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Recording

Platti: 6 Trio Sonatas for violin, violoncello and continuo

Armoniosa
64:40
MDG Scene 903 1978-6

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]everal previous encounters with the chamber works of Giovanni Benedetto Platti (c. 1697-1763) have a favourable impression fully confirmed by this new CD of trio sonatas. Born in the region of Padua, Platti was educated in Venice, where his father served as violist at San Marco. In 1722 he went with a group of Italian musicians to Würzburg, where he was offered a place in the service of the prince-bishop of Bamburg and Würzburg. On the archbishop’s death two years later the orchestra was disbanded but Platti managed to find employment with the archbishop’s brother in nearby Wiesentheid, where it seems most of his music was composed. After the court orchestra was re-formed in 1729 Platti returned to Würzburg, where he would remain until his death in 1763. There he came into contact with Tiepolo, who included Platti in one of his frescos forming a part of his re-decoration of the palace.

Platti composed 22 trio sonatas, of which the six performed here have been published. With the exception of the Sonata in C minor, WD 694 (the numbering comes from the Wiesentheid library that is home to Platti’s manuscripts), which has only three, all have four movements, including the odd one employing dance forms. They tend to strike a balance between older Baroque forms and newer galant  tendencies. Unsurprisingly it is the minor key works that are more likely to adopt the former, though the B-flat Trio ends with a well-worked fugue culminating in a particularly satisfying stretto. Arguably the most satisfying sonata is the G minor (WD 691), which opens with noble, flowing Largho (sic) with considerable contrapuntal intricacy, before proceeding to a terse Allegro making much play on imitative sequences, another Largho, a heart-easing movement with effective use of suspensions and a brisk finale not without some quirky moments to add spice. Also worthy of special note is the opening Adagio assai of the Sonata in D (WD 680), an expansive melody that sounds like a quasi-operatic aria. But Platti’s writing in general is highly accomplished and appealing. If there is a fault it is perhaps an over- reliance on sequences.

The performances by the Italian ensemble Armoniosa are very attractive, being accomplished technically, thoughtful and unfailingly musical. I was especially taken by the readings of some of the slower movements, where there is much affecting cantabile playing. Full marks, too, for the stylish ornamentation the players apply to repeats (most movements are binary form). One curiosity is the use of both harpsichord and organ as keyboard continuo at the same time, which presumably accounts for the thickening up of the bass texture. I write ‘presumably’ as it is difficult to tell just how much this happens, since the harpsichord is so backwardly balanced that it frequently cannot be heard. Still, this is a fine CD of music that is assuredly worth investigating.

Brian Robins

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Recording

Classical Vienna: Music for Guitar & Piano

James Akers romantic guitar, Gary Branch fortepiano
67:47
resonus res10182
Music by Carulli, Diabelli, Giuliani & Moscheles

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his charming CD takes us evocatively into the Viennese salon of the early 19th century with a programme of domestic repertoire for guitar and fortepiano. It is a genre of which I was hitherto completely ignorant, and the surprise is how well the sounds of period fortepiano and romantic guitar blend, a powerful argument if such needs to be made for the correct use of period instruments. This might incidentally be the moment where I lament the demise of the Finchcocks Museum, where this recording was made, making it the last in a noble tradition. Knowing nothing of the circumstances, I feel that its almost unique assemblage of period keyboard should perhaps be the sort of resource that should be saved for the nation. The 1826 Conrad Graf fortepiano featured here offers a delightful range of tone qualities, while James Akers’ original 1820 Saumier guitar and a 2015 Panormo copy have a distinctive and gentle timbre. Incidentally both the fortepiano and the guitars also get a chance to shine in solo repertoire. With the exception of Diabelli (he of the variations) and the ubiquitous Moscheles, who seems to have sat at the centre of music-making in this era like a spider at the centre of a Europe-wide web, the other two composers represented, Ferdinando Carulli and Mauro Giuliani, are unfamiliar. Their music is jaunty and tuneful rather than profound, but understandably this was the sort of repertoire the Viennese who attended operettas and waltzed the night away at the city’s year-round balls wanted to play and hear in their drawing rooms. As in previous programmes, James Akers demonstrates great musicality and an awesome technique, while his partner Gary Branch handles the various features of the Graf fortepiano with panache, making it sing beautifully or almost whisper depending on the requirements of the music. The intimate acoustic of Finchcocks is probably just right for this repertoire, and if you feel rich enough you can plan your own concerts and recordings there as the property is currently for sale.

D. James Ross

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Recording

empfindsam

Linde Brunmayr-Tutz transverse flute, Lars Ulrik Mortensen harpsichord
58:19
fra bernardo fb 1611782
Music by C. P. E. Bach, F. Benda, Kirnberger & Quantz

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is a beautiful CD of 18th-century music for flute and harpsichord by some of its finest exponents, many of them associated with the Prussian court of the celebrated royal flautist Frederick II. The enormous popularity of the transverse flute around the middle of the century along with the related triumph of ‘Empfindsamkeit’ as a general approach to music-making meant that some of the finest composers of the age devoted themselves to composing flute music, and one of them even wrote the definitive guide on how to play it. Johann Joachim Quantz is represented here by a fine sonata and an intriguing Adagio from his ‘Method’, which the performers present according to the recommendations contained in the method. The initial ‘flicks’ to important notes are reminiscent of traditional flute playing and remind us that a close look at historical playing tutors always bears interesting fruit. The music on this CD is of uniformly superb standard as is the playing of the two musicians. Flautist Professor Linde Brunmayr-Tutz is well known from her exemplary playing in a number of prominent period instrument ensembles, and her prominent suffix acknowledges her marriage to Rudolph Tutz who, alongside Rod Cameron, is one of today’s finest makers of Baroque flutes, and indeed made the flute his wife uses in this recital.

D. James Ross

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Recording

Molter: Orchestral Music & Cantatas

Camerata Bachiensis
66:02
Brilliant Classics 95273
MWV 2:25, 26; 3:7, 6:13, 7:24, 9:20

[dropcap]A[/dropcap]s someone who has been involved with publishing Molter’s music, I was very excited when this CD was released, and delighted when the performers offered to send me a copy for review. The programme includes two Italian cantatas (each consisting of a pair of arias framing a central recitative), a sonata à quadro, a flute concerto (played impressively Quantz-like by the oboist in the quartet!) and one of several extant D major symphonies.

When you edit and typeset music and listen back to it on Sibelius, you have a real problem in assessing the merit of “new” repertoire; there is something about the lack of human involvement that masks its real quality. I had experienced that before with Graupner’s church cantatas; somehow they really only become “musical” in performance. Camerata Bachiensis have certainly had a similar impact on my appreciation of Molter; whether in the beautifully stylish rendition of the instrumental pieces (the unison playing from the two violins is aboslutely the best I have ever heard!), the glorious rich yet perfectly in tune singing of soprano, Julia Kirchner, or just in their audible enjoyment of Molter’s not quite baroque, not quite classical music – the cantatas (with their taxing writing for voice and instruments alike) could easily be by Hasse or even his Italian models, while the ouverture (right down to the part names!) could hardly be more French. The performers (complete including the first harpsichord I’ve heard in some time who is not desperate to compete with the singer) are uniformaly excellent, and I cannot recommend this recording highly enough – even if you have not heard of Molter before (or you’ve only heard hackneyed old recordings for trumpet and clarinet concertos!), fear not – this is over and hour of pure delight!

Brian Clark

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Recording

Boccherini: Stabat Mater, String Quartet op. 41/1

Francesca Boncompagni soprano, Ensemble Symposium
57:52
Brilliant Classics 95356

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his delightful all-Boccherini CD is a little gem. The Ensemble Symposium give a charming and thoughtful account of the first of Boccherini’s opus 41 string quartets before being joined by the sweet-voiced Francesca Boncompagni and the additional cellist Nicola Brovelli for an utterly beguiling account of his G532 Stabat Mater. The strings master completely the two very different roles of chamber music ensemble and accompanying mini-orchestra, while Ms Boncompagni negotiates beautifully the fine line between vocal precision and mere elegance.

The addition of a second cello and a slightly bigger acoustic establishes a wider canvas for what is a masterly contribution to the rich and varied world of settings of the Stabat Mater. There is beauty and profundity in Ms Boncompagni’s singing, although she never loses sight of Boccherini’s delicately engaging idiom. There is also more depth than I remembered in the op 41/1 quartet, a work which shares some material with the Stabat Mater  and which occasionally skirts the same dark musical world. The recording is crystal clear and the acoustic pleasingly generous without being over-resonant. Having thoroughly enjoyed the wonderfully expressive playing and singing here, I am also grateful to the performers for reminding me that there is more to Boccherini’s music than a superficial elegance.

D. James Ross

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Uncategorized

Beethoven, Ries: Cello Works

Juris Teichmanis cello, Hansjacob Staemmler fortepiano
67:22
Ars Produktion ARS 38 533
Ries: Sonata op. 20, Trois Airs Russes Variés, op. 72
Beethoven: Sonata op. 5/1

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]ome comparisons are fairer than others. The coupling of the name of Ferdinand Ries with that of Beethoven is justified on a number of counts: like Beethoven he was born in Bonn (in 1784, 14 years after Beethoven), like Beethoven Ries sought to further his career in Vienna, where their paths crossed. After his arrival in the Austrian capital in 1801 Beethoven behaved with considerable generosity toward him, not only giving the impecunious young man piano lessons but also even financial assistance, in return for which Ries acted as secretary and copyist to Beethoven.

There are links, too, between the two major works on this CD, Beethoven Cello Sonata in F, op. 5, no. 1 and Ries’ Cello Sonata in C, op. 20. Both were the work of young men of similar age, the Beethoven dating from 1798, while the Ries was composed during the composer’s sojourn in Paris in 1808. Without explaining why or how, the notes claim that Ries modelled his sonata on Beethoven’s, although it is difficult to see the connection. And it’s worth mentioning here that the notes are long on the kind of biographical and historical detail you find anywhere, but provide no description or analysis of the works included.

In any event, this is where any valid comparison between the two ends abruptly. Although Ries opens his first movement with strong, Beethovenian gestures, he seems more interested in the gentler arpeggiated passage that follows. The development is also much concerned with strong rhetoric, but to my ears to no great purpose, there being much empty passage work for the cello, whose part (termed as obbligato on the title page) seems less rewarding than that of the pianist. The brief Adagio that follows starts with a vigorous tramping motif that promises more than it delivers, the movement subsequently lapsing into a pleasant Romantic reverie. The final movement is a Polonaise in rondo form with an attractive main theme, but in truth the movement amounts to little more than salon music. That applies even more in the case of the Trois Aires Russes Variés, op. 72 of 1818, a mélange woven together to create a colourful if inconsequential mosaic of lyrical and vigorous themes. Beethoven’s F-major Sonata, cuts a totally different figure, of course, a work bursting with a young man’s passion and burgeoning genius. As I said at the outset, some comparisons are fairer than others.

And that might equally well be said for the performances. Juris Teichmanis and Hansjacob Staemmler are both fine musicians who bring a vital, energetic approach to the music, though Teichmanis is often more effective in cantabile passages than more dynamic music, where the nervous intensity of his wiry tone is not always pretty. I suspect – despite the use of period instruments – he is probably happier in later music. Likewise Staemmler, whose playing of more lyrical passages has an agreeable fluency, but who has a tendency to be heavy handed in assertive writing. Anyone seeking the Beethoven will want to look elsewhere; this might serve if you have an urge to investigate Ries.

Brian Robins

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Recording

Pleyel: String Quartets, op. 41–42, Nos. 1–2

Authentic Quartet
62:04
Hungaroton HCD 32783

[dropcap]S[/dropcap]everal months ago I gave high praise to a CD of Pleyel’s piano trios, part of an extensive series issued under the auspices of the Internationale Ignaz Pleyel Gesellschaft (IPG) (anyone interested will find it in the September 2016 listing). This new disc is not from the same stable, rather presenting four works listed on the disc as string quartets.

As many readers will know, the usual listing for Pleyel’s works is under their Ben number (after their cataloguer Rita Benton). I was puzzled by the lack of any such identification on the present CD, leading me to further investigation. That opened up something of a can of worms, for it transpires that these ‘quartets’ are not in fact quartets at all, but rather keyboard trios whose correct listing should read Ben 443 in A (op. 41/1, Ben 444 in F (op. 41/2), Ben 446 in G (op. 42/1), and Ben 447 in B flat (op. 42/2), almost certainly composed around 1792, the year Pleyel came to London at the invitation of the Professional Concerts. The adaptation was probably made not by Pleyel himself, but the publisher of the quartets, Johann Andre, who issued them in 1793/4. Astonishingly, you will learn nothing of this from Hungaroton’s booklet notes and I’m indebted for an extensive anonymous Amazon review and its attendant comment for this information, apparently based on Benton’s Thematic Catalogue. There seems no reason to doubt its accuracy.

A notable feature of the ‘quartets’ is that apart from an opening allegro in standard Classical sonata form, the remaining movements (one in Ben 443 & Ben 446, two in the others) all feature Scottish airs. The original trios are indeed included in books designated as such, being the result of a commission from the Edinburgh publisher George Thompson for Pleyel to produce a series of introductions and arrangements of Scottish melodies for keyboard trio (there appear to be six books in all), a provenance seemingly unknown to either the assiduous Amazon reviewer or the rather less than assiduous Hungaroton note-writer. It will be recalled that both Haydn and Beethoven received similar commissions from Thompson.

Having settled the background, what of the music itself? Well, it is characterised by the high level of compositional skill I noted in the earlier CD. Opening allegros are pleasing, well-constructed movements with considerable melodic and contrapuntal interest and some effective modulation in development sections. Although the first violin is given occasional passages of bravura writing, there are no real difficulties for the performers, the works doubtless originally having been intended for the burgeoning dilettante market. The Scottish airs are mostly lively, good-humoured music, although the wistful Andante of the Ben 444 – perhaps the most appealing movement of all – and the central Adagio espressivo of the B-flat quartet introduce a more pensive note. The performances on period instruments by the Hungarian-based Authentic Quartet are very capable, being well tuned and balanced. They manage to capture convincingly the wit and general spirit of conviviality that informs these highly agreeable works.

Brian Robins

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Recording

Mondonville: Trio Sonatas Op. 2

Ensemble Diderot, Johannes Pramsohler
67:22
Audax Records ADX13707

[dropcap]W[/dropcap]hen it comes to French baroque chamber music, there is a real paucity of high quality repertoire; or so it has seemed until now! Move over Couperin and Rameau, there’s a new kid on the block – in typical style, Johannes Pramsohler has sought now fresh jewels for his stylish Ensemble Diderot, and what a revelation de Mondonville’s opus 2 trios have turned out to be. This world premiere recording of the six works (two of them pairing violin with flute as per the composer’s alternative versions) reveals not only a composer of great technical skill but also demonstrates that by the time they were originaly published, the level of violin playing in France had progressed immensely since Couperin insisted that only professional musicians need even attempt to play his music… Double stops abound, as well as wide leaps and other difficulties, all of them surmounted by Pramsohler and co. But – again as we have come to expect from these musicians – overcoming the challenge of actually playing the notes is merely the beginning; playing them beautifully and in a way that serves the music is key, then add a liberal sprinkling of passion and you begin to understand who they function. With the recent broadcast on Hungarian television of one of his operas, it seems we may be in for a revival of de Mondonville’s spectacular output; this fabulous recording deserves to be recognised as one of the most exciting releases of 2016, and I will be surprised (in fact, I will actually be disappointed!) if it does not win many awards.

Brian Clark

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Recording

Boismortier: Six Sonates, Op. 51

Elysium Ensemble (Greg Dikmans flute, Lucinda Moon violin)
71:24
resonus RES10171

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]his is the second in a series exploring ‘neglected or newly discovered chamber music 1600-1800’. The first was of Quantz’s Op. 2. There’s certainly plenty to explore with the prolific and very capable Boismortier: has anyone heard or played all eight of his collections of flute duets? Here, however, we have Op. 51 for flute and violin and very charming they are, a most agreeable and varied listen. Much of the time the violin part is a high bass line to more ornate flute writing but there also more democratic contrapuntal movements as well as quasi-three-part writing via double-stopping. The playing is very accomplished (though there is an odd-sounding moment in the middle of track 10) with clear articulation, neat ornaments and sense of space to the phrasing. The booklet is as comprehensive as one could wish (though in English only) but there is one incorrect cross reference to the track list.

David Hansell

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Categories
Recording

Rameau: Pièces de clavecin en concerts

Korneel Bernolet, Apotheosis

Et’cetera KTC 1523

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t may not bother others, but for my taste these performances tinker too much with Rameau’s instrumentation to earn a recommendation. Yes, I know that alternatives are offered by the composer but I find it ineffective and fussy to change instrumentation between the movements of a concert, let alone within them. And while there’s no reason not to transcribe other Rameau movements for these forces please present these movements as a discrete suite. Had J-P wanted the second concert  to start with an overture he’d have written one. There are some nice touches in the interpretations but I’m afraid I may have been too irritated to notice them all. The booklet does not include a track list.

David Hansell

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