copies out his works, too. Having already dedicated a CD to Pisendel (and included some of his music on another), Pramsohler and his expanded Ensemble Diderot now tackle five of the eight concertos printed as Molinari’s Op. 1 and another piece that only survives in the Dresden collection (only Op. 1 No. 8 has been recorded before). He lays out his (and Montanari’s stall) in programming the Dresden concerto first, clearly Roman in design but with Venetian virtuosity thrown in and sweetly played by this outstanding young violinist. Single strings with theorbo/guitar and harpsichord make for crystal clear textures and a sense of no-one playing down to let the soloist sing out – the balance is naturally right. Montanari was one of the violinists in the Roman premiere of Handel’s La Resurrezione, and the Saxon’s influence is all over the opening of Op. 1 No. 6. Following an impressive fugal movement, the other slow movement of the same work is far more original, with an inner drama that will keep you guessing. Michael Talbot’s typically informative (in an enviably readable way!) booklet ends with the hope that these very fine performances will encourage the publication of the music and a revival in Montanari’s fortunes; unfortunately – nay, frustratingly – the library that holds the original prints does not seem as keen on the idea. At least for now we can relish this delightful and this finely recorded disc.
Arsenale Sonoro (Boris Begelman violin, Ludovico Minasi cello, Alexandra Koreneva harpsichord)
63:55
deutsche harmonia mundi 88875061582
TWV41: C1, d5*, d6*, e8*, G10*, g1, A1 & Fantasia in b TWV 40:22
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his magnificent CD arrived just too late to be included in last month’s summary of new recordings. Boris Begelman’s introductory essay focusses on the contribution of the performer to the success of Baroque music, considering the way different styles of improvised ornamentation can transform the same piece in the hands of different musicians. While he is rarely as adventurous as the extract from the Sonate methodiche printed in the booklet (has anyone actually recorded such heavily laden performances?), he is not afraid to get into Telemann gypsy mode, or to add wonderfully stylish cadential flourishes in the solo fantasia, and his Arsenale Sonoro colleagues are similarly resourceful in interpreting this fine, yet still little-known (in the case of the pieces marked with asterisks in the list above totally unknown) repertoire. Telemann may have a reputation for writing nice music for his wealthy amateur admirers, but there are several pieces here that neither the Grauns nor the Bendas would have been ashamed of; we should remember, too, that Telemann also wrote for some of the best violinists of his day, so the technical difficulties are not inconsiderable! Begelman of course rises above all the challenges and really gets under the skin of this music. With partners of the calibre of Minasi and Koreneva, his beautifully considered interpretations reveal yet another facet of Telemann’s oeuvre and should be obligatory listening to anyone studying baroque violin.
Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Michael Hofstetter
63:18
Orfeo C 831 151 A
op. 6/1, 6, 10, 12; Concerto Grosso in C (from Alexander’s Feast)
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] quirky recording. The Stuttgart Kammerorchester are a fine ensemble, and this disc contains some extremely lively, alert and incisive playing. Unfortunately it also contains an almost embarrassing excess of ornamentation, with nearly every note of some movements embellished in some way. Try the magnificent Op. 6 No. 1, for example, which opens the disc. The tempi are exciting, the band is large enough for the solo/tutti contrasts to be well-pointed, and the actual playing is superb. Yet it almost seems as though Cuzzoni’s ‘nest of nightingales’ has been released, so insistent is the chirruping. When the music is left alone, it comes across with full intensity; the peerless musette of Op. 6 No. 6 is absolutely magical, as it should be, as is the beautifully-poised final gavotte-with-variations of the closing Alexander’s Feast concerto.
Sophie Bevan, Mary Bevan, Benjamin Bevan SSB, London Early Opera, Bridget Cunningham
43:00
Signum Records SIGCD423
We had two reviews of this disc:
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] pleasant compilation, showcasing the considerable vocal talents of three of the Bevan family in works from the youthful Handel’s Italian years. The recently discovered Gloria opens the programme in fine style; Sophie Bevan has the agility to cope with the taxing semiquaver work in the fast movements, along with the tonal beauty to make the slower sections glow. (Incidentally, the Laudate Pueri quote in the ‘Quoniam tu solus’ might help convince those doubtful of the work’s Handelian authenticity.) The other substantial piece is the cantata Cuopre tal volta il cielo which Bridget Cunningham, in her excellent sleeve note, suggests may have been written for the Neapolitan Antonio Manna, the first Polifemo in Handel’s 1707 serenata. Benjamin Bevan throws off the work’s vocal gymnastics with much aplomb; try the splendid first aria, ‘Tuona, balena,’ and marvel! Arias from Agrippina and Il Trionfo del Tempo give Mary Bevan centre stage. ’Un pensiero nemico di pace,’ with its contrasting B section, is thrillingly done, while ‘Bel Piacere’ positively dances. The disc is (somewhat meagrely, at 43 minutes!) completed by the grand orchestral Passacaille from Rodrigo and the fine ‘Sonata for a Harpsichord with Double Keys,’ persuasively played by Bridget Cunningham.
With such fine interpreters, it would have been fascinating to explore, e. g., some of the many little-known continuo cantatas – perhaps for later in this series?
Alastair Harper
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he main items are the first and the last, starting with the Gloria for soprano, two violins and continuo, possibly inspired by a Telemann Kyrie and Gloria. The incompetence of the awareness of the pre-2001 scholars is shown in the first column of my edition, produced in time for the first performance in Huntingdon before the work’s official modern appearance. The music itself has not been formally accepted by Handel scholars (hence HWV deest) and seems to have fallen into anonymity; I can’t think when I last sold my edition! Sophie is well worth hearing, but not quite up to Emma Kirkby, the first to have recorded it. The cantata Cuopre tal volta il cielo (HWV 98) is for Bass, two violins and continuo. The first pair has a powerful accompanied recitative and aria in 6/8, the basic words being concerned with storm and thunder. The mood changes with a secco recitative followed by an aria which has an amazing variety with the four staves often having different simultaneous themes. Surprisingly, seeing that I’ve three different copies (Chrysander 52a p. 121, HHA V/3 p. 251 and Green Man’s HAN 1), I had no recollection of it.
The two instrumental items are the orchestral passacaglia from Rodrigo and a Sonata with double Keys in G (HWV 579), played by Bridget Cunningham. Agrippina used to be scorned, but “Bel piacere” (No. 45) has alternations of 3/8 and 2/4. “Un pensiero” (Il Trionfo…) is a lively aria with non-stop semiquavers on the violins, with only a rest in the B section. It’s a bit odd when the booklet comments on the two operas at length when there were just two isolated pieces and minimal remarks on the music. The Bevans were excellent – but I’m not clear whether the Benjamin Bevan is the youngest of a family of 14 or if that is the number of Bevans who have been professional singers since Maurice. Do check the price before you buy it: £12.00 is a very expensive 43 minutes!
