early music review

Bernhard Hofstötter baroque lute
72:20
Brilliant Classics 95087

[dropcap]B[/dropcap]ernhard Hofstötter’s excellent CD gives us a glimpse of the variety and quality of music for the baroque lute, which would have entertained well-to-do folk in Vienna in the 17th and 18th centuries, well before the time of Mozart and Beethoven. George Muffat’s Passacaglia was published in 1682, originally for strings and continuo, and appears here in an arrangement for lute from one of the Kremsmünster manuscripts (A-KR83a/1v). It is a fine piece, involving a cheerful dialogue between treble and bass, and a constantly changing sequence of interesting harmonies. Also published in 1682, was Jacques Bittner’s Tombeau, which creates a melancholic mood through slow descending notes and dissonant harmonies; Hofstötter’s source is the manuscript now in Klosterneuberg, close to Vienna. Denis Gaultier was French, but his “Dernière Courente” is followed by a nicely flowing Double by “Bertelli”, who is possibly the Viennese composer, Antonio Bertali.

Other tracks include an imaginative anonymous Folies d’Espagne with one section way up the neck, and a guitar-like finish; a short, lively Gigue de Angelis de Rome, possibly by the guitarist Angelo Michele Bartolotti; a suite by Wolff Jacob Lauffensteiner, with a grand Allemande, an invigorating Courante with brief switches from major to minor and back, and a short, cheerful Gigue; an arrangement of a mournful Menuet for flute and strings by C. W. R. von Gluck, where the slow, high melody is supported by quiet, constantly moving quavers; a virtuosic Sonata by Karl Kohaut exploiting the full range of the lute; and a long (over 10 minutes), dramatic Passacaglia by the violinist Heinrich von Biber, constructed over a slow, four-note descending bass, in a lute arrangement from Kremsmünster.

I very much like Hofstötter’s interpretation of this music. He sustains and shapes melodic lines well, and, without resorting to gimmicks, he lets the music speak for itself. This repertoire is not well known – twelve of the 19 tracks contain music which has not been recorded before – but it is well worth exploring further.

Stewart McCoy

Steven Isserlis cello, Richard Egarr harpsichord
Bach, Handel, Scarlatti
59:50
Hyperion CDA68045

[dropcap]I[/dropcap] suspect that those looking on this EMR site are more used to performances of the standard Baroque repertoire on the instruments for which they were written. Yes, I know people will argue that Bach’s three sonatas for viola da gamba and harpsichord may have been transcriptions from lost works and Handel’s one gamba sonata was the composer’s own transposition of a lone violin sonata, but is there a need for a new recording on a modern cello?

The Domenico Scarlatti sonata in D Minor takes transcription a step further: one of Scarlatti’s few harpsichord sonatas with a few figured bass annotations (K. 90) has been recorded as a violin sonata – so why not play it down the octave on cello? Isserlis nods his head towards current performance practice of the period by a somewhat restrained use of vibrato in the slow movements, but he adopts an aggressive approach to the faster sections, which some may not like. The Scarlatti and Handel sonatas (supported by a second continuo cello) struck me as being unashamedly romantic in approach. The disc concludes with an encore of a Bach organ chorale prelude (BWV 639) arranged for cello and harpsichord. The playing from both Isserlis and Egarr – if you can tolerate the style – is, as one would expect, impeccable. If you prefer the dulcet tones of the viola da gamba, then give this a miss. Booklet notes are more Isserslis’s personal thoughts on his programme rather than an instructive essay (“1685 – what a year! The storks must have been working overtime …”).

Ian Graham-Jones

Andreas Staier, Freiburger Barockorchester
109:07 (2 CDs)
harmonia mundi HMC 902181.82

Andreas Staier plays all seven single harpsichord concerti on these 2 CDs with members of the admirable Freiburger Barockorchester directed by Petra Müllejans, mostly playing 3.3.2.2.1, with two flauti dolci in BWV1057, the F major transcription of the Fourth Brandenburg (BWV1049). They are recorded quite close which would show up any slight lapses, so either they play as perfectly as it sounds or the editors have done a splendid job: there is a whole page in the liner notes on exactly how they have achieved the sound. Staier plays an instrument by Sidey and Boi (Paris 2004) after Hieronÿmus Albrecht Hess, Hamburg 1734 – why can we not have similar details about the string players’ instruments? – and the autograph parts for BWV1055 – the only ones to survive – provide an additional figured continuo line, and so they perform it here and in the resounding BWV1058.

There is continuing debate about the sources of these concerti, admirably discussed by Peter Wollny in the liner notes. Two of them exist in versions for solo violin and orchestra. Elsewhere, the first two movements from BWV1052 appear in Cantata 146 and the last as a sinfonia in 188, where the organ plays the obbligato part. Two movements of BWV 1053 figure in Cantata 169, the first as the opening sinfonia and the second as an alto aria, and the last movement becomes the opening sinfonia in Cantata 49. At one time it was thought that BWV 1055 might have originated in a concerto for oboe d’amore, though this seems less likely now. What we do have is a complete autograph score of all seven concerti in this form that can be dated to 1738/9.

The playing is bright, crisp and clean and, without feeling in any way mechanical, is less idiorhythmic than Koopman’s 1990 version. The harpsichord never overbalances the instruments, even when they are reduced in numbers for BWV1053, and when he is playing continuo, Staier is admirably discreet, as he should be. There are no fussy changes of registration, but use is made of the two manuals in, for example, the extended cadenza in BWV 1052/3. In BWV 1053, Peter Wollny comments on ‘the filigree polyphonic technique’ and the intimate interchange between instruments that leads the performers to play this E major concerto with one-to-a-part strings, and hearing it makes me wonder what they would all sound like performed that way – and possibly at 392Hz as well, like John Butt’s persuasively argued Brandenburgs. BWV 1058, a version of the A minor violin concerto is very convincing at its lower G minor pitch, but with its extra continuo keyboard the weight of the full string band certainly feels justified.

CD 2 opens with BWV 1054, a version of the E major violin concerto BWV 1042, which probably dates from Cöthen; again it is transposed down (into D major), and the second manual is used effectively in the opening movement. Staier plays the last movement of the A major concerto (BWV 1055) as a brisk minuet – it’s a wholly delightful performance and like the second movement displays the splendid tuning of the band: this is really classy. Was the F minor concerto (BWV 1056) also a downward transcription of an earlier version in G minor? The slow movement is the opening sinfonia in cantata 156, where the solo part above the strings (here pizzicato until the last bar) is given to the oboe. Some of the right hand figuration in the opening movement reminds me of the oboe d’amore passagework in the opening movement of Cantata 36. BWV 1057 sounds comfortable (as it should) on the recorders, and at times a fourth voice is added to the solo group. I admired this ensemble work greatly, and the fugal final movement is especially exhilarating.

I hope people will enjoy these performances as much as I did – and will continue to. This is as near as it comes to superlative playing from all concerned, and that coupled with exceptional recording and editing makes this a very fine version. I recommend it unreservedly.

David Stancliffe

David did say that he would like to give more than five stars for the quality of the recorded sound!

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Arparla (Davide Monti violin, Maria Christina Cleary arpa doppia)
78:53
Stradivarius STR 37023

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]o have the complete op. 5 set of 1649 is a bonus for lovers of the violin repertoire of the period. The performers have paired each of the sonatas with one of the rhetorical Affects, e.g. Mirth, Philosophy, Perseverance, etc., although these were not indicated in the composer’s score. The set concludes with a sonata for solo harp, one for two violins, and one for violin in imitation of a trumpet, with added strumming guitar and drums.

First impressions from the opening track of any disc are important to the listener. The first sonata, where the harp opened with an unaccompanied passage, struck me immediately – and somewhat irreverently – as more appropriate for “Listen with Mother” than for early 17th-century repertoire. Yet when used as a straightforward accompaniment, the harp continuo was given a much more stylistically apposite realisation. Monti’s playing is here always polished, with suitable ornamentation. The notes disappointingly concentrate on Cesare Ripa’s description of the ‘affects’ rather than on the music itself.

Ian Graham-Jones

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Margaret Little viol, Sylvain Bergeron archlute
62:25
Atma Classique ACD2 2685
Music by Banister, Giovanni Bassano, Bonizzi, Lanier, Layolle, Ortiz, Playford, Rogniono, de Selma & anon

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ting seems to have created a fashion for using the archlute for music from the 16th century, where others would play a lute with fewer courses. Sylvain Bergeron’s instrument is based on one by Venelio Venere from the 1590s, when it seems the archlute first appeared. Margaret Little’s bass viol is based on the work of Michel Colichon, who flourished in Paris at the end of the 17th century.

The first track of the present CD is Recercada Primera from Diego Ortiz’s Libro Segundo (1553); Bergeron plays the divisions on his archlute, accompanied by faint chords of the ground presumably plucked on a viol. For Recercada Quarta Little plays the divisions on her bass viol, with a certain amount of rhythmic freedom; in bar 8 she adds an extra crotchet rest which throws the syncopated dotted crotchet onto the beat, and which appears to throw her accompanist for the first chord of the next bar.

The archlute and theorbo both have extended necks and produce deep bass notes, but unlike the theorbo, the archlute does not have a re-entrant tuning, so it is possible to play higher notes and sustain a melody more easily. In John Bannister’s Divisions on a Ground the deep notes of the archlute are heard to good effect throughout; Bergeron and Little take it in turns to play the divisions, adding their own gloss with tasteful ornaments and other personal touches. It is an effective combination. Other pieces included from John Playford’s The Division-Violin (1685), are Paul’s Steeple, Roger of Coverly, John come kiss me now, Tollet’s Ground, Faronell’s Ground, and Another Ground by John Banister. These sets of divisions account for nearly half the CD, four played on a bass viol, two on a treble viol, and one as an archlute solo. A facsimile of the music is available free online at IMSLP.

Three tracks are associated with Pierre Sandrin’s “Doulce Mémoire”: a duo setting by François de Layolle (dated 1539), Ortiz’s well-known divisions (1553), and extravagant divisions by Vincenzo Bonizzi (early 17th century). Little’s virtuosity is impressive in Fantasia Basso solo by Bartolomeo De Selma, with notes scurrying across the fingerboard. Bergeron’s expressive playing comes to the fore in a solo arrangement of Nicolas Lanier’s “No more shall meads” and “Another Ground” by Banister. It is an interesting anthology of music featuring divisions, but their instruments are more in keeping for the 17th-century pieces.

Stewart McCoy

Bernhard Hofstötter baroque lute
72:20
Brilliant Classics 95087
Music by Bartolotti, Bertelli (understood as Bertali), Biber, Bittner, Denis Gaultier, Gluck, Kohaut, Lauffensteiner, Georg Muffat & anon

Stewart McCoy

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Dietmar Berger viola da gamba
114:50 (2 CDs)
Naxos 8.573392-93

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he second recording of the ‘Berlin Gamba Book’ in the same month! I wasn’t quite so keen to hear this one, remembering my feelings about this player’s recording of the ‘Manchester Gamba Book’.

The repertoire is very interesting, and I learn from the booklet notes that some is published by Edition Walhall, so I have immediately ordered a copy.

I’m afraid I feel the same about this recording as I did about his previous one. The playing is technically adequate to the demands, but the articulation so little varied, with so little inflection, that one suspects that the player needs to spend more time with the music. Furthermore, he is not well-served by Naxos engineers. The recording is close-miked, in a dry acoustic, emphasising the overly astringent quality of his top string.

Some of the pieces he plays on a treble, which is a nice variation of tone, but again, the recorded sound emphasises the edginess and brightness.

It is claimed to be a world premiere recording of the music. In fact the recording by the Ensemble Art d’Echo, of music from this manuscript that I reviewed a month ago, and which I enjoyed far more, seems to have been made earlier. However, the Naxos selection is of only the chorale variations, without the additional suites and supporting material that Art d’Echo also includes. There are two discs, which does mean that more, perhaps all, of the chorale variations are included.

The booklet notes are disappointingly brief for such a significant repertoire. There is very little information about the manuscript, and none about the instruments he plays. The only instrument pictured is a carving of a 13th-century vielle – played da gamba, which is indeed interesting for anyone interested in medieval music, because most depictions of bowed string instruments from that period show them played on the shoulder. But its relevance to this repertoire is limited, particularly when more relevant information is lacking.

A disappointing recording of an important repertoire.

Robert Oliver

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Echo du Danube
60:26
cpo 777 834-2

[dropcap]F[/dropcap]rancesco Provenzale? Who he?? Well, I eventually found out in a brief paragraph at the beginning of the third page (of three and a half!) of the note. 1624-1704, and the most important Neapolitan master of the 17th century across all genres of sacred and secular music. We are also referred to the writer’s book on the subject. Signor Provenzale could certainly compose, however – the vocal pieces on this disc are all strong pieces with characteristics of both the late monodic madrigal and the emerging cantata. And Hannah Morrison’s is some of the best early music singing I have heard for some time. With only a small ensemble for company she never has to force her tone and can fully engage with the lengthy (and sometimes unlikely!) texts. The instrumental contributions I find less convincing. To me they are over-elaborate in their sonorities and variety, and the improvisatory passages become rather formulaic after a while. The note reads like the translation it is and according to the track list all the items last 12’ 19’’. They don’t. How does this sort of thing achieve publication?

David Hansell

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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.

David Hansell

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