Category: Recording

Rie Kimura violin, Fantasticus
57:58
Resonus RES10148
Tartini: Pastorale op 1/13, Sonata “Il trillo del Diavolo”
Veracini: Sonatas op 2/5 & op 2/12

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is an utterly enchanting recording from beginning to end. The handling of the opening track is highly original and, in stark contrast to the contemporary reports of Tartini and Veracini’s performance styles, Rie Kimura draws the listener into her intimate sound world, with gently caressing bow strokes, neatly shaping the most virtuosic passages with effortless ease. There is a real sense of dialogue with Robert Smith on cello, and there is a real sense (and not in a disrepectful way!) that Guillermo Brachetta is filling in the space between, where normally the keyboard player takes on the primary accompaniment role and the string bass emphasises the lowest part of the texture. This is the third CD by Fantasticus and the group goes from strength to strength; whatever they turn their attentions to next, I strongly recommend you look out for it!

Brian Clark

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Frank Theuns transverse flute & piccolo, Les Buffardins
59:41
Accent ACC 24297
Blavet in A minor, Boismortier Affettuoso from op 17/5, Buffardin in E minor, Corrette Adagio from op 4/4, Leclair op 7/3 & Naudot op 21/3

[dropcap]I[/drp[ca[]t seems like a lifetime ago that I first got to know the concertos by Blavet and Buffardin via Musica Antiqua Köln’s recording with Wilbert Hazelzet in the solo role – in fact, Googling it came up with 1995 as the date, so it is not as long agao as I thought! Corrette and Boismortier also featured then, though with complete concertos rather than extracted movements as here; when the total time is less than an hour I find the “bleeding chunks” approach surprising, to say the least – the outer movements of the Corrette are summarily dismissed as “fairly weak”. Similarly puzzling is Theuns’ decision to perform the Naudot concerto on piccolo (on the recommendation of the self-same Corrette…); published as a set of concertos for hurdy gurdy (or any instrument from a long list of alternatives), two violins and continuo, the sudden displacement of the solo line up an octave was a little harsh to my ears, and the tone (and consistency of intonation) of the instrument was not that attractive either. The same cannot be said of Theuns’ fabulous flute playing – whether it being the precise definition of the semiquaver runs, or the shaping of sustained notes above the strings, he is utterly the master of his instrument, unphased by any difficulty. Les Buffardins (single strings with double bass and harpsichord) are worthy companions – perfectly balanced, they accompany with great sensitivity and relish the possibilities the ritornelli give them to add drama to the whole. Hazelzet now has company on my shelves.

Brian Clark

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Les Arts Florissants, Paul Agnew
59:43
Éditions Les Arts Florissants AF005
Madrigals from Books 1-3

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is the second of three CDs that will survey Monteverdi’s non-dramatic secular music. The lavish presentation (a trademark of Les Arts Florissants) includes a booklet that runs to almost 80 pages; on closer inspection, more than 20 of those are taken up by translations into English and French of nine works from Book 1 (published when the composer was all of 19 years old!), six each from Books 2 and 3, and a further 20 by publicity shots of the group, biographies of the ensemble’s leading lights and a discography. I must confess that the various combinations of singers (only soprano Hannah Morrison and tenors Paul Agnew and Sean Clayton sing in all three books) were up against two wonderful groups, whose Monteverdi madrigals recordings are legendary: the Consort of Musicke (of which Agnew was, of course, a member) and Concerto Italiano.

I was pretty much drawn into that whole world by the former’s performances with their flawless tuning and attention to detail (in both words and music), and yet they were left miles behind by the latter’s dramatic renditions – the result, I fear, of all being native speakers and willing to take more risks with Monteverdi’s lines. The present performances, which sound as if they were recorded in a small space with minimal reverb, are somewhere in the middle – for me, any “interpretation” seems to stem from a need to inject some drama rather than it actually growing out of the music, perhaps even a little caricatured. That, of course, is not to say that others will not love these renditions; I will stick with Alessandrini and co. for now, though.

Brian Clark

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Vox Luminis, Lionel Meunier
141:43 (2 CDs)
Ricercar RIC347

[dropcap]1[/dropcap]7th-century music is best kept to itself, as far as I’m concerned. The three composers here are less forceful than their famous relative, but have a mild sound that can carry the words with ease. Dates are Johann (1604-73), Johann Christoph (1642-1703) and Johann Michael (1648-1694). The organ is mostly included, whether noted or not – that seems sensible. In the past, I used to follow recordings with scores whenever possible, but I don’t want the visual interruption now, apart from looking on the few pieces that seemed inappropriate. There are 15 motets on disc 1, 18 on disc 2.

There is only one singer per part, which helps the expression: it is sensibly done, but not overdone. Dynamics, apart from echos, come mostly from within the phrase. Meunier is the leader, but also sings bass – none of the conductorial arm-waving that we get from other small ensembles. The booklet is substantial at 111 pages, allowing for English, French and German. If you haven’t got a comprehensive collection of these three composers, buy this set – and, even if you do, you may want to add it to your collection anyway!

Clifford Bartlett

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Rémi Geniet piano
79:00
English Suite no. 1 BWV 806, Partita no. 4 BWV 828, Toccata in d BWV 911, Caprice sur le départ de son frère bien-aimé BWV 992

[dropcap]R[/dropcap]émi Geniet is a young French pianist who came second in the 2013 Queen Elizabeth Competition and as a result made this, his first recording, at the age of twenty-one. He possesses a formidable technique with extreme rhythmic precision. He favours a detached style of playing, somewhat in the manner of Glenn Gould, though without the mannerisms. This style can get a bit wearing on a modern Steinway and, while mimicking the plucking of a harpsichord, it can become mechanical, particularly when combined with such a strict rhythmic sense. It is exciting playing, though, with great drive in faster movements, the gigues in particular, and Geniet also displays a good sense of what the different dance movements are about. He is best in the pieces composed by the young Bach, the Caprice sur le départ and the D minor Toccata, where he conveys the composer’s exploration of the keyboard medium very convincingly. An impressive debut from a young player who still has some distance to travel but from whom we will certainly be hearing more.

Noel O’Regan

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Elfa Rún Kristinsdóttir
Available directly

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n stark contrast to a recording of these pieces I reviewed last month, this magnificent CD is worth every penny! Anyone who choses to perform Telemann’s unaccompanied violin music faces the challenge of justifying why they have done so rather than tackling Bach’s output in the same medium, in this case because there are none of the huge technical demands of the latter and – on the page – Telemann’s writing lacks sophistication. However, while both composers rely on the instrument’s ability to suggest part-writing and harmony, in fact it is Telemann’s music that requires the individual violinist’s input to make it make sense. Where lesser players struggle to discover a coherent way through every movement, Elfa Rún Kristinsdóttir must have spent hours deciding exactly how she was going to play every single note; if she didn’t, then I take my hat off to her, as these are truly magical performances. We often talk about shaping notes with the bow, or picking out notes here and there to make melodic lines more interesting, but I don’t think I have ever heard a violinist with such a wide range of bow strokes; even in sequences of leaps across two strings, she is able to colour the notes without ever losing momentum, and where traditional wisdom might suggest building to a crescendo, she is not afraid to let the music taper off into the most delicate of pianissimos. But there are two virtuosi at work here, for the sound engineer has worked miracles in perfectly capturing each and ever nuance without also picking up any background noise. Bravo to both of them! There are no booklet notes; some people will find this a drawback, but personally I don’t think I want to read another essay special pleading for Telemann’s solos – just listen to the glorious playing and allow yourself to be persuaded. The CD has already been awarded “Album of the Year” at the Icelandic Music Prize ceremony, but I seriously believe this will garner accolades across the HIP world and beyond. And for those of you who don’t take Telemann seriously (shame on you!), she makes rather a good job of playing Bach, too. If you like that sort of thing… 🙂

Brian Clark

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