Project Harmonia Mundi - Part 7

Two youthful miracles! Fate reserved quite extraordinary treatment for these two sonatas for cello and piano, two first attempts at the genre that turned out to be masterstrokes – and were both disowned much later by their respective composers. Admittedly, these two youthful sonatas, whose first performances are separated by an interval of twenty-three years, both kept one eye on Brahms and Mendelssohn; but if that fact explains the severity with which Reger and Strauss judged them in retrospect, it should not be allowed to obliterate their remarkable accomplishment, a creativity and sense of balance that are quite simply miraculous. They are now among the undisputed peaks of the repertoire, as are the two lovely Romances which are closely linked with them.

According to his friend Albert Stadler, Schubert's celebrated 'Trout' Quintet was based, at the request of the patron who commissioned it, on an earlier piece by Hummel for this unusual combination of instruments. Given the respective dates of Schubert's work and of Hummel's op.87, the latter was probably not Schubert's model; but its reputation as one of Hummel's finest compositions is amply justified here in this highly appropriate coupling.

1841-1851: ten years elapsed between the premieres of the most popular symphonies of Robert Schumann. Commentators have long deplored the ‘thickness’ of the composer’s orchestration; however, performance on period instruments not only demonstrates conclusively that this is not the case, but also underlines even more clearly the duality of his personality. From the ‘Spring’ to the dark presentiments of the ‘Rhenish’, should we not see Schumann’s extraordinarily dense counterpoint as the reflection of his inner demons?

The summit of the Classical style. 1789 is the date of the two symphonies on this CD, whose autograph manuscripts were dedicated to a French count, and the orchestral parts to a German prince! Whoever their ‘real’ dedicatee might be, these works are a superb testimony to the achievement of the composer’s high maturity, which was shortly to earn him an honorary doctorate from Oxford University. As for the dramatic scena Berenice, che fai?, its London premiere in 1795 was one of Haydn’s most memorable successes.

‘To set out for far-off places, and discover and embrace all that is human!’ (Montaigne): from the pilgrims’ songs of the Middle Ages to the Romantic Wanderer traversing a sombre and mysterious Germany, the subject of travel is as universal as it is timeless – as can be seen in this selection of the finest art songs on the theme of ‘elsewhere’.

The name of Richard Strauss immediately conjures up thoughts of operas and large-scale symphonic works; but we tend to underestimate his lieder, a genre to which the composer devoted no fewer than 205 pieces! Like a glorious sunset culminating in the Four Last Songs, they mark the conclusion of the illustrious tradition of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms, Wolf and Mahler.

‘To my dearest Chouchou . . . with the tender apologies of her father for what is to follow’: a charming and amusing parenthesis in Debussy’s output, Children’s Corner nevertheless constitutes an ideal introduction to the world of the composer of the more ambitious Images, Arabesques and Suite bergamasque. Alain Planès offers us a recital of exceptional penetration, clothed in the bewitching tone-colours of a magnificent Blüthner piano dating from 1902.

Schubert was unbelievably productive in the last few months of his life. As well as major masterpieces of the chamber and piano repertoires, 1828 also saw the composition of his lieder to texts by Ludwig Rellstab and Heinrich Heine. Posthumously published together the next year under the title ‘Swansong’, these songs are in fact exceptionally wide-ranging in atmosphere and content: the tender murmur of a brook is followed by a warrior’s premonitions of death; serenades and nostalgia rub shoulders with the anguish of Der Doppelgänger. Schubertian grace dances on the very brink of the abyss.

Magnificent and Delightful

This is what I wrote about the original issue of the flute concertos:
I can only confirm what others before me have written: This must surely be one of the finest Vivaldi recordings of all time! Both the playing and the recording technique (it sounds suspiciously as though Harmonia Mundi was still using analogue equipment in 1987 because there is some slight "pre-echoing" to be heard) are absolutely magnificent. In particular, Janet See's delightful and highly musical formation of the flute solo lines on her mellow, woody baroque instrument is a treat for the ears, but it shouldn't prevent one from enjoying the full-blooded, energetic orchestral sound that Nicholas McGegan coaxes from his West Coast original instrument orchestra as though this music had been written specially for them. Incidentally, all the pieces here were written by Vivaldi with the transverse flute in mind, and I found it particularly pleasant to hear them played as they were intended on not on some form of recorder .(The "birdsong" Gardellino concerto does actually exist in another version for recorder.) Full marks to all involved here: I am writing 19 years after the recording was made, but I have yet to discover a disc of this material that could outdo the San Francisco offering.

As for the recorder concertos, again I feel that there is plenty of room for congratulations. Marion Verbruggen plays as delightfully and assuredly as anyone could ask, and the West Coast original instrument ensemble (8 violins, 2 violas, 2 celli, double bass, bassoon, archlute, harpsichord and chamber organ) sounds, under the able leadership of Nicholas McGegan, the equal of any European early music orchestra. Special praise for the decision to vary the recorders used: only two of the seven concerti are played on a sopranino, and these are kept well away from one another – thus avoiding the rather tiresome effect that this high-pitched instrument can have when used too frequently. In this respect there must surely also be praise for engineer Anthony Faulkner, who has got the balance absolutely right: No overly close-up recorder here, but rather a natural, easy-on-the-ear sound that seems to reflect ideally the positioning of the musicians while playing and avoids the “nervousness” of, for example, Peter Holman’s Vivaldi recorder issue for Hyperion. And of course, as one has come to expect with McGegan, the continuo is wonderful – not only his own harpsichord, but also the chamber organ played by John Butt (listen in especially to the last concerto on the disc, RV 435; the organ provides some delightful coloring!). As this set is now available at a bargain price, fans of McGegan and of Vivaldi should not hesitate. And as all the concertos on these two discs are extremely tuneful and popular (i. e. very easy to follow), this is also a recommendation for schoolteachers and others who want to play Vivaldi to students or friends and get them interested!

Leslie Richford, Amazon.com

Musically, French and German composers seldom agree but on the subject of Grieg's music, his peers were unanimous in their praise and Grieg himself always considered his violin sonatas to be among his best works.

Two youthful miracles! Fate reserved quite extraordinary treatment for these two sonatas for cello and piano, two first attempts at the genre that turned out to be masterstrokes – and were both disowned much later by their respective composers. Admittedly, these two youthful sonatas, whose first performances are separated by an interval of twenty-three years, both kept one eye on Brahms and Mendelssohn; but if that fact explains the severity with which Reger and Strauss judged them in retrospect, it should not be allowed to obliterate their remarkable accomplishment, a creativity and sense of balance that are quite simply miraculous. They are now among the undisputed peaks of the repertoire, as are the two lovely Romances which are closely linked with them.