There is probably no greater challenge for violinists than the interpretation of the six sonatas and partitas for solo violin by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is like climbing Mount Everest. It is extremely difficult and not everyone gets there. Nowadays a historical instrument or in any case an interpretation according to the principles of historical performance practice is almost a prerequisite for a convincing performance. The career of the exceptional violinist Thomas Zehetmair [1] is particularly revealing. He has always felt just as comfortable in the baroque repertoire as in contemporary music. His curiosity guarantees that he gets to the bottom of every work. The focus is not on his own abilities, but always on the music. It resulted in his studying these works with Nikolaus Harnoncourt in the early days of his career when he played in the Concentus musicus Wien. This resulted in a recording, at that time still on a modern violin and with a modern bow. This was reissued a few years ago and is still of great importance. For those who are skeptical of historical instruments, it may serve as a bridge between 'new' and 'old'. In 2019, ECM released a new recording of these works from 2016, and this time Zehetmair turned to period instruments. He plays two different baroque violins and two baroque bows. His starting point has not changed in comparison to the first recording: his interpretation is based on the principle of 'music as speech', as Harnoncourt once pithily summed up the character of baroque music in the title of a book. This is expressed here in the treatment of phrasing and articulation as well as dynamics and tempo. It is notable that Zehetmair allows himself more freedom in these matters today. In doing so, he does not deviate from the principles of historical performance practice. He has internalized them and can now bring in his own views. After all, it is one of the characteristics of historical performance practice that one's own personality may be part of it and that one may adapt the interpretation to the circumstances. This explains the differences between the many recordings that are available. Which one to prefer is ultimately a matter of taste. I like this new interpretation by Zehetmair very much. Technically, his playing is impressive. It is amazing how in some of the movements he plays at high speed, the articulation remains very clear and he also manages to dynamically differentiate between good and bad notes. Dynamic shading is also carefully dosed, for example in the ciaccona from the Partita No. 2. It starts out very powerful, but then there are quieter passages. This movement is an example of one in a relatively brisk tempo (12'29"). Others are the fugue and the presto from the Sonata No. 1 and the concluding allegro from the Sonata No. 2. But even then Zehetmair varies the tempo: the allegro from the second sonata is not as fast as the fugue of the first. It is also nice - and this can also be interpreted as a sign of internalization - that he plays ornaments in repeats. As one may know, this is a matter of debate among interpreters and scholars. However, one doesn't need to fully agree with every decision in order to regard this interpretation as a monument of Bach interpretation. I personally prefer strong restraint in this matter, but that does not prevent me from putting this recording at the top of my list of favourite recordings of these works. Another which is high at my list is the one by Amandine Beyer (ZigZag Territoires, 2011). I would also like to mention Gunar Letzbor (PanClassics, 2013/2014), who has something special to offer in that you can hear what the player himself is hearing while playing. It is something one needs to get used to, but it is very revealing and intriguing, and Letzbor is obviously a superb performer.
The second recording of the sonatas and partitas is quite different. I hesitated whether to review it at all because we are dealing here with a compromise between traditional and historical performance practice. Such compromises are not uncommon, and they are seldom convincing. Tomás Cotik's interpretation [2] is no exception. He plays a modern violin in modern tuning (a = 440 Hz). He does not use gut strings, but rather synthetic strings that produce a slightly milder sound. It is hardly noticeable, because Cotik's tone is unplesantly penetrating, compared to the sound of the baroque violins that Zehetmair plays. Cotik does play with a baroque bow, but that makes little sense if the violin is from a different aesthetic tradition. 'Music as speech' is not the foundation of this performance, because Cotik often plays legato and there is little difference between good and bad notes. His tempos are often a little faster than Zehetmair's: for the ciaccona of the second partita he only needs 10'55" (vs 12'29"), but his fast movements sound hasty and therefore superficial. In the allegro of the second sonata he largely omits dynamic contrasts. The preceding andante is then again too slow: he takes it for an adagio. Where Zehetmair's playing always breathes, even at the fastest tempos, the listener gets breathless with Cotik. It's all too much of the same. I was often bored listening to it. That’s a bad sign.
Plamena Nikitassova and Peter Waldner [3] have recorded a mixed programme in which the two major cycles are represented. They play three of the six sonatas for harpsichord and violin (Nos. 3, 4 and 6); in addition Nikitassova plays the Sonata No. 3 for solo violin and Waldner the Adagio BWV 968, which is an arrangement of the first movement of the sonata. The aim of this production was not primarily to present works by Bach; after all, there are many recordings of these pieces. The focus is on the instruments they use. Plamena Nikitassova plays a Stainer violin owned by the Tiroler Landesmuseums Ferdinandeum in Innsbruck. Stainer violins were played in Central Germany in Bach's time, and he may have owned such a violin himself. The harpsichord is a copy of an instrument by Johann Heinrich Harraß, made by Jürgen Ammer. There are no details about this instrument in the booklet, but in several works I noted the use of a 16' register, for instance in the Adagio BWV 968. The existence of instruments with a 16' register in Bach's time is documented. The question is when and in what kind of music it was used and whether Bach used it himself, but that may be impossible to answer. The performer's personal taste also plays a role. In any case, I am not very enthusiastic about interpretations in which this register is used. That doesn't compromise my generally positive assessment of this production. These two excellent musicians bring convincing interpretations. Plamena Nikitassova's performance of Sonata No. 3 is very good; her tempi are somewhat more moderate than Zehetmair's, and I rate his realisation of the double stopping a little higher, but both performances are based on the same principles. This comes also to the fore in the three sonatas for harpsichord and violin, which are performed in a speechlike manner. with a clear articulation and appropriate dynamic differentiation. The problem, however, is the balance between the instruments, which is too much in favour of the violin. It is rather odd that a harpsichord with a 16' register struggles to hold its own against the violin.
The sonatas for harpsichord and violin (BWV 1014-1019) are among the most frequently performed and recorded chamber music works by Bach. Several recordings have come onto the market in recent years. Most of them have nothing special to offer, and it is regrettable that the performers don't turn to less common repertoire. However, one recent recording is different from almost any other. Freddy Eichelberger and Odile Edouard [4] wanted to celebrate a collaboration of thirty years with a new recording. They have often performed repertoire from the 17th century, but Bach has always been a thread through the careers of both musicians. And so the idea came about to record the sonatas for harpsichord and violin. Eichelberger is first and foremost an organist, so it was an obvious choice to play the harpsichord part on the organ. There is no historical argument for this decision. It seems highly unlikely that Bach ever did so himself. That does not mean that these sonatas cannot be performed this way. In the baroque era composers and performers were pretty pragmatic in choosing instruments. Ultimately, it's the result that matters. The booklet rightly points out that the balance between the harpsichord and the violin is problematic. I can confirm that on the basis of several recordings, including the one just mentiioned. Too often the violin dominates, whereas both instruments are treated on equal footing by Bach. In a performance with organ, there is little chance that it will dominate. However, here it is rather the other way around. There are some moments when the organ overshadows the violin. There are no such problems in the two sonatas for violin and basso continuo (BWV 1021 and 1023); there the organ plays a more modest role. Eichelberger has selected three organs that suit Bach's style. He also plays some organ works in between the sonatas. Despite the critical remarks, I recommend this set of discs to Bach lovers, because it offers an opportunity to hear these pieces in a different way. Eichelberger and Edouard deliver good performance, but I would have liked stronger dynamic contrasts in the violin part.
The last disc then focusses on the sonatas for violin and basso continuo. Several such sonatas are attributed to Bach, but only two are considered authentic: BWV 1021 in G and BWV 1023 in e minor. La Divina Armonia [5] - Mayumi Hirasaki (violin), Anna Camporini (cello) and Lorenzo Ghielmi (harpsichord) - has recorded both sonatas and the Sonata in c minor (BWV 1024), which is of doubtful authenticity and whose composer could not yet be established with any amount of certainty. The fourth work is the Sonata for harpsichord and violin BWV 1022, which has its origin in a trio sonata by Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, that in turn is derived from the sonata BWV 1021. The program is expanded with two harpsichord works, which also have their origins in violin works: the Sonata in d minor (BWV 964) - an arrangement of the Sonata No. 2 for violin solo - and the Adagio in G (BWV 968), which was originally conceived as the first movement of the Sonata No. 3 for violin solo. The result is a programme of strong coherence and at the same time variety in scoring. From these artists one expects first class performances and that is exactly what we get here. The balance between the instruments is exactly right. Mayumi Hirasaki plays beautifully and dynamically differentiated, both in the contrast between good and bad notes and on long notes. Ghielmi delivers speechlike performances of the harpsichord works. The choice of tempi is also convincing; the andante of the Sonata BWV 964, for example, is played at a nice walking tempo and not like an adagio. Everything is right here.
[1] "The Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo"
Thomas Zehetmair, violin
ECM New Series 2551/52 (2 CDs) (© 2019) details
[2] "Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo"
Tomás Cotik, violin
Centaur CRC 3755/3756 (2 CDs) (© 2019) details
[3] "Sonaten"
Plamena Nikitassova, violin; Peter Waldner, harpsichord
Musikmuseum CD13045 (© 2020) details
[4] "Trios pour clavier et violon"
Freddy Eichelberger, organ; Odile Edouard, violin
L'Encelade ECL 1704 (3 CDs) (© 2020) details
[5] "Sonatas for violin and basso continuo"
La Divina Armonia
Passacaille PAS 1077 (© 2020) details
Saturday, October 2, 2021
Friday, August 27, 2021
Songs for voice and fortepiano, 1790-1860
One voice and one instrument - that was the main form of (secular) music making in the western world for many centuries. During the Middle Ages trouvères and troubadours sang their own songs, accompanying themselves on a plucked or strung instrument. In the course of time, the roles of singer and accompanist were increasingly separated, as the former mostly sung songs which were composed by someone else and required an interpretation. The accompaying instrument during the renaissance was mostly a plucked instrument, such as the lute, and after the birth of the style we call 'baroque' a chordal instrument, which played a figured bass, sometimes with an added string bass. In the classical period the accompaniment started to be written out for a keyboard instrument: a harpsichord or a fortepiano. The latter was the common accompaniment of singers of songs in the romantic period. In addition, some composers wrote songs for voice and guitar, and sometimes pianoforte parts were transcribed for guitar in the interest of those who could not afford a fortepiano.
Songs for voice and keyboard were written across Europe during the classical and romantic periods, but for some reason German songs have received so much interest that the whole genre is known as the Klavierlied. If we look at the discography we find out that German songs dominate the landscape of this genre. Hardly any singer of songs with pianoforte accompaniment can avoid the songs of the likes of Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Wolf, to mention just the best-known. However, even the German repertoire has more to offer than the songs of these four, as we will see later. In this blog I would like to review some recent recordings of German songs, among them some almost entirely unknown.
The first disc is devoted to a composer who contributed to all genres of his time, but whose songs are among the least-known parts of his output: Joseph Haydn [1]. Ironically, those of his songs which are his best-known, are all written on English texts, and were composed during his second stay in England in 1794/95. Here he met Anne Hunter, in whom he found a personality who was well versed in musical matters, but was also a gifted poet. At least seven, possibly eight of the twelve Original Canzonettas, which Haydn published in 1794 and 1795 respecitively, are settings of texts from her pen. Not only were these of considerably better quality than the German texts that Haydn had set previously, his settings also document a development towards a more independent keyboard part. In his early songs, the accompaniment had some traces of the baroque basso continuo practice, but in the English canzonettas voice and keyboard are much more equal partners. The keyboard part is also more closely connected to the text, in that it illustrates elements in it. These features explain why these songs are taken seriously, even by those singers who mostly focus on later repertoire. Cornelia Horak and Richard Fuller recorded the twelve canzonettas, and two separate songs, also on texts by Anne Hunter: The Spirit's song and O Tuneful Voice. Ms Horak has a voice that is well suited to this repertoire, which she uses with differentiation, and because of that the character of each song comes off pretty well. It is nice that she does not hesitate to add ornamentation. This is mostly well jusged; only in The Sailor's Song I believe she goes too far; her performance of this song is too operatic. Her English pronunciation seems alright. Richard Fuller delivers colourful performances of the keyboard part. It is disappointing that he opted for an instrument with Viennese action. Haydn undoubtedly had an English fortepiano in mind, when he composed these songs.
Whereas the English songs by Haydn can be heard now and then in recitals and are availble in a number of recordings, few music lovers (if any) may have heard songs by his contemporary Franz Xaver Sterkel (1750-1817) [2]. Even the man himself is a largely unknown quantity. It is due to the J.F.X. Sterkel Gesellschaft Aschaffenburg e.V. that he is receiving more attention these days, which has resulted in several recordings of orchestral and chamber music. Aschaffenburg was the town where Sterkel spent the last stage of his life; there he was active as court music director and Kapellmeister from 1810 onwards, until he was sent into retirement, when the town became part of Bavaria. Before that Sterkel had worked in Mainz and in Regensburg. He may be almost entirely forgotten in our time, but during his life he was famous as a keyboard virtuoso, who impressed the young Beethoven. Among his more than 700 compositions are around four hundred songs on German and Italian texts. In addition to songs for solo voice, he wrote duets, trios and quartets. One of the duets closes the disc released by Coviello Classics. It includes fourteen German songs for solo voice and pianoforte, alternately sung by Julla von Landsberg and Jan Kobow. In addition we hear two pieces on Italian texts, among them an arietta to the accompaniment of pianoforte or guitar. Moreover, Sylvia Ackermann plays one of Sterkel's piano pieces, the Fantasia Op. 45. She opted for a tangent piano; unfortunately, the booklet omits any details about this instrument as well as about the guitar, which is involved in some of the songs (played by Thomas Höhne). To what extent this is based on indications by the composer also remains a mystery; only in the case of the Italian arietta it is explicitly mentioned. Given the quality of these songs, there is every reason to welcome the release of this disc. Not only can Sterkel be considered "the herald of Franz Schubert within the field of the German lied", as Joachim Fischer states in his liner-notes, but his songs can hold their ground on their own merits. Julia von Landsberg and Jan Kobow are their ideal interpreters, who have found exactly the right approach to these songs. The accompaniment by Sylvia Ackermann and Thomas Höhne is stylistically entirely convincing. It is to be hoped that more of Sterkel's oeuvre, including his songs, will be recorded. Singers should investigate his songs, which are a valuable addition to the repertoire of the Klavierlied.
It is remarkable that only a small part of the large number of songs from the pen of Franz Schubert (1797-1828) is available on disc in performances with fortepiano accompaniment. The large song cycles have been recorded a number of times, but otherwise there is a big backlog. This situation is all the more surprising, given that Schubert's songs enjoy great popularity and are performed across the world at the concert platform. Unfortunately, those singers who are exponents of historical performance practice, also largely focus on the main song cycles. From that perspective, there is every reason to welcome the disc by the Austrian tenor Daniel Johannsen, accompanied by Christoph Hammer at the fortepiano [3]. They recorded seventeen songs; I have not been able to discover a specific theme, and it remains a mystery to what criteria the songs have been selected. The texts which Schubert has set, cover a wide range of subjects, but obviously those subjects which were the favourites of romantic poets, are well represented: night and darkness, the wood, fall and winter, stars and moon, death, tomb and graveyard. Such songs are often of a rather intimate character - loudness is less appropriate here. Especially in such songs Johannsen is hard to surpass. He gives the impression to sing just for himself; the listener is allowed to eavesdrop. Among his strengths are his fine diction and his excellent treatment of the text - not surprising, given his experience in baroque repertoire, for instance in Bach's cantatas and Passions. He also effectively colours his voice in order to single out particular elements in the text. Christoph Hammer is more than an accompanist; he is Johannsen's equal partner at the fortepiano. He plays a Graf piano of around 1827, from which he draws the most gorgeous sounds and whose dynamic capabilities he fully explores, all in the interest of text expression. Voice and fortepiano blend perfectly; during the recording, the interpreters were sitting next to each other, as was common in Schubert's time. The translation of this disc's title is "unequalled songs". Unequalled are also these performances. Can we hope for more?
The three large cycles are among Schubert's most famous works. Far lesser known are the small cycles, consisting of three or four songs. The main exceptions are those which were published as cycles, for instance the Drei Gesänge des Harfners aus 'Wilhelm Meister' (D 478). There are several reasons why some cycles are not known as such. Schubert often composed such songs at differemt times and only put them together at a later date. As the songs were printed in the old complete edition in chronological order, their connection was entirely lost. That is also due to the fact that some cycles include settings of texts by different poets. And even if Schubert set texts by the same poet, the latter did not always conceived them as a cycle. Markus Schäfer and Zvi Meniker recorded six cycles [4]; at the end of this review one finds a link to a site with the track-list. Among the cycles are the Vier Refrain-Lieder Op. 95. Some of these are good examples of the interpretative approach of the two artists. They have been inspired by the way Schubert's songs were interpreted by the tenor Johann Michael Vogl, who was a great admirer of Schubert and performed many of his songs. He was generous in his addition of ornamentation, and his performances were rather theatrical, which is no wonder, given that he had made a career in opera. The songs Op. 95 are ideally suited to such an interpretation. The artists, in the liner-notes, assume that this kind of interpretation does not find universal approval. That would be not any different from Vogl's own time: his performances strongly divided the lovers of Schubert's songs. Whatever one may think of this approach: it is at least very interesting to hear Schubert's songs this way, and it is a token of courage and the willingness to leave the well-trodden paths that Schäfer and Meniker present these songs in a way which is quite different from what the lovers of Schubert's songs are used to. In this way, these performances could hardly be more 'authentic'. The choice of fortepiano - a copy of a Graf of 1819 - fits the approach of Schubert's songs. Schäfer has a very clear voice, which is perfectly suited to 19th-century songs. His diction and articulation are immaculate, and allow the listener to understand every single word, without looking at the texts in the booklet. Even so, it is a shame that it omits one stanza in each of two songs from the Op. 95 cycle. In Schäfer's performance, each distinction in the text is effectively communicated to the listener. Meniker delivers colourful and dynamically differentiated performances of the piano parts. From the angle of repertoire and of interpretation, this disc is a major addition to the Schubert discography and is not to be missed by lovers of Schubert's songs.
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) discovered the genre of the Klavierlied rather late in his career. He wrote his first songs in 1840, but then he could hardly stop. 130 of his around 150 songs date from this year. For Knut Schoch and Mathias Weber, this was the reason to focus on this year, as the title of their disc indicates [5]. In 1840, Schumann wrote two major cycles: the Liederkreis Op. 39, on texts by Joseph von Eichendorff, and Dichterliebe Op. 48, on poems by Heinrich Heine. These cycles are very well-known and are available in many recordings. However, there are probably very few, in which the singer is accompanied on a historical piano. Mathias Weber plays two different Érard pianos, from 1840 and 1847 respectively. That is not the only noticeable aspect of this recording, though. The Liederkreis is followed by Der frohe Wandersmann, a song which Schumann temporarily intended to open the cycle. And then Dichterliebe is performed here in its original version. Heines cycle included twenty poems, which Schumann all set. However, as such a long cycle was expensive to print, he could not find a publisher. A printed edition was only possible after the cycle was reduced to sixteen songs and revised. This original version seems to have been hardly recorded, which makes it all the more regrettable that the booklet omits the lyrics. On the internet I could not find the lyrics of this version. Because of that it is hard to assess Schoch's interpretation and the way he treats the text. On the basis of his performance of the Liederkreis - whose texts are available on the internet and in the booklets of other recordings - I dare to say that 'interpretation' is the wrong word to describe his performance. I don't like his voice very much; I have heard him in some recordings of baroque repertoire, and most of the time he falls short of what is needed. Here he sings the texts, and that is about it. The meaning of the text does hardly come off; basically everything does sound the same way. With the means of articulation and colouring of the voice much more could have been made of these songs. Whether an Érard piano is the most obvious choice is impossible for me to decide. Fact is that Robert and Clara Schumann, during their time in Leipzig, often visited the Tröndlin workshop and that Clara loved to play one of his instruments. Tröndlin pianos link up with the tradition of Viennese piano building and produce a speechlike sound.
The piano built in 1841 by Franz Rausch, which is played by Eric Zivian at the second Schumann disc reviewed here [6], is a product of that same tradition. This recording also includes the Liederkreis Op. 29, as well as the Liederkreis Op. 24, on poems by Heinrich Heine. This disc also has something special: between these two cycles, Kyle Stegall and Eric Zivian perform five songs by Clara Schumann (1819-1896). Her oeuvre receives little attention, and that certainly goes for her songs. That is very unjustified: these songs are fine pieces which should be better known. Their inclusion on this disc is most welcome. Stegall delivers entirely idiomatic interpretations, which show that he masters the German language; he also is responsible for the English translations of the lyrics in the booklet. His pronunciation, diction and articulation are impeccable. Unlike Schoch, Stegall comes up with an interpretation and treats the texts with differentiation, according to their meaning. Both Schoch and Stegall use more vibrato than is justified, but thanks to Stegall's captivating interpretation, in his case it is less disturbing. Eric Zivian is the excellent partner at the beautiful Rausch piano.
As I already stated, only a small part of Schubert's songs are available in recordings with fortepiano accompaniment. However, all his songs are represented on disc, usually with an accompaniment of a modern concert grand. That is more than can be said about the songs of other composers of the 19th century. Schubert was one of the main composers of songs, but certainly not the only one. Many of his colleagues only a few specialists have heard of, and some of them are represented on the last disc to be reviewed here. Franz Vitzthum included a few songs by Schubert in his recital [7], but most of the songs are by little-known composers, such as Charlotte Bender, Johann Friedrich Hugo van Dalberg, Johann Vesque von Püttlingen and Josephine Caroline Lang. Also included are a song by Mendelssohn and two by his teacher Carl Friedrich Zelter, one of the better-known on this disc. And then we have two songs by Anselm Hüttenbrenner, a close friend of Schubert, who composed a series of variations on a theme from Hüttenbrenner's pen; these are played by Katharina Olivia Brand on the fortepiano in alternation with the songs. This disc is not only interesting in that it sheds light on forgotten composers, but also because it includes some settings of texts which were also known from the oeuvre of more famous masters. An example is An den Frieden by Dalberg; under this title he set the same text by Goethe as Schubert under the title of Wandrers Nachtlied. The booklet includes all the lyrics - unfortunately without English translations - as well as comprehensive information about the composers and their historical context. In the case of an interpretation by a male alto one cannot avoid the issue of authenticity. Vitzthum is not the first representative of this voice type who makes a foray into the field of romantic songs. One of the first was Paul Esswood, who recorded songs by Schumann (Hungaroton, 1989). It is good that this type of voice is now generally accepted and is not treated as an 'early music peculiarity' anymore. That said, the aim of historical performance practice is to come as close as possible to the intentions of the composer and the performance habits of his time. From that perspective it is hard to argue in favour of a male alto in performances of songs written in a time in which that type of voice did not exist anymore. That does not compromise in any way my appreciation of this disc. Vitzthum is an excellent singer, who does know how to communicate the text and its content to an audience. He does a fine job here. Katharina Olivia Brand plays a copy of a Graf piano of 1826, which is the perfect choice for this repertoire and whose features are explored to the full in the interest of an expressive interpretation. This disc offers a view into a fascinating world that is hardly explored as yet.
[1] FJ Haydn: "Britain's Glory - Joseph Haydn Canzonettas"
Cornelia Horak, soprano; Richard Fuller, fortepiano
Gramola 99212 (© 2020) details
[2] Sterkel: "Liebesbothen"
Julla von Landsberg, soprano; Jan Kobow, tenor; Sylvia Ackermann, fortepiano; Thomas Höhne, guitar
Coviello Classics COV 91809 (© 2018) details
[3] Schubert: "Lieder ohnegleichen"
Daniel Johannsen, tenor; Christoph Hammer, fortepiano
Spektral SRL4-18170 (© 2019) details
[4] Schubert: "The Small Song Cycles"
Markus Schäfer, tenor; Zvi Meniker, fortepiano
Passacaille PAS 1084 (© 2021) details
[5] Schumann: "1840 - Zyklen und Lieder"
Knut Schoch, tenor; Mathias Weber, fortepiano
Ambitus amb 95620 (© 2021) details
[6] Robert & Clara Schumann: "Myrtle & Rose - Songs by Clara and Robert Schumann"
Kyle Stegall, tenor; Eric Zivian, fortepiano
AVIE AV2407 (© 2019) details
[7] "Nachthimmel - Lieder von Schubert, Bender, Dalbert"
Franz Vitzthum, alto; Katharina Olivia Brand, fortepiano
Christophorus CHR 77452 (© 2021) details
Songs for voice and keyboard were written across Europe during the classical and romantic periods, but for some reason German songs have received so much interest that the whole genre is known as the Klavierlied. If we look at the discography we find out that German songs dominate the landscape of this genre. Hardly any singer of songs with pianoforte accompaniment can avoid the songs of the likes of Schubert, Schumann, Mendelssohn and Wolf, to mention just the best-known. However, even the German repertoire has more to offer than the songs of these four, as we will see later. In this blog I would like to review some recent recordings of German songs, among them some almost entirely unknown.
The first disc is devoted to a composer who contributed to all genres of his time, but whose songs are among the least-known parts of his output: Joseph Haydn [1]. Ironically, those of his songs which are his best-known, are all written on English texts, and were composed during his second stay in England in 1794/95. Here he met Anne Hunter, in whom he found a personality who was well versed in musical matters, but was also a gifted poet. At least seven, possibly eight of the twelve Original Canzonettas, which Haydn published in 1794 and 1795 respecitively, are settings of texts from her pen. Not only were these of considerably better quality than the German texts that Haydn had set previously, his settings also document a development towards a more independent keyboard part. In his early songs, the accompaniment had some traces of the baroque basso continuo practice, but in the English canzonettas voice and keyboard are much more equal partners. The keyboard part is also more closely connected to the text, in that it illustrates elements in it. These features explain why these songs are taken seriously, even by those singers who mostly focus on later repertoire. Cornelia Horak and Richard Fuller recorded the twelve canzonettas, and two separate songs, also on texts by Anne Hunter: The Spirit's song and O Tuneful Voice. Ms Horak has a voice that is well suited to this repertoire, which she uses with differentiation, and because of that the character of each song comes off pretty well. It is nice that she does not hesitate to add ornamentation. This is mostly well jusged; only in The Sailor's Song I believe she goes too far; her performance of this song is too operatic. Her English pronunciation seems alright. Richard Fuller delivers colourful performances of the keyboard part. It is disappointing that he opted for an instrument with Viennese action. Haydn undoubtedly had an English fortepiano in mind, when he composed these songs.
Whereas the English songs by Haydn can be heard now and then in recitals and are availble in a number of recordings, few music lovers (if any) may have heard songs by his contemporary Franz Xaver Sterkel (1750-1817) [2]. Even the man himself is a largely unknown quantity. It is due to the J.F.X. Sterkel Gesellschaft Aschaffenburg e.V. that he is receiving more attention these days, which has resulted in several recordings of orchestral and chamber music. Aschaffenburg was the town where Sterkel spent the last stage of his life; there he was active as court music director and Kapellmeister from 1810 onwards, until he was sent into retirement, when the town became part of Bavaria. Before that Sterkel had worked in Mainz and in Regensburg. He may be almost entirely forgotten in our time, but during his life he was famous as a keyboard virtuoso, who impressed the young Beethoven. Among his more than 700 compositions are around four hundred songs on German and Italian texts. In addition to songs for solo voice, he wrote duets, trios and quartets. One of the duets closes the disc released by Coviello Classics. It includes fourteen German songs for solo voice and pianoforte, alternately sung by Julla von Landsberg and Jan Kobow. In addition we hear two pieces on Italian texts, among them an arietta to the accompaniment of pianoforte or guitar. Moreover, Sylvia Ackermann plays one of Sterkel's piano pieces, the Fantasia Op. 45. She opted for a tangent piano; unfortunately, the booklet omits any details about this instrument as well as about the guitar, which is involved in some of the songs (played by Thomas Höhne). To what extent this is based on indications by the composer also remains a mystery; only in the case of the Italian arietta it is explicitly mentioned. Given the quality of these songs, there is every reason to welcome the release of this disc. Not only can Sterkel be considered "the herald of Franz Schubert within the field of the German lied", as Joachim Fischer states in his liner-notes, but his songs can hold their ground on their own merits. Julia von Landsberg and Jan Kobow are their ideal interpreters, who have found exactly the right approach to these songs. The accompaniment by Sylvia Ackermann and Thomas Höhne is stylistically entirely convincing. It is to be hoped that more of Sterkel's oeuvre, including his songs, will be recorded. Singers should investigate his songs, which are a valuable addition to the repertoire of the Klavierlied.
It is remarkable that only a small part of the large number of songs from the pen of Franz Schubert (1797-1828) is available on disc in performances with fortepiano accompaniment. The large song cycles have been recorded a number of times, but otherwise there is a big backlog. This situation is all the more surprising, given that Schubert's songs enjoy great popularity and are performed across the world at the concert platform. Unfortunately, those singers who are exponents of historical performance practice, also largely focus on the main song cycles. From that perspective, there is every reason to welcome the disc by the Austrian tenor Daniel Johannsen, accompanied by Christoph Hammer at the fortepiano [3]. They recorded seventeen songs; I have not been able to discover a specific theme, and it remains a mystery to what criteria the songs have been selected. The texts which Schubert has set, cover a wide range of subjects, but obviously those subjects which were the favourites of romantic poets, are well represented: night and darkness, the wood, fall and winter, stars and moon, death, tomb and graveyard. Such songs are often of a rather intimate character - loudness is less appropriate here. Especially in such songs Johannsen is hard to surpass. He gives the impression to sing just for himself; the listener is allowed to eavesdrop. Among his strengths are his fine diction and his excellent treatment of the text - not surprising, given his experience in baroque repertoire, for instance in Bach's cantatas and Passions. He also effectively colours his voice in order to single out particular elements in the text. Christoph Hammer is more than an accompanist; he is Johannsen's equal partner at the fortepiano. He plays a Graf piano of around 1827, from which he draws the most gorgeous sounds and whose dynamic capabilities he fully explores, all in the interest of text expression. Voice and fortepiano blend perfectly; during the recording, the interpreters were sitting next to each other, as was common in Schubert's time. The translation of this disc's title is "unequalled songs". Unequalled are also these performances. Can we hope for more?
The three large cycles are among Schubert's most famous works. Far lesser known are the small cycles, consisting of three or four songs. The main exceptions are those which were published as cycles, for instance the Drei Gesänge des Harfners aus 'Wilhelm Meister' (D 478). There are several reasons why some cycles are not known as such. Schubert often composed such songs at differemt times and only put them together at a later date. As the songs were printed in the old complete edition in chronological order, their connection was entirely lost. That is also due to the fact that some cycles include settings of texts by different poets. And even if Schubert set texts by the same poet, the latter did not always conceived them as a cycle. Markus Schäfer and Zvi Meniker recorded six cycles [4]; at the end of this review one finds a link to a site with the track-list. Among the cycles are the Vier Refrain-Lieder Op. 95. Some of these are good examples of the interpretative approach of the two artists. They have been inspired by the way Schubert's songs were interpreted by the tenor Johann Michael Vogl, who was a great admirer of Schubert and performed many of his songs. He was generous in his addition of ornamentation, and his performances were rather theatrical, which is no wonder, given that he had made a career in opera. The songs Op. 95 are ideally suited to such an interpretation. The artists, in the liner-notes, assume that this kind of interpretation does not find universal approval. That would be not any different from Vogl's own time: his performances strongly divided the lovers of Schubert's songs. Whatever one may think of this approach: it is at least very interesting to hear Schubert's songs this way, and it is a token of courage and the willingness to leave the well-trodden paths that Schäfer and Meniker present these songs in a way which is quite different from what the lovers of Schubert's songs are used to. In this way, these performances could hardly be more 'authentic'. The choice of fortepiano - a copy of a Graf of 1819 - fits the approach of Schubert's songs. Schäfer has a very clear voice, which is perfectly suited to 19th-century songs. His diction and articulation are immaculate, and allow the listener to understand every single word, without looking at the texts in the booklet. Even so, it is a shame that it omits one stanza in each of two songs from the Op. 95 cycle. In Schäfer's performance, each distinction in the text is effectively communicated to the listener. Meniker delivers colourful and dynamically differentiated performances of the piano parts. From the angle of repertoire and of interpretation, this disc is a major addition to the Schubert discography and is not to be missed by lovers of Schubert's songs.
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) discovered the genre of the Klavierlied rather late in his career. He wrote his first songs in 1840, but then he could hardly stop. 130 of his around 150 songs date from this year. For Knut Schoch and Mathias Weber, this was the reason to focus on this year, as the title of their disc indicates [5]. In 1840, Schumann wrote two major cycles: the Liederkreis Op. 39, on texts by Joseph von Eichendorff, and Dichterliebe Op. 48, on poems by Heinrich Heine. These cycles are very well-known and are available in many recordings. However, there are probably very few, in which the singer is accompanied on a historical piano. Mathias Weber plays two different Érard pianos, from 1840 and 1847 respectively. That is not the only noticeable aspect of this recording, though. The Liederkreis is followed by Der frohe Wandersmann, a song which Schumann temporarily intended to open the cycle. And then Dichterliebe is performed here in its original version. Heines cycle included twenty poems, which Schumann all set. However, as such a long cycle was expensive to print, he could not find a publisher. A printed edition was only possible after the cycle was reduced to sixteen songs and revised. This original version seems to have been hardly recorded, which makes it all the more regrettable that the booklet omits the lyrics. On the internet I could not find the lyrics of this version. Because of that it is hard to assess Schoch's interpretation and the way he treats the text. On the basis of his performance of the Liederkreis - whose texts are available on the internet and in the booklets of other recordings - I dare to say that 'interpretation' is the wrong word to describe his performance. I don't like his voice very much; I have heard him in some recordings of baroque repertoire, and most of the time he falls short of what is needed. Here he sings the texts, and that is about it. The meaning of the text does hardly come off; basically everything does sound the same way. With the means of articulation and colouring of the voice much more could have been made of these songs. Whether an Érard piano is the most obvious choice is impossible for me to decide. Fact is that Robert and Clara Schumann, during their time in Leipzig, often visited the Tröndlin workshop and that Clara loved to play one of his instruments. Tröndlin pianos link up with the tradition of Viennese piano building and produce a speechlike sound.
The piano built in 1841 by Franz Rausch, which is played by Eric Zivian at the second Schumann disc reviewed here [6], is a product of that same tradition. This recording also includes the Liederkreis Op. 29, as well as the Liederkreis Op. 24, on poems by Heinrich Heine. This disc also has something special: between these two cycles, Kyle Stegall and Eric Zivian perform five songs by Clara Schumann (1819-1896). Her oeuvre receives little attention, and that certainly goes for her songs. That is very unjustified: these songs are fine pieces which should be better known. Their inclusion on this disc is most welcome. Stegall delivers entirely idiomatic interpretations, which show that he masters the German language; he also is responsible for the English translations of the lyrics in the booklet. His pronunciation, diction and articulation are impeccable. Unlike Schoch, Stegall comes up with an interpretation and treats the texts with differentiation, according to their meaning. Both Schoch and Stegall use more vibrato than is justified, but thanks to Stegall's captivating interpretation, in his case it is less disturbing. Eric Zivian is the excellent partner at the beautiful Rausch piano.
As I already stated, only a small part of Schubert's songs are available in recordings with fortepiano accompaniment. However, all his songs are represented on disc, usually with an accompaniment of a modern concert grand. That is more than can be said about the songs of other composers of the 19th century. Schubert was one of the main composers of songs, but certainly not the only one. Many of his colleagues only a few specialists have heard of, and some of them are represented on the last disc to be reviewed here. Franz Vitzthum included a few songs by Schubert in his recital [7], but most of the songs are by little-known composers, such as Charlotte Bender, Johann Friedrich Hugo van Dalberg, Johann Vesque von Püttlingen and Josephine Caroline Lang. Also included are a song by Mendelssohn and two by his teacher Carl Friedrich Zelter, one of the better-known on this disc. And then we have two songs by Anselm Hüttenbrenner, a close friend of Schubert, who composed a series of variations on a theme from Hüttenbrenner's pen; these are played by Katharina Olivia Brand on the fortepiano in alternation with the songs. This disc is not only interesting in that it sheds light on forgotten composers, but also because it includes some settings of texts which were also known from the oeuvre of more famous masters. An example is An den Frieden by Dalberg; under this title he set the same text by Goethe as Schubert under the title of Wandrers Nachtlied. The booklet includes all the lyrics - unfortunately without English translations - as well as comprehensive information about the composers and their historical context. In the case of an interpretation by a male alto one cannot avoid the issue of authenticity. Vitzthum is not the first representative of this voice type who makes a foray into the field of romantic songs. One of the first was Paul Esswood, who recorded songs by Schumann (Hungaroton, 1989). It is good that this type of voice is now generally accepted and is not treated as an 'early music peculiarity' anymore. That said, the aim of historical performance practice is to come as close as possible to the intentions of the composer and the performance habits of his time. From that perspective it is hard to argue in favour of a male alto in performances of songs written in a time in which that type of voice did not exist anymore. That does not compromise in any way my appreciation of this disc. Vitzthum is an excellent singer, who does know how to communicate the text and its content to an audience. He does a fine job here. Katharina Olivia Brand plays a copy of a Graf piano of 1826, which is the perfect choice for this repertoire and whose features are explored to the full in the interest of an expressive interpretation. This disc offers a view into a fascinating world that is hardly explored as yet.
[1] FJ Haydn: "Britain's Glory - Joseph Haydn Canzonettas"
Cornelia Horak, soprano; Richard Fuller, fortepiano
Gramola 99212 (© 2020) details
[2] Sterkel: "Liebesbothen"
Julla von Landsberg, soprano; Jan Kobow, tenor; Sylvia Ackermann, fortepiano; Thomas Höhne, guitar
Coviello Classics COV 91809 (© 2018) details
[3] Schubert: "Lieder ohnegleichen"
Daniel Johannsen, tenor; Christoph Hammer, fortepiano
Spektral SRL4-18170 (© 2019) details
[4] Schubert: "The Small Song Cycles"
Markus Schäfer, tenor; Zvi Meniker, fortepiano
Passacaille PAS 1084 (© 2021) details
[5] Schumann: "1840 - Zyklen und Lieder"
Knut Schoch, tenor; Mathias Weber, fortepiano
Ambitus amb 95620 (© 2021) details
[6] Robert & Clara Schumann: "Myrtle & Rose - Songs by Clara and Robert Schumann"
Kyle Stegall, tenor; Eric Zivian, fortepiano
AVIE AV2407 (© 2019) details
[7] "Nachthimmel - Lieder von Schubert, Bender, Dalbert"
Franz Vitzthum, alto; Katharina Olivia Brand, fortepiano
Christophorus CHR 77452 (© 2021) details
Friday, August 13, 2021
The Italian keyboard in the 18th century
If one thinks of Italian music of the 18th century, genres like opera, oratorio and chamber cantata in the realm of vocal music spring to mind, and concertos for one or several solo instruments as well as chamber music with regard to instrumental music. In comparison, not that much keyboard music is known, except the sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti. However, he worked for most of his life outside Italy, in Portugal and Spain. One may add the name of Giovanni Benedetto Platti, but he made a career in Germany. One of the main composers of keyboard music was Baldassare Galuppi, but it would be an exaggeration to say that this part of his output is well-known. Not that many recordings of his keyboard music are available. We owe it to Brilliant Classics that in recent years quite a number of discs have been released, which allowed the lover of keyboard music to become acquainted with the works of composers only a few may have ever heard of. Most of that repertoire has been recorded by Italian performers, who are in the best position to assess the importance of the various composers and their music, and have access to the sources, as not all of the music is available in modern editions. In this weblog I would like to give my impressions on some recent productions from Brilliant Classics.
The best-known composer is probably Pietro Domenico Paradies (1706/07-1791) [1], also known as Paradisi, who was born in Naples. We know very little about his musical education. Throughout his career he attempted to establish himself as a composer of music for the theatre, but he largely failed in this department. His operas met little enthusiasm, and Charles Burney assessed his arias rather negatively. However, he was full of praise for his skills as a composer of keyboard music and keyboard teacher. His 12 sonatas for keyboard were published in London in 1754, where Paradies had settled in 1746. Apparently, his sonatas were received enthusiastically, as they were reprinted five times between 1765 and 1790. Today they belong among the better-known compositions by late baroque Italian composers (even though they were written after his departure from Italy). That is probably due to the fact that they show strong similarities with the sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti. In addition, they include traces of the style known as Sturm und Drang. Overall, they are products of the galant idiom, which was ruling across Europe in the mid-18th century. All the sonatas comprise two movements in a fast (allegro, vivace) or moderate (moderato, andante) tempo. Some have the character of a toccata. They include quite some differences, which makes it not hard to listen to them at a stretch (although they are not meant to be savoured that way). Whereas Anna Paridiso recorded the first ten sonatas on three different instruments, Alessandro Simonetti confined himself to the harpsichord, which is the most obvious option from a historical perspective. He plays the copy of a 1638 Ruckers. It is impossible to say which kind of instrument Paradies may have had at his disposal while composing these sonatas, but considering the dissemination of Ruckers harpsichords across Europe, this seems a good choice. The contrasts between and within the sonatas come off well here, for instance due to a convincing choice of tempi. Only two sonatas include dynamic indications, which on a harpsichord can only be realised by shifting from one manual to the other. Simonetti also emphasises specific passages elsewhere by alternating between the manuals, and that seems appropriate. Those who would like to have a complete recording of these compelling sonatas, should consider this production.
Carlo Antonio Campioni (1720-1788) [2] is definitely an unknown quantity. As far as I have been able to check, only one piece of chamber music from his pen is available on disc. He was of French origin and settled in Tuscany in central Italy. He, himself an excellent violinist, was in close contact with Giuseppe Tartini. Around 1752 he became maestro de cappella at Livorno Cathedral, and from 1763 until his death he worked in the same capacity in the service of the Grand Duke of Florence. It is notable that he was very interested in 'early music'; he owned a large collection of early music, in particular renaissance madrigals. His compositions found a good reception. The six harpsichord sonatas op. 4B, which were printed in Paris and in London, bear witness to that. They are of different constitution: four comprise two movements, the other two come with three. They comprise some baroque traces, such as the giga as second movement of the Sonata No. 1. The first movement of the third sonata consists entirely of arpeggios, a typical baroque procedure. Its last movement is called 'La Caccia', and here the harpsichord imitates the sound of hunting horns. The sixth sonata takes a special place in the collection as it includes a violin part. Sonatas for keyboard with a melody instrument were quite popular at the time. These melody parts were often ad libitum, which means that they can be omitted. That is not the case here: the violin has an obbligato part. Campioni's sonatas are well written and entertaining, and therefore this recording is a substantial addition to the discography. Simone Stella deserves praise for this discovery and for his engaging and lively interpretation. Valerio Losito is the excellent violinist in the sixth sonata. This disc is a most pleasant acquaintance with Carlo Antonio Campioni.
The next production is devoted to a composer, who is even lesser known than Campioni. The latter has at least an entry in New Grove, but Ignazio Spergher (1734-1808) [3] is not even mentioned. He was born in Treviso and worked there all his life, as organist, singing and keyboard teacher and as composer. The Brilliant Classics production does not comprise his complete keyboard oeuvre, but rather a selection. It includes the six sonatas Op. 1, printed in 1786, as well as the sonatas Op. 6 from 1778. In addition we get some sonatas and other pieces which have been preserved in manuscript. The twelve printed sonatas consist of three movements. The last sonata from the Op. 6 has remained incomplete: the second set breaks off halfway, and the third is absent. Most of the pieces in manuscript comprise just one movement with different titles, such as rondo, andantino or allegro. The last disc ends with a Pastorale. As one may expect, the latter piece is played at the organ. In all the other pieces the choice of keyboard is left to the interpreter, although the liner-notes give the impression that some pieces are intended for the organ. That seems possible but is hard to prove. Fact is that the sonatas Op. 1 are not intended for liturgical use, which makes it possible to perform them on harpsichord. Chiara Minali decided to play the Op. 1 sonatas and the pieces in manuscript at the organ, whereas in the sonatas Op. 6 she plays the harpsichord. The option of a fortepiano - not out of the question given the time of publication - is not even discussed in the liner-notes. These could have been more informative. As was common at the time, most of the thematic material is allocated to the right hand, whereas the left hand has a merely accompanying role. Part of that are Alberti and drum basses. For that reason one should probably not listem to these sonatas at a stretch. They are just a bit too uniform. However, if played in the right doses, there is certainly much to enjoy. Chiara Minali plays an organ of 1903; however, it largely dates from 1845. At first sight that seems a less than appropriate instrument, given the year it was built, but we should not overlook that Italian organ building at that time was fairly traditional, even conservative, and the instrument produces a sound which is considerably older than the year of its creation may suggest. It certainly suits Spergher's music. The harpsichord is a copy of a Giusti of 1681. In her performances at the harpsichord I find Minali too straightforward and a little one-dimensional. Rubato and a differentiated treatment of tempo would have made these performances much more engaging. In comparison, Minali's perforrmances at the organ make a better impression, as here we have the advantage of a more varied palette of colours. However, those who are interested in keyboard music of the late 18th century, should seriously consider this production.
With Giovanni Battista Grazioli (1746-1828) [4] we move to Venice. He was born in Bogliaco, but moved to Venice early in his career, where he worked as organist at St Mark's. He composed a large amount of sacred music as well as music for the stage. He left three collections of music for keyboard, with the opus numbers 1 to 3. The Opus 3 comprises sonatas for keyboard with accompaniment of violin; these are omitted in the recording by Chiara Minali. Each of the other two collections, printed in Venice in 1780, consists of six sonatas in three movements, largely in the order fast - slow - fast. They are written in the then common galant idiom; the right hand dominates and the left hand is reduced to an accompanying role, playing the common figures, such as Alberti and drum basses. Minali plays a copy of a Ruckers harpsichord of 1638, which may seem a rather odd choice, considering the time of composing. An 18th-century Italian instrument would have been a more logical option. Minali added two pieces to these two sets of sonatas, a Tema e Variazioni and a Pastorale, which have been preserved in manuscript. For the Pastorale, she turns to the organ, the same instrument she plays in the Spergher recording. As this is the only organ piece and the other items are all perforned at the harpsichord, the listener is advised to dose these pieces and not listen to these discs at a stretch. My reservations with regard to the performances of Spergher's sonatas go for this production as well. That said, the recording of Grazioli's keynoard works is certainly justified, as he is part of an aspect of Italian music history that is little known.
Lastly another composer, of whom only very few may have ever heard: Ferdinando Gasparo Turrini (1745-1820) [5]. He was born in Salò at the Lake Garda, which at that time was part of the Republic of Venice. In 1766 he settled in Padua, where he worked as organist at a church, and then moved to Brescia, where he was active mainly as a teacher. In 1773 he lost his eyesight; since then he dictated his compositions to his pupils. It seems that he left a relatively large and versatile oeuvre of vocal and instrumental music, but little of that is known. The sonatas recorded by Michele Barchi also appear on disc for the first time. It concerns two collections of six sonatas each. One was dedicated to the Genuese patrician Carlo Spinola; the printed edition omits the year of publication, but it is assumed that it dates from 1779. All the sonatas comprise two movements; only the sixth, in the unusual key of D flat, has three. The other set was dedicated to Vincenzo Fini, a Venetian nobleman; it has been preserved in a hand-written score. The titles of movements in this collection are rather unusual, such as lento ed affettuoso, il Basso sempre legato - trio: presto con disperazione and adagio pensiero or adagio ad imitazione del Violuncello. These fit the character of his music, since this is rather unconventional. Turrini's original ideas are quite surprising. It has been noted that there are some similarities between these sonatas and those by the young Beethoven. That is certainly not without foundation, and now and then one is also reminded of Haydn. However, assuming that Turrini knew the music of both of them, there is no imitation here. In comparison with his contemporaries Spergher and Grazioli, Turrini is by far the most original and creative. The sonatas are technically demanding; especially many fast movements require great technical skills. Barchi has them at his disposal in abundance; his performances are impressive, both technically and musically. He has opted for a performance at the harpsichord, which certainly seems legitimate for the sonatas of 1779. In the sonatas in manuscript I probably would have preferred the fortepiano; that way the similarities with Haydn and Beethoven may have become even more obvious. It would be interesting if another keyboard player would record them on the fortepiano, as these sonatas deserve to be much better known. For lovers of keyboard music this set of discs is undoubtedly a great and important addition to their collection. I sincerely hope that more works by Turrini will be brought to light, as he certainly had an unusually creative spirit.
[1] Pietro Domenico Paradies (1707-1791)
"Complete Sonatas for Harpsichord"
Alessandro Simonetto, harpsichord
Brilliant Classics 95867 (2 CDs) (© 2020) details
[2] Carlo Antonio Campioni (1720-1788)
"6 Harpsichord Sonatas Op. 4B"
Simone Stella, harpsichord
Brilliant Classics 95997 (© 2021) details
[3] Ignazio Spergher (1734-1808)
"Organ and Harpsichord Music"
Chiara Minali, harpsichord, organ
Brilliant Classics 95834 (3 CDs) (© 2019) details
[4] Giovanni Battista Grazioli (1746-1828)
"12 Harpsichord Sonatas Opp. 1 & 2"
Chiara Minali, harpsichord, organ
Brilliant Classics 95935 (2 CDs) (© 2020) details
[5] Ferdinando Gasparo Turrini (1745-1820)
"12 Sonatas for Harpsichord"
Michele Barchi, harpsichord
Brilliant Classics 95522 (2 CDs) (© 2019) details
The best-known composer is probably Pietro Domenico Paradies (1706/07-1791) [1], also known as Paradisi, who was born in Naples. We know very little about his musical education. Throughout his career he attempted to establish himself as a composer of music for the theatre, but he largely failed in this department. His operas met little enthusiasm, and Charles Burney assessed his arias rather negatively. However, he was full of praise for his skills as a composer of keyboard music and keyboard teacher. His 12 sonatas for keyboard were published in London in 1754, where Paradies had settled in 1746. Apparently, his sonatas were received enthusiastically, as they were reprinted five times between 1765 and 1790. Today they belong among the better-known compositions by late baroque Italian composers (even though they were written after his departure from Italy). That is probably due to the fact that they show strong similarities with the sonatas by Domenico Scarlatti. In addition, they include traces of the style known as Sturm und Drang. Overall, they are products of the galant idiom, which was ruling across Europe in the mid-18th century. All the sonatas comprise two movements in a fast (allegro, vivace) or moderate (moderato, andante) tempo. Some have the character of a toccata. They include quite some differences, which makes it not hard to listen to them at a stretch (although they are not meant to be savoured that way). Whereas Anna Paridiso recorded the first ten sonatas on three different instruments, Alessandro Simonetti confined himself to the harpsichord, which is the most obvious option from a historical perspective. He plays the copy of a 1638 Ruckers. It is impossible to say which kind of instrument Paradies may have had at his disposal while composing these sonatas, but considering the dissemination of Ruckers harpsichords across Europe, this seems a good choice. The contrasts between and within the sonatas come off well here, for instance due to a convincing choice of tempi. Only two sonatas include dynamic indications, which on a harpsichord can only be realised by shifting from one manual to the other. Simonetti also emphasises specific passages elsewhere by alternating between the manuals, and that seems appropriate. Those who would like to have a complete recording of these compelling sonatas, should consider this production.
Carlo Antonio Campioni (1720-1788) [2] is definitely an unknown quantity. As far as I have been able to check, only one piece of chamber music from his pen is available on disc. He was of French origin and settled in Tuscany in central Italy. He, himself an excellent violinist, was in close contact with Giuseppe Tartini. Around 1752 he became maestro de cappella at Livorno Cathedral, and from 1763 until his death he worked in the same capacity in the service of the Grand Duke of Florence. It is notable that he was very interested in 'early music'; he owned a large collection of early music, in particular renaissance madrigals. His compositions found a good reception. The six harpsichord sonatas op. 4B, which were printed in Paris and in London, bear witness to that. They are of different constitution: four comprise two movements, the other two come with three. They comprise some baroque traces, such as the giga as second movement of the Sonata No. 1. The first movement of the third sonata consists entirely of arpeggios, a typical baroque procedure. Its last movement is called 'La Caccia', and here the harpsichord imitates the sound of hunting horns. The sixth sonata takes a special place in the collection as it includes a violin part. Sonatas for keyboard with a melody instrument were quite popular at the time. These melody parts were often ad libitum, which means that they can be omitted. That is not the case here: the violin has an obbligato part. Campioni's sonatas are well written and entertaining, and therefore this recording is a substantial addition to the discography. Simone Stella deserves praise for this discovery and for his engaging and lively interpretation. Valerio Losito is the excellent violinist in the sixth sonata. This disc is a most pleasant acquaintance with Carlo Antonio Campioni.
The next production is devoted to a composer, who is even lesser known than Campioni. The latter has at least an entry in New Grove, but Ignazio Spergher (1734-1808) [3] is not even mentioned. He was born in Treviso and worked there all his life, as organist, singing and keyboard teacher and as composer. The Brilliant Classics production does not comprise his complete keyboard oeuvre, but rather a selection. It includes the six sonatas Op. 1, printed in 1786, as well as the sonatas Op. 6 from 1778. In addition we get some sonatas and other pieces which have been preserved in manuscript. The twelve printed sonatas consist of three movements. The last sonata from the Op. 6 has remained incomplete: the second set breaks off halfway, and the third is absent. Most of the pieces in manuscript comprise just one movement with different titles, such as rondo, andantino or allegro. The last disc ends with a Pastorale. As one may expect, the latter piece is played at the organ. In all the other pieces the choice of keyboard is left to the interpreter, although the liner-notes give the impression that some pieces are intended for the organ. That seems possible but is hard to prove. Fact is that the sonatas Op. 1 are not intended for liturgical use, which makes it possible to perform them on harpsichord. Chiara Minali decided to play the Op. 1 sonatas and the pieces in manuscript at the organ, whereas in the sonatas Op. 6 she plays the harpsichord. The option of a fortepiano - not out of the question given the time of publication - is not even discussed in the liner-notes. These could have been more informative. As was common at the time, most of the thematic material is allocated to the right hand, whereas the left hand has a merely accompanying role. Part of that are Alberti and drum basses. For that reason one should probably not listem to these sonatas at a stretch. They are just a bit too uniform. However, if played in the right doses, there is certainly much to enjoy. Chiara Minali plays an organ of 1903; however, it largely dates from 1845. At first sight that seems a less than appropriate instrument, given the year it was built, but we should not overlook that Italian organ building at that time was fairly traditional, even conservative, and the instrument produces a sound which is considerably older than the year of its creation may suggest. It certainly suits Spergher's music. The harpsichord is a copy of a Giusti of 1681. In her performances at the harpsichord I find Minali too straightforward and a little one-dimensional. Rubato and a differentiated treatment of tempo would have made these performances much more engaging. In comparison, Minali's perforrmances at the organ make a better impression, as here we have the advantage of a more varied palette of colours. However, those who are interested in keyboard music of the late 18th century, should seriously consider this production.
With Giovanni Battista Grazioli (1746-1828) [4] we move to Venice. He was born in Bogliaco, but moved to Venice early in his career, where he worked as organist at St Mark's. He composed a large amount of sacred music as well as music for the stage. He left three collections of music for keyboard, with the opus numbers 1 to 3. The Opus 3 comprises sonatas for keyboard with accompaniment of violin; these are omitted in the recording by Chiara Minali. Each of the other two collections, printed in Venice in 1780, consists of six sonatas in three movements, largely in the order fast - slow - fast. They are written in the then common galant idiom; the right hand dominates and the left hand is reduced to an accompanying role, playing the common figures, such as Alberti and drum basses. Minali plays a copy of a Ruckers harpsichord of 1638, which may seem a rather odd choice, considering the time of composing. An 18th-century Italian instrument would have been a more logical option. Minali added two pieces to these two sets of sonatas, a Tema e Variazioni and a Pastorale, which have been preserved in manuscript. For the Pastorale, she turns to the organ, the same instrument she plays in the Spergher recording. As this is the only organ piece and the other items are all perforned at the harpsichord, the listener is advised to dose these pieces and not listen to these discs at a stretch. My reservations with regard to the performances of Spergher's sonatas go for this production as well. That said, the recording of Grazioli's keynoard works is certainly justified, as he is part of an aspect of Italian music history that is little known.
Lastly another composer, of whom only very few may have ever heard: Ferdinando Gasparo Turrini (1745-1820) [5]. He was born in Salò at the Lake Garda, which at that time was part of the Republic of Venice. In 1766 he settled in Padua, where he worked as organist at a church, and then moved to Brescia, where he was active mainly as a teacher. In 1773 he lost his eyesight; since then he dictated his compositions to his pupils. It seems that he left a relatively large and versatile oeuvre of vocal and instrumental music, but little of that is known. The sonatas recorded by Michele Barchi also appear on disc for the first time. It concerns two collections of six sonatas each. One was dedicated to the Genuese patrician Carlo Spinola; the printed edition omits the year of publication, but it is assumed that it dates from 1779. All the sonatas comprise two movements; only the sixth, in the unusual key of D flat, has three. The other set was dedicated to Vincenzo Fini, a Venetian nobleman; it has been preserved in a hand-written score. The titles of movements in this collection are rather unusual, such as lento ed affettuoso, il Basso sempre legato - trio: presto con disperazione and adagio pensiero or adagio ad imitazione del Violuncello. These fit the character of his music, since this is rather unconventional. Turrini's original ideas are quite surprising. It has been noted that there are some similarities between these sonatas and those by the young Beethoven. That is certainly not without foundation, and now and then one is also reminded of Haydn. However, assuming that Turrini knew the music of both of them, there is no imitation here. In comparison with his contemporaries Spergher and Grazioli, Turrini is by far the most original and creative. The sonatas are technically demanding; especially many fast movements require great technical skills. Barchi has them at his disposal in abundance; his performances are impressive, both technically and musically. He has opted for a performance at the harpsichord, which certainly seems legitimate for the sonatas of 1779. In the sonatas in manuscript I probably would have preferred the fortepiano; that way the similarities with Haydn and Beethoven may have become even more obvious. It would be interesting if another keyboard player would record them on the fortepiano, as these sonatas deserve to be much better known. For lovers of keyboard music this set of discs is undoubtedly a great and important addition to their collection. I sincerely hope that more works by Turrini will be brought to light, as he certainly had an unusually creative spirit.
[1] Pietro Domenico Paradies (1707-1791)
"Complete Sonatas for Harpsichord"
Alessandro Simonetto, harpsichord
Brilliant Classics 95867 (2 CDs) (© 2020) details
[2] Carlo Antonio Campioni (1720-1788)
"6 Harpsichord Sonatas Op. 4B"
Simone Stella, harpsichord
Brilliant Classics 95997 (© 2021) details
[3] Ignazio Spergher (1734-1808)
"Organ and Harpsichord Music"
Chiara Minali, harpsichord, organ
Brilliant Classics 95834 (3 CDs) (© 2019) details
[4] Giovanni Battista Grazioli (1746-1828)
"12 Harpsichord Sonatas Opp. 1 & 2"
Chiara Minali, harpsichord, organ
Brilliant Classics 95935 (2 CDs) (© 2020) details
[5] Ferdinando Gasparo Turrini (1745-1820)
"12 Sonatas for Harpsichord"
Michele Barchi, harpsichord
Brilliant Classics 95522 (2 CDs) (© 2019) details
Friday, July 30, 2021
Bach arranged
When in the 19th century the music of Johann Sebastian Bach was rediscovered, it was usually arranged in order to be performed. This was partly inevitable, as some of the instruments Bach required were not available anymore, such as the harpsichord and the viola da gamba. It was the aim of the historical performance movement to perform music according to the intentions of the composers and with the instruments they had in mind. At first, its representatives were rather sceptical about any arrangement of what had been written down, but with time they started to recognize that this was common practice at the time. Bach himself had paved the way in that he arranged instrumental concertos by Italian comtemporaries for harpsichord or organ, as well as pieces of his own pen. Among the latter are the works he composed for a single instrument: the violin and the cello. His pupil Johann Friedrich Agricola stated: "The composer himself often played them on the clavichord, adding as much in the nature of harmony as he found necessary." His own transcriptions that have been preserved, show how he proceeded. The best example is the Sonata BWV 964, which is a transcription of the Sonata BWV 1003 for violin solo. This practice has encouraged Gustav Leonhardt, one of the pioneers of historical performance practice, to arrange Bach's solo works for violin and cello himself. He was always rather modest about these attempts: he once stated that Bach certainly would have forgiven him his attempts to arrange his music, but whether he would have agreed with the way he had done it, was an entirely different matter. It is telling that he never arranged the Sonata BWV 1003, which has been preserved in Bach's own transcription. After all, who would be so audacious to think that he would be able to emulate Bach's own arrangement, let alone surpass it? In 2017, his pupil Siebe Henstra edited Leonhardt's transcriptions, which were then published by Bärenreiter. The Italian harpsichordist Roberto Loreggian [1] has recorded the complete transcriptions: five of the six works for solo violin (except the opening movement of BWV 1005, which is available in Bach's own transcription BWV 968), the cello suites 4 to 6, the allemande from the Partita BWV 1013 for transverse flute and the sarabande from the Suite BWV 997 for lute. This edition is a rich source for keyboard players, not in the first place to perform them in concerts, but rather to study them, learning from them how one could proceed. In the liner-notes Federico Lanzelotti explains in detail what exactly Leonhardt has done, and how he arranged these pieces in such a way that they turned into full-blooded keyboard works. It should be noted, though, that for Leonhardt the practice of arranging was a 'work in progress', as he regularly 'corrected' his transcriptions. As much as one may appreciate Loreggian's recording, they are a bit problematic. First, as Leonhardt's own recordings are still available, one is inclined to turn to them if one wants to know how they should sound. And many lovers of his playing may still have a vivid memory of his performances. In comparsion, Loreggian is no competition. He is a fine player and I have heard very good recordings of his, but here he is rather disappointing. His playing is often a bit awkward. The rhythmic flexibility and the typical 'swing' in Leonhardt's playing, which often made it hard to keep your feet still, is missing here. The chords are also often a bit ponderous. I would advise anyone, who would like to add Leonhardt's transcriptions to his collection, to purchase the master's own recordings.
Whereas Leonhardt's transcriptions are founded on Bach's own practice, Annegret Siedel and Ute Gremmel-Geuchen [2] take a bit more freedom in their approach to the transcription practice. A number of pieces are played on organ and violin, a combination we don't find in Bach's oeuvre, but which was very common in northern Germany. They play one of the trio sonatas (No. 4, BWV 528) and some chorale arrangements. The programme opens and closes with two of Bach's own arrangements of concertos by Italian composers, in which Annegret Siedel participates in the slow movements. In the concerto after Vivaldi BWV 596, she plays the original violin part, whereas in the Concerto BWV 974 after an oboe concerto by Alessandro Marcello, she plays Bach's ornamented solo part. The two artists also play separately. Ute Gremmel-Geuchen plays Alfred Bertholet's arrangement of seven sections from the motet Jesu, meine Freude, including some of the dicta (quotations from the Bible), which Bach added to the chorale stanzas. This is one of the most remarkable pieces, alongside Annegret Siedel's performance of the Toccata BWV 565, transposed from d minor to a minor. There are strong doubts about the authenticity of this piece. It is also questionable whether it was first conceived for organ. Some scholars assume it may have been written for the violin in the first place, and if that is correct, Bach may be the composer after all. Siedel is not the first who plays it on the violin; Jaap Schröder also recorded it. It works quite well on the violin, and this is definitely one of the highlights of this disc. Overall, this is a rather good demonstration of the practice of arrangement and transcription, even though some of the arrangements have no predecessors in Bach's own oeuvre. The playing of the two artists is excellent.
In the case of Bach, it is often not that simple to distinguish between arrangement and reconstruction. The Toccata BWV 565 just mentioned is a good example. If it is played on the violin, is that an arrangement or rather a reconstruction of how it may have been intended in the first place? The next disc offers another example. Enrico Gatti [3] plays the Partita in a minor (BWV 1013) for transverse flute on the violin, transposed to g minor. This work may also have been intended for the violin: the first movement does give the performer hardly any time to breathe, and this work has been preserved in a copy, which also includes the sonatas and partitas for violin solo. If the flute version is indeed a later arrangement, that would fit into the general picture of Bach's chamber music, as many of the sonatas that we know and that are performed and recorded regularly, are in fact arrangements of earlier compositions for different scorings. 'Cross-dressing Bach', the recording by Gatti and the harpsichordist Rinaldo Alessandrini, opens and closes with two of the three sonatas for harpsichord and viola da gamba. The first (not included here) was originally conceived for two flutes and basso continuo. The Sonata BWV 1028 exists in a version for two violins and basso continuo, whereas the Sonata BWV 1029 bears the traces of a concerto and may be a reduction of such a work. Alessandrini plays Bach's own Sonata BWV 964 mentioned above. The rest of the programme consists of the Trio BWV 583 for organ and an original work for harpsichord and violin, the Fugue BWV 1026. For lovers of Bach's music, this disc is highly recommendable, as it offers different perspectives on some of his best-known works. Both the arrangements and/or reconstructions are pretty convincing, and they are played very well. I only had liked stronger dynamic contrasts in Gatti's playing.
The disc with the title 'The Melancholic Bach' most definitely offers no reconstructions. Bach liked to play the viola, but he did not compose any solo concertos or sonatas for it. Its main role is that of playing an obbligato part in some cantatas and taking some of the main parts in the Brandenburg Concertos 3 and 6. The programme that Emilio Moreno and Aarón Zapico [4] have recorded, comprises mainly organ works, such as chorale arrangements from the Orgelbüchlein. In his chorale arrangements, Bach often used the form of a trio, and pieces for two manuals and pedal are often very suitable to be adapted to a combination of a harpsichord and a melody instrument. Bach himself arranged his organ works for several combinations of instruments, and from that perspective this approach is entirely legitimate. Whether the result is musically satisfying is an entirely different matter. In several cases, it is, but there are also pieces where the viola has little profile and is overshadowed by the harpsichord. This disc does not offer a really new perspective. It seems to me that it is mainly of interest for those who have a special liking of the viola (or play the instrument themselves). The quality of the playing of the two artists leaves nothing to be desired.
The next disc also features the viola, but here the word 'arrangement' strictly speaking misses the point; one could argue that a recording of Bach's sonatas for harpsichord and viola da gamba [5] on the viola should not be reviewed under the title 'Bach arranged'. All three sonatas are played in the original key; no transposition was needed. In 17th- century German music, parts for violas and for viole da gamba were often interchangeable, and composers of the generation after Bach mostly considered viola and viola da gamba as alternatives. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, for instance, composed a sonata for viola or viola da gamba (Wq 88). As I mentioned before, Bach liked to play the viola himself, and as the first two of his 'gamba sonatas' are known in various versions, there is no objection whatsoever to a performance on the viola. And certainly even less so, when they are played so well as by Marie Stockmarr Becker, with Ilaria Macedonio as her congenial partner. Together they present outstanding accounts, which bring these sonatas into blossom. One probably has to get used to the different sound of the viola, and the balance between the two instruments, which seems to favour the viola a little. However, this disc is a valuable addition to the Bach discography. Lovers of Bach and lovers of the viola will both greatly enjoy this disc, which unfortunately is a little short in playing time (45').
The suites for cello solo have been arranged frequently, not only for harpsichord, but also for the viola da gamba and the violin, and Frans Brüggen once recorded three of them on the recorder. The catalogue also includes several recordings of transcriptions for the lute or the theorbo, among them those of Nigel North, Pascal Monteilhet and Hopkinson Smith. For this kind of arrangements one can also find justification in Bach's own oeuvre: he transcribed the fifth suite for the lute (BWV 995). Alberto Crugnola [6] has recorded the suites 1, 2 and 4, transcribing them to more appropriate keys (C major, a minor and B flat major respectively). He tried to imagine how Adam Falckenhagen, one of his favourite composers, may have done it. Whereas a transcription for harpsichord forces the arranger to add harmony, the lutenist can focus on things where his instrument requires adaptations, especially in the realm of phrasing, articulation and dynamics. After all, these suites should sound like true lute pieces. Crugnola does entirely succeed in this matter. He delivers a speech-like performance; the dynamics are nicely differentiated and the dance rhyrthms come off perfectly. With this disc he offers a very nice interpretation of these three suites. It is to be hoped that hen will have the opportunity to record the remaining three in due course.
The last disc includes arrangements which are probably most alien to the world of Bach. The Cellini Consort [7] is a consort of three viols - the kind of ensemble which was common in the 16th century, and held its ground only in a few regions in the 17th century, mainly England and the Habsburg court in Vienna. Elsewhere music for such an ensemble was sporadically written. However, although the viola da gamba was gradually overshadowed by the cello in the course of the 18th century, in the music by the likes of Bach and Telemann it plays quite a prominent role. That said, only in two pieces Bach included parts for two viole da gamba: the Actus Tragicus (BWV 106) and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. The Cellini Consort is certainly not the first of its kind to turn to Bach for an extension of its repertoire. Other viol consorts - and also recorder consorts, for that matter - have done the same, and often they turn to the organ works. Because of the importance of counterpoint in these works, and the many long lines included in them, they are perfectly suited to be performed by a consort of instruments of the same family. The line-up of such ensembles only emphasizes the equal importance of all the musical parts. The Cellini Consort plays five organ works, among them Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten (BWV 691), which closes this disc, just as the disc by Moreno and Zapico. In addition, the consort plays the French Suite No. 5 and the Italian Concerto, both originally intended for the harpsichord. These transcriptions are less convincing: the way the sound of the harpsichord is produced is much more different from that of a consort of viols than in the case of the organ. In the French Suite the performance on viols goes at the cost of transparency, whereas in the Italian Concerto I miss the 'attack' of the harpsichord. It may well be the fact that this piece is written in the Italian style which makes it a less suitable item for a performance by a consort of viols. Obviously, the 'gamba sonata' BWV 1028 comes off best, alongside the organ pieces. Whether one finds these arrangements convincing or not, the playing of the Cellini Consort is excellent, and lovers of the viola da gamba and of consort music will certainly enjoy this recording.
[1] "Violin Sonatas & Partitas, Cello Suites - Transcribed for harpsichord by Gustav Leonhardt"
Roberto Loreggian, harpsichord
Brilliant Classics 95757 (3 CDs) (© 2018) details
[2] "© J.S. Bach" (Arrangements for violin & organ)
Annegret Siedel, violin; Ute Gremmel-Geuchen, organ
Aeolus AE11281 (© 2020) details
[3] "Cross-dressing Bach - Chamber rarities and alternative versions"
Enrico Gatti, violin; Rinaldo Alessandrini, harpsichord
Glossa GCD 921210 (© 2018) details
[4] "The Melancholic Bach - Music for viola da braccio & harpsichord"
Emilio Moreno, viola; Aarón Zapico, harpsichord
Glossa GCD 920316 (© 2019) details
[5] "Sonatas for viola (da gamba) and harpsichord BWV 1027-1029"
Ilaria Macedonio, harpsichord; Marie Stockmarr Becker, viola
Channel Classics CCS 43721 (© 2021) details
[6] "Für die Prinzessin" (For the Princess) - Suites BWV 1007, 1008 & 1010
Alberto Crugnola, lute
NovAntiqua NA51 ([2020]) details
[7] "Wo soll ich fliehen hin - Transcriptions for Viol Trio"
Cellini Consort
Ramée RAM 1911 (© 2019) details
Whereas Leonhardt's transcriptions are founded on Bach's own practice, Annegret Siedel and Ute Gremmel-Geuchen [2] take a bit more freedom in their approach to the transcription practice. A number of pieces are played on organ and violin, a combination we don't find in Bach's oeuvre, but which was very common in northern Germany. They play one of the trio sonatas (No. 4, BWV 528) and some chorale arrangements. The programme opens and closes with two of Bach's own arrangements of concertos by Italian composers, in which Annegret Siedel participates in the slow movements. In the concerto after Vivaldi BWV 596, she plays the original violin part, whereas in the Concerto BWV 974 after an oboe concerto by Alessandro Marcello, she plays Bach's ornamented solo part. The two artists also play separately. Ute Gremmel-Geuchen plays Alfred Bertholet's arrangement of seven sections from the motet Jesu, meine Freude, including some of the dicta (quotations from the Bible), which Bach added to the chorale stanzas. This is one of the most remarkable pieces, alongside Annegret Siedel's performance of the Toccata BWV 565, transposed from d minor to a minor. There are strong doubts about the authenticity of this piece. It is also questionable whether it was first conceived for organ. Some scholars assume it may have been written for the violin in the first place, and if that is correct, Bach may be the composer after all. Siedel is not the first who plays it on the violin; Jaap Schröder also recorded it. It works quite well on the violin, and this is definitely one of the highlights of this disc. Overall, this is a rather good demonstration of the practice of arrangement and transcription, even though some of the arrangements have no predecessors in Bach's own oeuvre. The playing of the two artists is excellent.
In the case of Bach, it is often not that simple to distinguish between arrangement and reconstruction. The Toccata BWV 565 just mentioned is a good example. If it is played on the violin, is that an arrangement or rather a reconstruction of how it may have been intended in the first place? The next disc offers another example. Enrico Gatti [3] plays the Partita in a minor (BWV 1013) for transverse flute on the violin, transposed to g minor. This work may also have been intended for the violin: the first movement does give the performer hardly any time to breathe, and this work has been preserved in a copy, which also includes the sonatas and partitas for violin solo. If the flute version is indeed a later arrangement, that would fit into the general picture of Bach's chamber music, as many of the sonatas that we know and that are performed and recorded regularly, are in fact arrangements of earlier compositions for different scorings. 'Cross-dressing Bach', the recording by Gatti and the harpsichordist Rinaldo Alessandrini, opens and closes with two of the three sonatas for harpsichord and viola da gamba. The first (not included here) was originally conceived for two flutes and basso continuo. The Sonata BWV 1028 exists in a version for two violins and basso continuo, whereas the Sonata BWV 1029 bears the traces of a concerto and may be a reduction of such a work. Alessandrini plays Bach's own Sonata BWV 964 mentioned above. The rest of the programme consists of the Trio BWV 583 for organ and an original work for harpsichord and violin, the Fugue BWV 1026. For lovers of Bach's music, this disc is highly recommendable, as it offers different perspectives on some of his best-known works. Both the arrangements and/or reconstructions are pretty convincing, and they are played very well. I only had liked stronger dynamic contrasts in Gatti's playing.
The disc with the title 'The Melancholic Bach' most definitely offers no reconstructions. Bach liked to play the viola, but he did not compose any solo concertos or sonatas for it. Its main role is that of playing an obbligato part in some cantatas and taking some of the main parts in the Brandenburg Concertos 3 and 6. The programme that Emilio Moreno and Aarón Zapico [4] have recorded, comprises mainly organ works, such as chorale arrangements from the Orgelbüchlein. In his chorale arrangements, Bach often used the form of a trio, and pieces for two manuals and pedal are often very suitable to be adapted to a combination of a harpsichord and a melody instrument. Bach himself arranged his organ works for several combinations of instruments, and from that perspective this approach is entirely legitimate. Whether the result is musically satisfying is an entirely different matter. In several cases, it is, but there are also pieces where the viola has little profile and is overshadowed by the harpsichord. This disc does not offer a really new perspective. It seems to me that it is mainly of interest for those who have a special liking of the viola (or play the instrument themselves). The quality of the playing of the two artists leaves nothing to be desired.
The next disc also features the viola, but here the word 'arrangement' strictly speaking misses the point; one could argue that a recording of Bach's sonatas for harpsichord and viola da gamba [5] on the viola should not be reviewed under the title 'Bach arranged'. All three sonatas are played in the original key; no transposition was needed. In 17th- century German music, parts for violas and for viole da gamba were often interchangeable, and composers of the generation after Bach mostly considered viola and viola da gamba as alternatives. Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, for instance, composed a sonata for viola or viola da gamba (Wq 88). As I mentioned before, Bach liked to play the viola himself, and as the first two of his 'gamba sonatas' are known in various versions, there is no objection whatsoever to a performance on the viola. And certainly even less so, when they are played so well as by Marie Stockmarr Becker, with Ilaria Macedonio as her congenial partner. Together they present outstanding accounts, which bring these sonatas into blossom. One probably has to get used to the different sound of the viola, and the balance between the two instruments, which seems to favour the viola a little. However, this disc is a valuable addition to the Bach discography. Lovers of Bach and lovers of the viola will both greatly enjoy this disc, which unfortunately is a little short in playing time (45').
The suites for cello solo have been arranged frequently, not only for harpsichord, but also for the viola da gamba and the violin, and Frans Brüggen once recorded three of them on the recorder. The catalogue also includes several recordings of transcriptions for the lute or the theorbo, among them those of Nigel North, Pascal Monteilhet and Hopkinson Smith. For this kind of arrangements one can also find justification in Bach's own oeuvre: he transcribed the fifth suite for the lute (BWV 995). Alberto Crugnola [6] has recorded the suites 1, 2 and 4, transcribing them to more appropriate keys (C major, a minor and B flat major respectively). He tried to imagine how Adam Falckenhagen, one of his favourite composers, may have done it. Whereas a transcription for harpsichord forces the arranger to add harmony, the lutenist can focus on things where his instrument requires adaptations, especially in the realm of phrasing, articulation and dynamics. After all, these suites should sound like true lute pieces. Crugnola does entirely succeed in this matter. He delivers a speech-like performance; the dynamics are nicely differentiated and the dance rhyrthms come off perfectly. With this disc he offers a very nice interpretation of these three suites. It is to be hoped that hen will have the opportunity to record the remaining three in due course.
The last disc includes arrangements which are probably most alien to the world of Bach. The Cellini Consort [7] is a consort of three viols - the kind of ensemble which was common in the 16th century, and held its ground only in a few regions in the 17th century, mainly England and the Habsburg court in Vienna. Elsewhere music for such an ensemble was sporadically written. However, although the viola da gamba was gradually overshadowed by the cello in the course of the 18th century, in the music by the likes of Bach and Telemann it plays quite a prominent role. That said, only in two pieces Bach included parts for two viole da gamba: the Actus Tragicus (BWV 106) and the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6. The Cellini Consort is certainly not the first of its kind to turn to Bach for an extension of its repertoire. Other viol consorts - and also recorder consorts, for that matter - have done the same, and often they turn to the organ works. Because of the importance of counterpoint in these works, and the many long lines included in them, they are perfectly suited to be performed by a consort of instruments of the same family. The line-up of such ensembles only emphasizes the equal importance of all the musical parts. The Cellini Consort plays five organ works, among them Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten (BWV 691), which closes this disc, just as the disc by Moreno and Zapico. In addition, the consort plays the French Suite No. 5 and the Italian Concerto, both originally intended for the harpsichord. These transcriptions are less convincing: the way the sound of the harpsichord is produced is much more different from that of a consort of viols than in the case of the organ. In the French Suite the performance on viols goes at the cost of transparency, whereas in the Italian Concerto I miss the 'attack' of the harpsichord. It may well be the fact that this piece is written in the Italian style which makes it a less suitable item for a performance by a consort of viols. Obviously, the 'gamba sonata' BWV 1028 comes off best, alongside the organ pieces. Whether one finds these arrangements convincing or not, the playing of the Cellini Consort is excellent, and lovers of the viola da gamba and of consort music will certainly enjoy this recording.
[1] "Violin Sonatas & Partitas, Cello Suites - Transcribed for harpsichord by Gustav Leonhardt"
Roberto Loreggian, harpsichord
Brilliant Classics 95757 (3 CDs) (© 2018) details
[2] "© J.S. Bach" (Arrangements for violin & organ)
Annegret Siedel, violin; Ute Gremmel-Geuchen, organ
Aeolus AE11281 (© 2020) details
[3] "Cross-dressing Bach - Chamber rarities and alternative versions"
Enrico Gatti, violin; Rinaldo Alessandrini, harpsichord
Glossa GCD 921210 (© 2018) details
[4] "The Melancholic Bach - Music for viola da braccio & harpsichord"
Emilio Moreno, viola; Aarón Zapico, harpsichord
Glossa GCD 920316 (© 2019) details
[5] "Sonatas for viola (da gamba) and harpsichord BWV 1027-1029"
Ilaria Macedonio, harpsichord; Marie Stockmarr Becker, viola
Channel Classics CCS 43721 (© 2021) details
[6] "Für die Prinzessin" (For the Princess) - Suites BWV 1007, 1008 & 1010
Alberto Crugnola, lute
NovAntiqua NA51 ([2020]) details
[7] "Wo soll ich fliehen hin - Transcriptions for Viol Trio"
Cellini Consort
Ramée RAM 1911 (© 2019) details
Saturday, July 17, 2021
Between 'art' and tradition (2)
A couple of weeks ago I wrote the first weblog on music between 'art' and tradition, which focused on music from the continent, from the Middle Ages to our time. In this weblog, I return to this subject, but now with music from the British isles, and some from Scandinavia. For some reasons there seems to be a connection between the two in musical matters.
The British ensemble Wilde Roses [1] released a disc under the title "Woven". It comprises a collection of anonymous pieces from the British isles, including early specimens of traditional music. The programme is a mixture of vocal and instrumental items, and includes both secular and sacred pieces. One of the latter is the carol Deo gracias Anglia, whereas The Willow Song is a secular piece. The disc closes with four pieces from The English Dancing Master, which dates from the second half of the 17th century. This indicates that we get here music from very different times, which explains the stylistic differences. As the items are not ordered chronologically, the listener is torn between the Middle Ages and the time that the Renaissance in England came to its close. I find that rather unsatisfying, but others may have a different experience. Other aspects are more problematic. Almost all pieces are arranged, and the result is not always convincing. Little is left, for instance, of the character of The Willow Song. Some pieces are newly written and don't fit that well into the programme. The interpretation is rather inconsistent: on the one hand the performers use historical pronunciation, which is very praiseworthy. On the other hand, they make use of a nyckelharpa, an instrument which belongs in the tradition of Scandinavia, but whose use in England is highly debatable. The programme of this disc is quite interesting, but the way it has been realised and the performances are disappointing.
With the second disc we enter better-known territory. Clare Wilkinson, Veronika Skuplik, Hille Perl and Andreas Arend [2] perform a programme which includes pieces by well-known composers, such as Henry Purcell, John Blow and Christopher Simpson. Again, the items date from different periods, but there the distance in time is less extreme. Most of the pieces date from the period of around 1600 to the early 18th century, which means that both the renaissance and baroque periods are represented. Far less known - at least outside the British isles - are the traditional items. More than the previous disc, this recording moves between 'art' and tradition. However, the programme is rather inconsistent, in that the connection between the two is rather loose or even absent (unlike that on the disc by the ensemble Prisma, which I reviewed in the previous weblog). It is a mystery to me, what may be the connection between the two violin sonatas by Henry Eccles and Godfrey Finger respectively on the one hand and the traditional songs on the other. As in so many recordings of traditional music, many pueces have been arranged. That is inevitable, especially as traditional tunes are monophonic. Moreover, arrangement is one of the features of traditional music. Unfortunately, here the arrangements include elements which are stylistically at odds with the tenor of this programme. Moreover, several pieces of 'art' music are also arranged. It was a pretty bad idea to add instrumental parts to some of the lute songs included here, such as Robert Johnson's Have you seen the white lily grow. Out of this wood, a text from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, is sung here to the Italian tune known as La Monica and in England as The Queen's Alman, but the text does not really fit the tune too well. The performers are fine artists, but this recording leaves me rather unsatisfied. As one may expect, the pieces of 'art' music that are performed as they were intended by the composers, come off best by far.
The third disc connects traditional music from Britain and Scandinavia. The common subject is midsummer, which is celebrated in both parts of Europe. Considering the character of the programme I was hesitating whether I would review this disc. However, the Quadriga Consort [3] calls itself an 'early music band' and therefore music lovers may expect 'early music'. A look at its website shows that this ensemble has a special interest in traditional music and often performs repertoire on the brink of traditional and 'art' music. As they are from Austria it is remarkable that they give much attention to music from the British isles; two of their discs are devoted to English Christmas music, and they also recorded traditional music from Scotland. As far as I can tell, their performances are pretty idiomatic, which is quite an achievement. That said, the present disc can hardly be considered 'early music'. Only in some cases the liner-notes indicate when a piece has come into existence; I assume that the date of 'composition' is often not known. Fact is that a number of pieces are from the 19th or 20th centuries; one Swedish piece is Idas sommarvisa, a setting of words by Astrid Lindgren used for a movie of 1973. Given the nature of the programme, one wonders why early music instruments such as recorders, viola da gamba and basse de violon are used. Most pieces are arranged, and six items are settings of traditional texts by the ensemble's director, Nikolaus Newerkla. This disc is probably mainly of interest to those who have a special liking of traditional music. Pieces of 'art' music are entirely absent. The singing and playing leave nothing to be desired.
With The Poker Club Band [4] and its disc, called "Tulluchgorum", we return safely to the 18th century, which saw the emergence of a lively interest in music that was characteristic of a particular country or region. It was the time of the Enlightenment, and part of its philosophy embraced a wish to increase knowledge and an emphasis on the importance of learning. At the same time, 'naturalness' was greatly appreciated, and this resulted in an idealization of life at the countryside and its music. Some composers showed interest in traditional music, and Joseph Haydn, one of Europe's most famous composers, took up the challenge of writing accompaniments for keyboard, violin and cello to traditional tunes from Scotland. However, some Scottish musicians considered these arrangements too sophisticated and too far away from what Scottish music was about. This inspired the harpist Masako Art to put together a programme of Haydn's arrangements and some original Scottish songs and perform it in the manner of a 'historical crossover'. The members of the ensemble play period instruments, among them a guitar and a harp, and James Graham, a seasoned singer of traditional music, takes care of the songs. In between we hear some instrumental pieces, all inspired by Haydn. Art's idea has resulted in a most interesting and highly entertaining programme, excellently executed by singer and instrumentalists. It will not only appeal to lovers of tradional music, but also to Haydn fans.
[1] Woven
Wilde Roses
Rubicon RCD1061 (© 2020) details
[2] Ballads within a dream
Clare Wilkinson (soprano), Veronika Skuplik (violin), Hille Perl (viola da gamba), Andreas Arend (theorbo)
deutsche harmonia mundi 19075982082 (© 2020) details
[3] Midsummer - Traditional songs and dance tunes from Scandinavia and Britain
Quadriga Consort
deutsche harmonia mundi 19439858972 (© 2021) details
[4] Tullochgorum - Franz Joseph Haydn: Scottish Songs
The Poker Club Band/Masako Art
BIS 2471 [SACD] (© 2019) details
The British ensemble Wilde Roses [1] released a disc under the title "Woven". It comprises a collection of anonymous pieces from the British isles, including early specimens of traditional music. The programme is a mixture of vocal and instrumental items, and includes both secular and sacred pieces. One of the latter is the carol Deo gracias Anglia, whereas The Willow Song is a secular piece. The disc closes with four pieces from The English Dancing Master, which dates from the second half of the 17th century. This indicates that we get here music from very different times, which explains the stylistic differences. As the items are not ordered chronologically, the listener is torn between the Middle Ages and the time that the Renaissance in England came to its close. I find that rather unsatisfying, but others may have a different experience. Other aspects are more problematic. Almost all pieces are arranged, and the result is not always convincing. Little is left, for instance, of the character of The Willow Song. Some pieces are newly written and don't fit that well into the programme. The interpretation is rather inconsistent: on the one hand the performers use historical pronunciation, which is very praiseworthy. On the other hand, they make use of a nyckelharpa, an instrument which belongs in the tradition of Scandinavia, but whose use in England is highly debatable. The programme of this disc is quite interesting, but the way it has been realised and the performances are disappointing.
With the second disc we enter better-known territory. Clare Wilkinson, Veronika Skuplik, Hille Perl and Andreas Arend [2] perform a programme which includes pieces by well-known composers, such as Henry Purcell, John Blow and Christopher Simpson. Again, the items date from different periods, but there the distance in time is less extreme. Most of the pieces date from the period of around 1600 to the early 18th century, which means that both the renaissance and baroque periods are represented. Far less known - at least outside the British isles - are the traditional items. More than the previous disc, this recording moves between 'art' and tradition. However, the programme is rather inconsistent, in that the connection between the two is rather loose or even absent (unlike that on the disc by the ensemble Prisma, which I reviewed in the previous weblog). It is a mystery to me, what may be the connection between the two violin sonatas by Henry Eccles and Godfrey Finger respectively on the one hand and the traditional songs on the other. As in so many recordings of traditional music, many pueces have been arranged. That is inevitable, especially as traditional tunes are monophonic. Moreover, arrangement is one of the features of traditional music. Unfortunately, here the arrangements include elements which are stylistically at odds with the tenor of this programme. Moreover, several pieces of 'art' music are also arranged. It was a pretty bad idea to add instrumental parts to some of the lute songs included here, such as Robert Johnson's Have you seen the white lily grow. Out of this wood, a text from William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, is sung here to the Italian tune known as La Monica and in England as The Queen's Alman, but the text does not really fit the tune too well. The performers are fine artists, but this recording leaves me rather unsatisfied. As one may expect, the pieces of 'art' music that are performed as they were intended by the composers, come off best by far.
The third disc connects traditional music from Britain and Scandinavia. The common subject is midsummer, which is celebrated in both parts of Europe. Considering the character of the programme I was hesitating whether I would review this disc. However, the Quadriga Consort [3] calls itself an 'early music band' and therefore music lovers may expect 'early music'. A look at its website shows that this ensemble has a special interest in traditional music and often performs repertoire on the brink of traditional and 'art' music. As they are from Austria it is remarkable that they give much attention to music from the British isles; two of their discs are devoted to English Christmas music, and they also recorded traditional music from Scotland. As far as I can tell, their performances are pretty idiomatic, which is quite an achievement. That said, the present disc can hardly be considered 'early music'. Only in some cases the liner-notes indicate when a piece has come into existence; I assume that the date of 'composition' is often not known. Fact is that a number of pieces are from the 19th or 20th centuries; one Swedish piece is Idas sommarvisa, a setting of words by Astrid Lindgren used for a movie of 1973. Given the nature of the programme, one wonders why early music instruments such as recorders, viola da gamba and basse de violon are used. Most pieces are arranged, and six items are settings of traditional texts by the ensemble's director, Nikolaus Newerkla. This disc is probably mainly of interest to those who have a special liking of traditional music. Pieces of 'art' music are entirely absent. The singing and playing leave nothing to be desired.
With The Poker Club Band [4] and its disc, called "Tulluchgorum", we return safely to the 18th century, which saw the emergence of a lively interest in music that was characteristic of a particular country or region. It was the time of the Enlightenment, and part of its philosophy embraced a wish to increase knowledge and an emphasis on the importance of learning. At the same time, 'naturalness' was greatly appreciated, and this resulted in an idealization of life at the countryside and its music. Some composers showed interest in traditional music, and Joseph Haydn, one of Europe's most famous composers, took up the challenge of writing accompaniments for keyboard, violin and cello to traditional tunes from Scotland. However, some Scottish musicians considered these arrangements too sophisticated and too far away from what Scottish music was about. This inspired the harpist Masako Art to put together a programme of Haydn's arrangements and some original Scottish songs and perform it in the manner of a 'historical crossover'. The members of the ensemble play period instruments, among them a guitar and a harp, and James Graham, a seasoned singer of traditional music, takes care of the songs. In between we hear some instrumental pieces, all inspired by Haydn. Art's idea has resulted in a most interesting and highly entertaining programme, excellently executed by singer and instrumentalists. It will not only appeal to lovers of tradional music, but also to Haydn fans.
[1] Woven
Wilde Roses
Rubicon RCD1061 (© 2020) details
[2] Ballads within a dream
Clare Wilkinson (soprano), Veronika Skuplik (violin), Hille Perl (viola da gamba), Andreas Arend (theorbo)
deutsche harmonia mundi 19075982082 (© 2020) details
[3] Midsummer - Traditional songs and dance tunes from Scandinavia and Britain
Quadriga Consort
deutsche harmonia mundi 19439858972 (© 2021) details
[4] Tullochgorum - Franz Joseph Haydn: Scottish Songs
The Poker Club Band/Masako Art
BIS 2471 [SACD] (© 2019) details
Friday, July 2, 2021
Between 'art' and tradition (1)
Most 'classical' music performed today in churches and concert halls all over the world, and recorded on disc, belongs among the category of what is called 'art music'. It was written by composers and has come down to us in fixed form, either in manuscript or in printed editions. However, in the course of history, much music - and probably even most - was sung and played by people who did not use any written notes; many of them were probably not even able to read music. Improvisation was the name of the game, and music was handed over from one generation to another orally. It had no fixed form, and in the course of time, both texts and music often changed considerably. In most cases their original forms are not known, unless at some time such music was written down. Obviously, in the case of traditional music, it is hard, if not impossible, to decide which kind of performance is 'authentic'. That should be taken into consideration in the assessment of the discs under review here.
The Capella de Ministrers has released a disc with the title "Arrels" [1], which means "roots". This word seems to be part of the dialect that is spoken in the Spanish province Valencia, as this disc is devoted to this part of Spain. This is probably where this ensemble is rooted, since in the booklet its director, Carles Magraner, states that after thirty years of exploration of 'our' musical heritage, time has come to shed light on the connection between tradition and the earliest specimens of 'art music'. The programme includes several genres that we still know today, such as the fandango and the bolero, as well as the typical Spanish jacara. As one may expect, most pieces are anonymous. The only relatively well-known composer is Juan Bautista Comes (1582-1643). A disc with motets and villancicos from his pen was released by Brilliant Classics in 2016. Here we also hear a sacred piece, and the connection with tradional music is that it is based on the folia, originally a folk dance, which in the course of history was often used as a subject of variations. Unfortunately, Magraner decided to perform traditional melodies with newly-written lyrics. That does not compromise the importance of this production, as its aim is realised anyway. The ensemble delivers engaging performances. Alongside instruments which are common in performances of early music, such as viola da gamba, recorder and harp, the performers also use instruments which are almost exclusively used in traditional music. The two singers feel completely at home in this repertoire and rightly avoid a way of singing which is too 'sophisticated'. Apart from those who are open to this kind of music, lovers of Spanish music should investigate this disc.
It's only a small step to the next disc, because Ex Silentio [2] opens its programme with a song from the Sephardic tradition. That is the music of the Jews, who lived at the Iberian peninsula, until they were evicted from the country (unless they were willing to convert to the Christian faith) at the end of the 15th century. For several centuries Jews, Christians and (islamic) Moors lived together; the latter are the connection to the Near East, whose musical culture is the thread of the programme, as the disc's subtitle indicates. Several pieces represent Ottoman culture, but there are also songs which are stylistically part of Western culture, but have been written at the court of Nicosia. The disc closes with four such songs. Before these we hear No m'agrad, a song by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, a French troubadour, who is assumed to have spent the last years of his life in Thessaloniki. This song is monophonic, but is performed here to an accompaniment of instruments, which also play interludes. These are strongly influenced by the musical culture of the Near East, and it is questionable whether they do justice to the character of this song. Unfortunately the programme notes are rather concise. The programme includes two so-called peşrevs, but what exactly is a peşrev is not explained. It is a form of Turkish classical music; more about that at Wikipedia. These two pieces are performed in arrangements, and one of them does sound a bit modern to my ears. Despite my critical remarks, I recommend this disc, as it sheds light on the connection between East and West in the realm of the music of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance, and does so in a largely convincing manner. The singing and playing leave nothing to be desired.
Traditional music has no fixed form, but sometimes specimens from this kind of repertoire were written down. A manuscript of this kind was the main source for the programme recorded by the ensemble Prisma [3]. It dates from the 17th century and is known as Codex Caioni. It includes pieces from Italy and Germany as well as traditional music of what is today Hungary and Romania. The performers have added traditional songs and dances of later times. The title of this disc refers to an organ treatise by Girolamo Diruta, Il Transilvano, which was published in Venice in 1593 and was dedicated to Prince Sigismund Báthory of Transylvania. This is also what Dávid Budai, who plays bass violin and folk viola, inspired to compose a toccata in Diruta's style. It is one of several pieces from the pen of members of the ensemble. With this disc they aim at showing the connection between 'art music' and traditional music. La Romana by Orazio Tarditi is an example of an Italian piece in the modern concertante style of the early 17th century which found its entry in the Codex. Whether Biagio Marini's well-known Sonata sopra La Monica is also part of the collection is unclear, but its inclusion is inspired by the fact that this popular song, which was known in different countries under different titles, was used in Hungary for a sacred hymn. Improvisation is also an important element in the traditional part of the programme. Dávid Budai's Toccata la Francesca makes use of elements from the ensuing traditional song Bocsásd meg Úristen (Forgive me, O Lord). The programme includes a number of dances. Dance music is not only a substantial part of 'art music', it is also one of the most important aspects of popular culture. Dances of the first category are mostly not intended for dancing, but in popular culture they certainly were. One may think that traditional music is mostly rather simple, especially as its performers may usually have been amateurs, without a formal musical education. Some dances included here prove otherwise, as they are remarkably virtuosic. The selection of pieces makes much sense, and the singing and playing is excellent.
These three discs are quite different in content and in the way the programmes have been put together. However, they have one important thing in common. Over the years I have heard quite some discs with a mixture of traditional and 'art music', and many of them did not convince me, for instance because traditional music was given too sophisticated a performance, or, rather, because 'art music' was 'popularised'. Nothing of that is the case on these discs. Here the character of each individual piece is respected, and it is admirable that the performers are able to adapt to the different nature of the pieces they have selected. For those who have a special interest in traditional music, these three discs are valuable additions to their collection, whereas those who are mainly interested in early music may also be interested to become acquainted with the connections between 'art' and tradition.
[1] Arrels - Entre la tradicio i el patrimoni (Blending tradition and heritage)
Capella de Ministrers/Carles Magraner
Capella de Ministrers CdM 1844 (© 2018) details
[2] Lethe - Forgotten music of the oriental courts of Thessaloniki, Nicosia and Istanbul, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century
Ex Silentio
Carpe Diem CD-16323 (© 2020) details
[3] Il Transilvano - Musical bridges between Italy and Hungary around 1600
Prisma
Ambronay AMY312 (© 2020) details
The Capella de Ministrers has released a disc with the title "Arrels" [1], which means "roots". This word seems to be part of the dialect that is spoken in the Spanish province Valencia, as this disc is devoted to this part of Spain. This is probably where this ensemble is rooted, since in the booklet its director, Carles Magraner, states that after thirty years of exploration of 'our' musical heritage, time has come to shed light on the connection between tradition and the earliest specimens of 'art music'. The programme includes several genres that we still know today, such as the fandango and the bolero, as well as the typical Spanish jacara. As one may expect, most pieces are anonymous. The only relatively well-known composer is Juan Bautista Comes (1582-1643). A disc with motets and villancicos from his pen was released by Brilliant Classics in 2016. Here we also hear a sacred piece, and the connection with tradional music is that it is based on the folia, originally a folk dance, which in the course of history was often used as a subject of variations. Unfortunately, Magraner decided to perform traditional melodies with newly-written lyrics. That does not compromise the importance of this production, as its aim is realised anyway. The ensemble delivers engaging performances. Alongside instruments which are common in performances of early music, such as viola da gamba, recorder and harp, the performers also use instruments which are almost exclusively used in traditional music. The two singers feel completely at home in this repertoire and rightly avoid a way of singing which is too 'sophisticated'. Apart from those who are open to this kind of music, lovers of Spanish music should investigate this disc.
It's only a small step to the next disc, because Ex Silentio [2] opens its programme with a song from the Sephardic tradition. That is the music of the Jews, who lived at the Iberian peninsula, until they were evicted from the country (unless they were willing to convert to the Christian faith) at the end of the 15th century. For several centuries Jews, Christians and (islamic) Moors lived together; the latter are the connection to the Near East, whose musical culture is the thread of the programme, as the disc's subtitle indicates. Several pieces represent Ottoman culture, but there are also songs which are stylistically part of Western culture, but have been written at the court of Nicosia. The disc closes with four such songs. Before these we hear No m'agrad, a song by Raimbaut de Vaqueiras, a French troubadour, who is assumed to have spent the last years of his life in Thessaloniki. This song is monophonic, but is performed here to an accompaniment of instruments, which also play interludes. These are strongly influenced by the musical culture of the Near East, and it is questionable whether they do justice to the character of this song. Unfortunately the programme notes are rather concise. The programme includes two so-called peşrevs, but what exactly is a peşrev is not explained. It is a form of Turkish classical music; more about that at Wikipedia. These two pieces are performed in arrangements, and one of them does sound a bit modern to my ears. Despite my critical remarks, I recommend this disc, as it sheds light on the connection between East and West in the realm of the music of the Middle Ages and early Renaissance, and does so in a largely convincing manner. The singing and playing leave nothing to be desired.
Traditional music has no fixed form, but sometimes specimens from this kind of repertoire were written down. A manuscript of this kind was the main source for the programme recorded by the ensemble Prisma [3]. It dates from the 17th century and is known as Codex Caioni. It includes pieces from Italy and Germany as well as traditional music of what is today Hungary and Romania. The performers have added traditional songs and dances of later times. The title of this disc refers to an organ treatise by Girolamo Diruta, Il Transilvano, which was published in Venice in 1593 and was dedicated to Prince Sigismund Báthory of Transylvania. This is also what Dávid Budai, who plays bass violin and folk viola, inspired to compose a toccata in Diruta's style. It is one of several pieces from the pen of members of the ensemble. With this disc they aim at showing the connection between 'art music' and traditional music. La Romana by Orazio Tarditi is an example of an Italian piece in the modern concertante style of the early 17th century which found its entry in the Codex. Whether Biagio Marini's well-known Sonata sopra La Monica is also part of the collection is unclear, but its inclusion is inspired by the fact that this popular song, which was known in different countries under different titles, was used in Hungary for a sacred hymn. Improvisation is also an important element in the traditional part of the programme. Dávid Budai's Toccata la Francesca makes use of elements from the ensuing traditional song Bocsásd meg Úristen (Forgive me, O Lord). The programme includes a number of dances. Dance music is not only a substantial part of 'art music', it is also one of the most important aspects of popular culture. Dances of the first category are mostly not intended for dancing, but in popular culture they certainly were. One may think that traditional music is mostly rather simple, especially as its performers may usually have been amateurs, without a formal musical education. Some dances included here prove otherwise, as they are remarkably virtuosic. The selection of pieces makes much sense, and the singing and playing is excellent.
These three discs are quite different in content and in the way the programmes have been put together. However, they have one important thing in common. Over the years I have heard quite some discs with a mixture of traditional and 'art music', and many of them did not convince me, for instance because traditional music was given too sophisticated a performance, or, rather, because 'art music' was 'popularised'. Nothing of that is the case on these discs. Here the character of each individual piece is respected, and it is admirable that the performers are able to adapt to the different nature of the pieces they have selected. For those who have a special interest in traditional music, these three discs are valuable additions to their collection, whereas those who are mainly interested in early music may also be interested to become acquainted with the connections between 'art' and tradition.
[1] Arrels - Entre la tradicio i el patrimoni (Blending tradition and heritage)
Capella de Ministrers/Carles Magraner
Capella de Ministrers CdM 1844 (© 2018) details
[2] Lethe - Forgotten music of the oriental courts of Thessaloniki, Nicosia and Istanbul, from the Middle Ages to the 17th century
Ex Silentio
Carpe Diem CD-16323 (© 2020) details
[3] Il Transilvano - Musical bridges between Italy and Hungary around 1600
Prisma
Ambronay AMY312 (© 2020) details
Friday, June 18, 2021
Bach and the orchestra
"Bach and the orchestra" - that is probably the wrong title for a weblog with reviews of instrumental music for more than a few instruments. In the baroque era, the orchestra did not exist. Instrumental music was played by a court chapel, like the one in Dresden, or a Collegium Musicum, like the one Bach directed in Leipzig. Such ensembles covered any kind of instrumental music, from sonatas for a few instruments to concertos for one or more solo instruments and suites. Moreover, what today is called 'orchestral music' may well mostly have been played with one instrument per part, which basically nullifies the difference between 'chamber music' and 'orchestral music'. Three of the recordings reviewed here follow this principle; on the remaining two we hear ensembles of a considerably larger size.
The four Overtures or orchestral suites fit into a tradition which had established itself in the last decades of the 17th century, when aristocrats were so impressed by the splendour of Louis XIV's court that they wished to copy what was going on there, and that included aspects of musical life. The instrumental music which was part of the operas by Jean-Baptiste Lully made a great impression and composers went to France to listen and to study. They started to compose in the French style. Telemann, Fasch and Bach were among the composers who adopted the form of the orchestral suite, and turned it into a tool of the 'mixed taste', in which elements of the French, the Italian and the German style were mingled. Rinaldo Alessandrini, in the liner-notes to his recording of the four Overtures by Bach [1], extensively explains what we know or what can be assumed about the history of these works. Much remains in the dark, and there are also aspects of performance practice which leave much open for debate and for different solutions. That concerns, for instance, the number of players to be involved, an aspect I already mentioned above. Alessandrini is one of those who believe that a performance with one instrument per part was the standard. This results in a more prominent role of the winds in the Overtures 1, 3 and 4. Another issue is that of repeats: in many performances the opening section of the ouverture is repeated, but not the second (ABA). Alessandrini does repeat it, and it is followed by a second repeat of the A section (ABABA). He also repeats most dacapos of the dances. He does not say anything conclusive about the question whether this was music for dancing, which may have consequences for the tempi. Notable is that he takes the courante in the Overture No. 1 slower than other performers. The last notes of every phrase of the forlane is emphasized. Curious is the speeding up at the end of the polonaise in the Overture No. 2. Here the ornamentation of the flute part is modest; there is no ornamentation in the tutti. The playing time of the overtures together, when the opening movements are as long as here, is rather uncomfortable: too long for one disc, too short for two. Alessandrini had the nice idea to add one of the four overtures by Johann Bernhard Bach and the only overture by Johann Ludwig Bach. This is a well-deserved tribute to two members of the Bach dynasty, and shows that Bach's overtures fit in a tradition embraced by other members of his family as well. Overall, Alessandrini has managed to come up with an original contribution to a corpus of music that is frequently performed and recorded. The playing is, as one may expect, excellent.
The Brandenburg Concertos are even more popular and are more frequently performed and recorded than the Overtures. It seems that almost any baroque orchestra feels the need to prove its skills by performing and recording them. There can be hardly any doubt about the qualities of the Concerto Copenhagen [2]. Some of its admirers may have longed for its view on these Bach evergreens. I could do without it, as there are already more recordings in the catalogue than one can listen to. Only now and then one has the chance to hear a performance that has something uncommon to offer. That was the case, for instance, with the recording by La Petite Bande (Accent, 2010). The trumpet part in the Concerto No. 2 was played at a natural trumpet without unhistorical holes. For the cello parts, the ensemble's director, Sigiswald Kuijken, turned to the violoncello da spalla. The 16' violone was omitted from the ensemble; instead a 8' violone, also known as basse de violon, was used. Lastly, all six concertos were performed with one instrument per part. The latter is the least uncommon feature of that recording: Concerto Copenhagen does the same. The 16' violone is played in four of the concertos; the 8' instrument is used in the Concertos Nos. 2 and 6. The other two features of Kuijken's recording are absent here. Unfortunately, the instruments are not specified in the booklet (which in itself is a serious omission), but I am sure that Robert Farley does play a trumpet with holes. Overall, I am a little disappointed about these performances. The Concerto No. 1 lacks profile; especially at the start, the parts of the horns are underexposed. The Concertos Nos. 3 and 6 go by without making much impression. I too often missed dynamic accents. One reviewer called these performances 'relaxed'. That is one way to put it. The Concerto No. 4 is one of the better, thanks to the playing of violinist Fredrik From and the two recorder players Kate Hearne and Katy Bircher. The latter plays the transverse flute in the Concerto No. 5; Mortensen plays the harpsichord cadenza very well, but I would have liked more rubato. As one may understand, these are not my Brandenburg Concertos, even though there is certainly much to enjoy. Fortunately, there are many alternatives to choose from.
My previous blog opened with these sentences: "Every year sees the release of new recordings of keyboard music by Johann Sebastian Bach. The question is justified, whether any of them have something to offer that is different from what is already on the market." The same can be said about Bach's 'orchestral works'. They are the core repertoire of many baroque orchestras, and they are frequently played in concerts. There are also numerous recordings of these works on the market. Even so, the Bremer Barockorchester [3] decided to devote its first ever recording to three of Bach's most popular works, although the Concerto BWV 1052 is performed here in a 'reconstruction' for violin, which is less common than the version for harpsichord. The liner-notes claim that this recording documents "an avant-garde spirit of renewal, (...) exploring new paths which are gradually opening in the world of historically informed performance". The 'renewal' mainly concerns the issue of ornamentation. As most readers may know, this is a matter of debate among scholars and performers. There is no difference of opinion about the common practice of adding embellishments in baroque music, but it is questioned whether Bach expected performers to do so in his music. Some argue that Bach has mostly written out the ornamentation himself and that adding more would just distort his works. This issue is not mentioned in the liner-notes. Where this recording is different from what is on the market - unless I have missed something - is that in the Overture in b minor, the players add a lot of embellishments in the tutti. This is not exactly in favour of transparency. What is more, the players add so much ornamentation that the melodic lines are indeed largely distorted, on the verge of being not recognizable. This practice is defended with a reference to the habits of Johann Georg Pisendel. I had not heard about that, but even if that is indeed correct, that in itself is no reason to apply it in Bach's music. In the solo parts of the transverse flute, the melodic line is sometimes almost rewritten, comparable with the bad habit of opera singers to rewrite their part in the dacapos of arias. It is quite odd, then, that there is hardly any ornamentation in the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. I miss any consistency here. The tempi in the Overture also tend to be pretty extreme, in the sense that some are much slower than in most recordings. To give an example: the rondeaux takes 2'05" here, vs just 1'17" in Rinaldo Alessandrini's recording. There is nothing wrong with the playing as such; this is a fine ensemble. However, I find the performance of the Overture very unconvincing, even annoying, also because two movements are introduced by several instruments, such as the lute. The Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 is much better and the violin concerto also receives a good performance. I don't discuss here the question whether the latter can be called a 'reconstruction', as some scholars believe it has never been conceived as a violin concerto in the first place. Since the ensemble comprises six violins and two violas, one will understand that this ensemble does not follow the one-instrument-per-part principle.
Il Gardellino [4] recorded the three main 'orchestral' works in which the transverse flute plays a key role, under the title "Concertos with Flute", which is a bit odd, given that the disc opens with the Overture in b minor. The tutti are performed with one instrument per part. Whereas the Overture and the 5th Brandenburg Concerto belong among the most frequently-performed works by Bach, the so-called Triple Concerto seems to be a little less popular, for whatever reason. It makes much sense to bring the two concertos together in one recording, because of the similarity in scoring but also for the differences in the way the three solo instruments are treated. Whereas the harpsichord is the star in the first movement of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, the three instruments are more treated on equal footing in the Triple Concerto. Il Gardellino is a fine ensemble that seldom disappoints. This is another fine recording, although I tend to think that the performances are a bit too neat and too harmless. There is no lack of dynamic accents, but I would have liked a stronger differentiation between 'good' and 'bad' notes. Zvi Meniker does play the solo in the first movement of the 5th Brandenburg Concerto very well, and I noted with satisfaction that he uses some rubato to prevent this part being reduced to a shower of notes. The fact that the flute is specifically mentioned in the title does not justify its dominance in the performances: it tends to overshadow the violin, whose parts are a bit underexposed. Those who have a special liking of the transverse flute will certainly like this disc.
The sinfonias which open a number of cantatas constitute a particular genre within the corpus of 'orchestral music'. We don't know for sure why Bach, whose cantatas usually start with an elaborate choral movement, decided to open some with a sinfonia. For most of them he turned to pre-existing material, in particular instrumental works he had written in Cöthen, including the Brandenburg Concertos. Peter Wollny, in his liner-notes to the recording by the Ensemble Cordia [5], suggests that "[by] choosing these models with their implied reminiscence of his time as kapellmeister Bach was able to draw attention to his position as 'Director Musices Lipsiensis', i.e. the municipal kapellmeister of the city of Leipzig". Of course, he also may have considered that the music was too good not to be used again. A number of sinfonias include an obbligato part for organ. These pose considerable problems for modern performers. Obviously, Bach used the large organ in the Thomaskirche for such parts, as he did for the performance of the basso continuo. Today, only a few churches have organs which are not only suitable for Bach's music, but are also placed on a balcony which is large enough for the placement of an instrumental ensemble of the size needed for these sinfonias. Because of that, performers often turn to a small organ of the type also used in the basso continuo; that is also the case here. The results are musically unsatisfying. Such organs lack the palette of colours which large instruments have to offer, and the balance with the orchestra is also rather unsatisfying. Takashi Watanabe does play the obbligato parts well, but he can't really save this recording. The Ensemble Cordia is a fine ensemble, and I certainly have enjoyed their performances, but the interpretation is a bit too straightforward. I would have preferred a more breathing style of playing, and a more differentiated treatment of tempo. This recording has nothing to offer that we haven't heard before.
[1] "Ouvertures for Orchestra" (BWV 1066-1069)
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini
Naïve OP 30578 (2 CDs) (© 2019) details
[2] Brandenburg Concertos (BWV 1046-1051)
Concerto Copenhagen/Lars Ulrik Mortensen
CPO 555 158-2 (2 SACDs) (© 2018) details
[3] "Bach to the Roots!"
Bremer Barockorchester/Néstor Fabián Cortés Garzón
arcantus arc 20021 (© 2020) details
[4] "Concertos with Flute"
Il Gardellino/Jan De Winne, transverse flute
Accent ACC 24341 (© 2018) details
[5] "Sinfonias from Cantatas"
Takashi Watanabe, organ; Ensemble Cordia/Stefano Veggetti
Brilliant Classics 96218 (© 2021) details
The four Overtures or orchestral suites fit into a tradition which had established itself in the last decades of the 17th century, when aristocrats were so impressed by the splendour of Louis XIV's court that they wished to copy what was going on there, and that included aspects of musical life. The instrumental music which was part of the operas by Jean-Baptiste Lully made a great impression and composers went to France to listen and to study. They started to compose in the French style. Telemann, Fasch and Bach were among the composers who adopted the form of the orchestral suite, and turned it into a tool of the 'mixed taste', in which elements of the French, the Italian and the German style were mingled. Rinaldo Alessandrini, in the liner-notes to his recording of the four Overtures by Bach [1], extensively explains what we know or what can be assumed about the history of these works. Much remains in the dark, and there are also aspects of performance practice which leave much open for debate and for different solutions. That concerns, for instance, the number of players to be involved, an aspect I already mentioned above. Alessandrini is one of those who believe that a performance with one instrument per part was the standard. This results in a more prominent role of the winds in the Overtures 1, 3 and 4. Another issue is that of repeats: in many performances the opening section of the ouverture is repeated, but not the second (ABA). Alessandrini does repeat it, and it is followed by a second repeat of the A section (ABABA). He also repeats most dacapos of the dances. He does not say anything conclusive about the question whether this was music for dancing, which may have consequences for the tempi. Notable is that he takes the courante in the Overture No. 1 slower than other performers. The last notes of every phrase of the forlane is emphasized. Curious is the speeding up at the end of the polonaise in the Overture No. 2. Here the ornamentation of the flute part is modest; there is no ornamentation in the tutti. The playing time of the overtures together, when the opening movements are as long as here, is rather uncomfortable: too long for one disc, too short for two. Alessandrini had the nice idea to add one of the four overtures by Johann Bernhard Bach and the only overture by Johann Ludwig Bach. This is a well-deserved tribute to two members of the Bach dynasty, and shows that Bach's overtures fit in a tradition embraced by other members of his family as well. Overall, Alessandrini has managed to come up with an original contribution to a corpus of music that is frequently performed and recorded. The playing is, as one may expect, excellent.
The Brandenburg Concertos are even more popular and are more frequently performed and recorded than the Overtures. It seems that almost any baroque orchestra feels the need to prove its skills by performing and recording them. There can be hardly any doubt about the qualities of the Concerto Copenhagen [2]. Some of its admirers may have longed for its view on these Bach evergreens. I could do without it, as there are already more recordings in the catalogue than one can listen to. Only now and then one has the chance to hear a performance that has something uncommon to offer. That was the case, for instance, with the recording by La Petite Bande (Accent, 2010). The trumpet part in the Concerto No. 2 was played at a natural trumpet without unhistorical holes. For the cello parts, the ensemble's director, Sigiswald Kuijken, turned to the violoncello da spalla. The 16' violone was omitted from the ensemble; instead a 8' violone, also known as basse de violon, was used. Lastly, all six concertos were performed with one instrument per part. The latter is the least uncommon feature of that recording: Concerto Copenhagen does the same. The 16' violone is played in four of the concertos; the 8' instrument is used in the Concertos Nos. 2 and 6. The other two features of Kuijken's recording are absent here. Unfortunately, the instruments are not specified in the booklet (which in itself is a serious omission), but I am sure that Robert Farley does play a trumpet with holes. Overall, I am a little disappointed about these performances. The Concerto No. 1 lacks profile; especially at the start, the parts of the horns are underexposed. The Concertos Nos. 3 and 6 go by without making much impression. I too often missed dynamic accents. One reviewer called these performances 'relaxed'. That is one way to put it. The Concerto No. 4 is one of the better, thanks to the playing of violinist Fredrik From and the two recorder players Kate Hearne and Katy Bircher. The latter plays the transverse flute in the Concerto No. 5; Mortensen plays the harpsichord cadenza very well, but I would have liked more rubato. As one may understand, these are not my Brandenburg Concertos, even though there is certainly much to enjoy. Fortunately, there are many alternatives to choose from.
My previous blog opened with these sentences: "Every year sees the release of new recordings of keyboard music by Johann Sebastian Bach. The question is justified, whether any of them have something to offer that is different from what is already on the market." The same can be said about Bach's 'orchestral works'. They are the core repertoire of many baroque orchestras, and they are frequently played in concerts. There are also numerous recordings of these works on the market. Even so, the Bremer Barockorchester [3] decided to devote its first ever recording to three of Bach's most popular works, although the Concerto BWV 1052 is performed here in a 'reconstruction' for violin, which is less common than the version for harpsichord. The liner-notes claim that this recording documents "an avant-garde spirit of renewal, (...) exploring new paths which are gradually opening in the world of historically informed performance". The 'renewal' mainly concerns the issue of ornamentation. As most readers may know, this is a matter of debate among scholars and performers. There is no difference of opinion about the common practice of adding embellishments in baroque music, but it is questioned whether Bach expected performers to do so in his music. Some argue that Bach has mostly written out the ornamentation himself and that adding more would just distort his works. This issue is not mentioned in the liner-notes. Where this recording is different from what is on the market - unless I have missed something - is that in the Overture in b minor, the players add a lot of embellishments in the tutti. This is not exactly in favour of transparency. What is more, the players add so much ornamentation that the melodic lines are indeed largely distorted, on the verge of being not recognizable. This practice is defended with a reference to the habits of Johann Georg Pisendel. I had not heard about that, but even if that is indeed correct, that in itself is no reason to apply it in Bach's music. In the solo parts of the transverse flute, the melodic line is sometimes almost rewritten, comparable with the bad habit of opera singers to rewrite their part in the dacapos of arias. It is quite odd, then, that there is hardly any ornamentation in the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5. I miss any consistency here. The tempi in the Overture also tend to be pretty extreme, in the sense that some are much slower than in most recordings. To give an example: the rondeaux takes 2'05" here, vs just 1'17" in Rinaldo Alessandrini's recording. There is nothing wrong with the playing as such; this is a fine ensemble. However, I find the performance of the Overture very unconvincing, even annoying, also because two movements are introduced by several instruments, such as the lute. The Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 is much better and the violin concerto also receives a good performance. I don't discuss here the question whether the latter can be called a 'reconstruction', as some scholars believe it has never been conceived as a violin concerto in the first place. Since the ensemble comprises six violins and two violas, one will understand that this ensemble does not follow the one-instrument-per-part principle.
Il Gardellino [4] recorded the three main 'orchestral' works in which the transverse flute plays a key role, under the title "Concertos with Flute", which is a bit odd, given that the disc opens with the Overture in b minor. The tutti are performed with one instrument per part. Whereas the Overture and the 5th Brandenburg Concerto belong among the most frequently-performed works by Bach, the so-called Triple Concerto seems to be a little less popular, for whatever reason. It makes much sense to bring the two concertos together in one recording, because of the similarity in scoring but also for the differences in the way the three solo instruments are treated. Whereas the harpsichord is the star in the first movement of the Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, the three instruments are more treated on equal footing in the Triple Concerto. Il Gardellino is a fine ensemble that seldom disappoints. This is another fine recording, although I tend to think that the performances are a bit too neat and too harmless. There is no lack of dynamic accents, but I would have liked a stronger differentiation between 'good' and 'bad' notes. Zvi Meniker does play the solo in the first movement of the 5th Brandenburg Concerto very well, and I noted with satisfaction that he uses some rubato to prevent this part being reduced to a shower of notes. The fact that the flute is specifically mentioned in the title does not justify its dominance in the performances: it tends to overshadow the violin, whose parts are a bit underexposed. Those who have a special liking of the transverse flute will certainly like this disc.
The sinfonias which open a number of cantatas constitute a particular genre within the corpus of 'orchestral music'. We don't know for sure why Bach, whose cantatas usually start with an elaborate choral movement, decided to open some with a sinfonia. For most of them he turned to pre-existing material, in particular instrumental works he had written in Cöthen, including the Brandenburg Concertos. Peter Wollny, in his liner-notes to the recording by the Ensemble Cordia [5], suggests that "[by] choosing these models with their implied reminiscence of his time as kapellmeister Bach was able to draw attention to his position as 'Director Musices Lipsiensis', i.e. the municipal kapellmeister of the city of Leipzig". Of course, he also may have considered that the music was too good not to be used again. A number of sinfonias include an obbligato part for organ. These pose considerable problems for modern performers. Obviously, Bach used the large organ in the Thomaskirche for such parts, as he did for the performance of the basso continuo. Today, only a few churches have organs which are not only suitable for Bach's music, but are also placed on a balcony which is large enough for the placement of an instrumental ensemble of the size needed for these sinfonias. Because of that, performers often turn to a small organ of the type also used in the basso continuo; that is also the case here. The results are musically unsatisfying. Such organs lack the palette of colours which large instruments have to offer, and the balance with the orchestra is also rather unsatisfying. Takashi Watanabe does play the obbligato parts well, but he can't really save this recording. The Ensemble Cordia is a fine ensemble, and I certainly have enjoyed their performances, but the interpretation is a bit too straightforward. I would have preferred a more breathing style of playing, and a more differentiated treatment of tempo. This recording has nothing to offer that we haven't heard before.
[1] "Ouvertures for Orchestra" (BWV 1066-1069)
Concerto Italiano/Rinaldo Alessandrini
Naïve OP 30578 (2 CDs) (© 2019) details
[2] Brandenburg Concertos (BWV 1046-1051)
Concerto Copenhagen/Lars Ulrik Mortensen
CPO 555 158-2 (2 SACDs) (© 2018) details
[3] "Bach to the Roots!"
Bremer Barockorchester/Néstor Fabián Cortés Garzón
arcantus arc 20021 (© 2020) details
[4] "Concertos with Flute"
Il Gardellino/Jan De Winne, transverse flute
Accent ACC 24341 (© 2018) details
[5] "Sinfonias from Cantatas"
Takashi Watanabe, organ; Ensemble Cordia/Stefano Veggetti
Brilliant Classics 96218 (© 2021) details
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
