vol. 1/K. 304, 306 & 526 Isabelle Faust (“Sleeping Beauty” Stradivarius) violin, Alexander Melnikov fortepiano (after Walter 1795) 65:50 harmonia mundi musique HMM 902360
This is not the first series devoted to Mozart’s music for this combination of instruments but I would stick my neck out and say it will be one of the best – top of my pile to date are the witty and lively renditions by Rachel Podger and Gary Clarke, but (even on this early evidence) Faust and Melnikov will give them a run for their money and I will certainly have to make space on my shelves for the volumes that are yet to come.
Volume one combines two sonatas from his first published set (Sieber in Paris, 1778) and his A major sonata of 1787 (when he was working on Don Giovanni). This partnership (whose catalogue covers everything from Mozart to Chausson, including a complete set of Beethoven) clearly understand one another, and – acknowledging Andreas Staier as a guiding hand – they have clearly found their way into Mozart’s head, giving crystalline readings of great authority, beautifully captured by the recording team. I cannot wait for volume 2!
Last minute Christmas gift ideas for fans of HIP performances of early music? Don’t worry – harmoniamundi have stacks of bumper sets that will please everyone.
For medievalists, there is an 11-CD set (!) entitled “Die grossen Minnesänger” (Christophorus CHR 77432, over 11 hours of music) covers recordings from 1985 to 2015 and almost every imaginable top source of music from that period, featruing the ensemble für frühe musik augsburg, Per-Sonat, Ensemble Leones, I Ciarlatani and a solo disc of Konrad von Würzburg’s music by the doyenne of the repertoire, Andrea von Ramm (which also contains PDFs of all of the complete booklets from the other sets).
For lovers of baroque and classical music, Accent have released two awesome boxes called “Sigiswald Kuijken – The Concertos” (10 CDs lasting nearly 11 hours, ACC 24352) and “Sigiswald Kuijken – The Chamber Music” (20 CDs lasting over 19 hours, ACC 24351). The former devotes two discs each to Vivaldi, Telemann and Joseph Haydn, three to Bach and the 10th disc to Mozart, while the latter runs from English Viol Music via Rameau and Couperin, through three discs of Haydn to two more discs of Mozart.
Finally in the HIP selection, opera lovers will be in seventh heaven to discover René Jacobs’ Mozart/Da Ponte set in a single box (HMX 2908801.09, 9 CDs of music lasting a little under nine hours, plus a 10th CD with PDFs of the libretti and translations). Though personally I have never been much of a fan of his recordings, after listening to several alternative new releases over recent months, I found these nicely paced accounts impressive and dramatically engaging. The singers (and again, as far as I am concerned – and I stress that I am not much of an opera fan!) are not “singing down” in the name of being “more authentic”; it struck me more that they were singing as part of a larger ensemble (i. e., the orchestra) than project as stars over it. Bravo to all concerned.
Bojan Čičić violin, The Illyria Consort
65:46
Delphian DCD34219
Concertos 13, 14 & 15, Villageoises de Julie with five variations
I rarely comment on CDs with which I have had the slightest involvement, but very, very occasionally, there is such a disconnect between one’s impression of music as one is typesetting it (and inevitably hearing it played back by the computer) and the reaction to hearing the finished results that it is impossible not to write something. I have been aware of Bojan as an ascendent artist for many years and have followed his rise to some of the most important jobs on the HIP scene; what I not realised until I heard this recording is just what a fantastic violinist he actually is! Eager to champion one of Croatia’s most important musical figures of the classical period, he and his augmented Illyrian Consort present world premiere recordings of three violin concertos (two in A and one in E), which he augments with a set of solo variations on a folk tune. The performances are world class – especially impressive is the impeccable upper register, string crossing virtuosity. The modest band provides perky, upbeat tuttis and a warm, rich halo to the solos; they accompany, but not in some artificial, sempre piano way – they are as much part of the venture as the heroic soloist. The whole is captured by the Delphian engineers and editors with remarkable clarity and precision – somehow they have achieved presence without being invasive, the sound is immediate without capturing Čičić’s breathing. Playing of this calibre deserves nothing less!
Quartetto “Joseph Joachim”
59:30
Pan Classics PC 0379
THESE SIX QUARTETS include four which were, until relatively recently, thought to be Mozart – the correct identification of a set of parts in Padua, which featured on both composers’ travelling itineraries in the 1770s helped clear up the confusion and allow the music to be correctly attributed. Schuster was eight years Mozart’s senior and a celebrated violinist himself. On this re-release of a 2001 recording, the Joseph Joachim quartet – on period instruments – give first-class performances of these six fine works, all but one in three movements; the exception, no. 4 in A, consists of an Allegro assai and an Andantino con cinque variazioni. The recorded sounds is very crisp with lots of detail without any of the breathing noises one typically hears in recordings of string quartets. Brian Clark
Composed during the early 1790s, the three pianos trios that would come to be published in 1795 as his opus 1 bore a dedication to Beethoven’s patron Prince Carl Lichnowsky, who probably helped fund the enterprise. In at least one sense they make a clear statement of intent, since all three are large-scale works in four movements that set out a far more grandiose stall than the modest three-movement trios of Haydn and Mozart. Yet despite their obvious ambitious scale, in other ways they largely conform to the image of Beethoven as the darling of the Viennese salons. With the possible exception of the gruffly uncompromising opening theme of the final movement of the final C minor trio – and it is surely significant that Beethoven makes little of it in the development – there is little here of the barnstorming young Beethoven of some of the early piano sonatas. Rather the general impression given is of an often exuberant good humour juxtaposed with romantic leanings of the kind found in the innocent yearnings of the Adagio cantabile of the E flat Trio (No. 1).
It is just these qualities that are to the fore in these performances by the experienced members of the Trio Goya, Kati Debretzeni (violin), Sebastian Comberti (cello) and Maggie Cole (piano). At first I found the performances a little understated and indeed the opening of the E flat Trio is rather subdued, especially given the rather dry acoustic and lower than normal level of sound. Only a slight volume boost revealed that these are in fact exceptionally satisfying and highly musical interpretations. The balance, so much easier to obtain with an instrument of the period (a copy by Paul McNulty of an Anton Walter (c. 1795), is exemplary throughout, revealing contrapuntal passages such as the development of the opening movement of the G major Trio (No. 2) in crystalline yet never purely academic detail. For an example of sheer exuberance and wit it is necessary to point no further than the Presto finale of the same Trio, which sets off like a steeplechase with wonderfully fleet playing and barely contained excitement. Later the splendid modulatory transition back to the recapitulation is given an air of breathless expectancy, while the final coda brings just one example of exquisite pianissimo playing. There is, too, a poise about the slow movements, perhaps best exemplified by the hymn-like subject of the G major’s Largo con espressione, first heard on the piano then taken up by the cello and continued with a magically beguiling concentration that captivates the listener.
Incidentally, William Drabkin’s somewhat academic notes make the surprising point that the writing for the cello in opus 1 is ‘modest’, surprising since in fact there are a number of particularly felicitous passages for the instrument, such as the beautifully played cantabile melody at the outset of the E flat Trio’s Adagio Cantabile. I was amused to find that Maynard Solomon’s fine monograph on the composer draws precisely the opposite conclusion, drawing attention to the ‘independent and occasionally florid writing for the cello’ that abounds in the trios.
This now joins the Castle Trio (Virgin Classics) as a firm recommendation for a period instrument recording of these engaging trios. Brian Robins
THIS BEAUTIFUL RECORDING arrived only a few days ago and it has hardly been out of my player since then. Bach’s Clavierfantasie in F sharp minor Wq. 67 and Duett for flute and violin Wq. 140 are sandwiched between three of my favourite pieces by “the Berlin Bach”, his quartets [sic] for keyboard, flute and viola Wq. 93-95. I remember long ago (yes, I know I’m still a relatively young thing!) hearing them on an LP (yes, OK!) with Christopher Hogwood at the keyboard on the amazing Decca L’oiseau lyre label and being astonished by mercurial music of which I had never heard the likes, and feeling drawn into what can only be described as Bach’s fantasy world; as the insightful booklet notes note, his “trademark” is rather a lack of form. I’ve often read that it is difficult to get over one’s first impression of a piece of music; I sincerely doubt, for sure, that anyone will ever surpass Emma Kirkby’s portrayal of Dido in the Taverner Consort recording… Yet the present performers have taken music I thought I really knew and led me even further into realms of electrifying excitement; by subtly pausing on this note or that, or having the audacity to decorate an already ornate line, they keep us guessing where the composer (and they) will take us next. The engineers have done Ensemble Klangschmelze proud with a bright, lively sound world and, all in all, this is a CD that I am sure I shall continue to savour for months and years to come. Bravo! Brian Clark
Constantino Mastroprimiano
158:19 (3 CDs in a box)
Brilliant Classics 94378
[dropcap]T[/dropcap]hese six three-movement sonatas, along with an extra Finale movement in number 6 and a bonus Fantasino in C, are played by Constantino Mastroprimiano on a fortepiano by Urbano Petroselli after a 1790 Anton Walter original, with the later sonatas being played on an 1838 Erard. Ranging from the composer’s opus 2 a set of sonatas composed when he was just 14 to his opus 106 from around 1824, when he was 46, these pieces chart the development of his compositional skills up to his last decade. They also chart the dramatic changes which occurred in musical taste during this period – his opus 106, a ‘Grande Sonate Brillante’, is a work of fully fledged romanticism while his opus 2 had elements of the galante style. His pleasant opus 124 Fantasino on a theme from Mozart’s Die Hochzeit des Figaro and the dedication of his opus 13 to Haydn remind us of the musical circles that he moved in, and while he seems to me never quite to achieve the profundity of many of his greater contemporaries, you can hear elements particularly of Beethoven and perhaps even a hint of Chopin and Schumann in his piano textures. Constantino Mastroprimiano has a fine mastery of these works, although – whether due to microphone placement or the instrument itself – I feel that the Erard sounds a little fluffy, particularly in the opus 106 which could do with an altogether brighter instrument. Hummel himself owned and played an Erard, so perhaps he would disagree!
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Consone Quartet
70:41
Editions Ambronay AMY 310
Haydn in G, op. 77/1; Mendelssohn in Eb, op. 12 & Four Pieces, op. 81
[dropcap]I[/dropcap] first encountered the period instrument Consone Quartet, all of whom are former students at the Royal Academy of Music, at Ambronay in 2016. At that time they appeared competitively as part of the Eeemerging project for young musicians. Following that short concert, I wrote that their playing of Haydn’s late op. 77/1 String Quartet ‘showed considerable promise but would eventually benefit from the quartet’s own developing maturity’. Would that my prophetic words were always as satisfyingly fulfilled as they are by this splendid recording, made some 18 months later in the spring of 2018. For here is a performance in which maturity and technical excellence have merged to provide one of the most rewarding performances I have heard of this wonderful product of Haydn’s ageless old age. One of the remarkable features of all the performances here is the near-perfect balance, whether achieved as a result of the players facing each other in the square formation shown in the booklet photo or for some other reason I don’t know. But it is so, revealing part writing in a clear, yet warm ambiance for which the recording engineer also deserves the greatest credit.
A further mark of growing maturity can be found in the freedom the players have come to allow themselves in the use of rubato and touches of expressive portamento, the latter particularly effective in the gentle affection they bring to the youthful, yet understated romanticism of the opening movement of Mendelssohn’s early E flat Quartet, op. 12 (1829). This and sometimes bold decisions regarding contrasts of dynamics and tempo are a dangerous course if the results sound contrived or simply imposed, but here they invariably seem to stem from the players’ collective inner thoughts and feelings. Also admirable is the light, buoyant touch and perfect chording the Consones bring to the Canzonetta: Allegretto of op. 12, the quartet’s scherzo and trio. Here, at the ripe old age of 20, are reminiscences of those teenage miracles, the string Octet and the Midsummer Night’s Dream overture. And should you still doubt that Mendelssohn wrote nearly all his best music before he was out of short trousers, the Four Pieces published posthumously as op. 81 after the composer’s death provide further evidence. They date from across his career, the best being a veiled Fuga constructed of magical filigree strands of aural thread written just after the completion of the op 13 String Quartet in A minor in 1827. There is a Scherzo, too, dating from much later (1847) and a poor relation of those gossamer-like pieces mentioned above.
Finally, we must briefly return to the Haydn and a performance that has grown so immeasurably since I first heard it. Now the opening Allegro sets out with a deliciously jaunty but never rushed step, the counterpoint of the second idea in the development exposed with revelatory clarity. The following Adagio, one of the most profound of Haydn’s quartet movements, is graced especially by the exquisitely played solo arabesques and roulades of first violinist Agate Daraskaite. Both Menuetto and the final presto bubble over with spirit, good humour and poignant reminders of the old man’s humble peasant beginnings. ‘Old man? Age is just a figure’, Haydn seems to be saying in this infectiously joyous playing. The last word goes to Marc Vignal’s notes, a model of what such things should be. A well deserved – and from me rare – five stars all round.
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[dropcap]F[/dropcap]or this second CD of music by C. P. E. Bach, Mathieu Dupouy has chosen two sonatas, three fantasias, and five rondos from the years 1783-87 (the composer died in 1788). I have always had “a thing” for Bach’s keyboard music; as Dupouy’s rather literary booklet notes seek to explain, there is an undeniable ability to suspend time, to linger on an unusual chord, as if the composer is thinking, “which way next?” Even if he goes the way you expect the majority of the time, it is the frisson of excitement on those occasions when he doesn’t that really brings a piece to life, and Dupouy – with an impressive range of touch – exploits those very moments, lingering almost too long… That ability to draw one into a performance (even a recorded one!) is something quite magical. Although Bach was clearly a virtuoso on the instrument, it is the ever-changing proto-Romantic textures that are most interesting here and I wish his music were more widely appreciated – not just on review sites like this one.
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Hanna Herfurtner, Marian Dijkhuizen, Georg Poplutz, Mauro Borgioni SATB, Kölner Akademie, directed by Michael Alexander Willens
81:23
cpo 777 999 2
[dropcap]A[/dropcap] native of Thuringia, the little-known Ernst Wilhelm Wolf (1735-1792) studied at the University of Jena, where he became director of the Collegium Musicum in 1756. After periods in Leipzig and Naumberg, he settled in Weimar, where he worked his way through the ranks in the service of the Duchess Anna Amalia, eventually in 1768 being appointed Kapellmeister, a position he would retain for the rest of his life despite Goethe’s dislike of him and an offer from Frederick the Great to succeed C. P. E. Bach at Potsdam. Wolf’s substantial output includes both secular and sacred works, among them no fewer than 35 symphonies and 20 Singspiele, the overriding influence on him being that of his mentor and lifelong friend, C. P. E. Bach.
However it is not C. P. E. Bach who will most strongly be brought to mind by Wolf’s Passion oratorio Jesu, deine Passion will ich jetzt bedenken, but Graun’s Der Tod Jesu (1755), one of the most frequently performed religious works of the 18th century and one Wolf is said to have learned by heart. Jesu, deine Passion is likely to be an early work, probably composed during Wolf’s time at Jena. It belongs to the new form of Passion setting that eschews a direct telling of the story as related in the Gospels in favour of a free, often picturesque poetic text that frequently owes much to Enlightenment sentiment. Such texts avoided the unfolding drama of Jesus’ Passion, in favour of a more contemplative, moralizing context placed between fragmentary episodes from it. Thus, for example, in Jesu, deine Passion, a gracious duet for two sopranos is a supplication to Jesus as he hangs on the Cross to be taught forgiveness rather than the reflection on his suffering one might have expected at this point.
Like the Graun that served as its inspiration, the work is a flexible succession of recitative (mostly accompagnato), arioso, aria, chorales and choruses. In addition to the duet there are just three arias, but all are lengthy numbers cast in full da capo form. Those for soprano and tenor are reflective in character, but that for the bass, the words of Jesus, is a strongly rhetorical number in which the call ‘Hear it, Christians’ is supported by commanding horns on the sole occasion they come to the fore. Perhaps the most striking passage is the penultimate number, divided into 14 brief sections that include alternating the bass’s upbeat arioso ‘Seid getrost’ (Be consoled) as a refrain with tragic canonic interjections for soprano and tenor set to a chorale. While no forgotten masterpiece – there are moments when blandness seems close – Jesu, deine Passion is overall an affecting and often touching contemplation on the Passion story.
If there are a few reservations about the work itself, there are only minor caveats occasioned by the performance under Michael Alexander Willens, the American director of the Kölner Akademie, who draws from both instrumental and vocal forces a very well-executed and sensitive premiere recording. His soloists, who also sing in the small chorus, are all excellent. Soprano Hanna Herfurtner opens her aria with a lovely messa de voce, though at times her vibrato can be intrusive. The excellent tenor Georg Poplitz has the lion’s share of solo work, projecting recitative with vivid purpose, while also giving his ‘sentimental’, flute-inflected aria a fine sense of line. The alto and bass have less to do, but are both good, and the bass aria referred to above, the most vocally demanding in the work, is notable for some of the best articulation I’ve heard from a bass in some while in the hands of Mauro Borgioni. Definitely well worth investigating.
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