Concerto
CONCERTO CHOICE
Here’s a deft display of the many faces of the recorder
Ingrid Pearson enjoys Lucie Horsch’s wide-ranging programme celebrating the versatile instrument
Origins
Bartók: Romanian Folk Dances; Hungarian Folksongs from Csìk; Maxwell Davies: Farewell to Stromness; Debussy: Syrinx; Parker: Ornithology; Piazzolla: Histoire du Tango – Café 1930 etc Stravinsky: Three Pieces for Solo Clarinet (arr. recorder); Chanson Russe; Traditional: She moved through the fair etc
Lucie Horsch (recorders); Fuse Ensemble et al
Decca 485 3192 62:23 mins
Since the 16th century, recorder players have tailored music originally written for other media, and in so doing, have been able to demonstrate the versatility of their instrument. Decca’s signing of the young Dutch player Lucie Horsch recalls aspects of Michala Petri’s relationship with Philips between 1979 and 1987. Recorded in the celebrated studios of Hilversum’s Muziekcentrum, Origins, Horsch’s third Decca release, is a sonic manifestation of the subsequent transformations of the recorder’s status.
Horsch deftly traverses staples of the Western canon, as well as bebop, Argentinian tango and other traditional musics with articulatory dexterity, as well as timbral, technical and stylistic virtuosity. The transcriptions, including several by Horsch herself, are an enchanting reminder of the fluidity of musical works, inviting us to recalibrate our listening.
Horsch brings a kaleidoscopic range of colours to this music
Horsch harnesses no less than nine different instruments, bringing a kaleidoscopic range of colours to the repertoire. Highlights are the voiceflute in Debussy’s Syrinx, and the Renaissance tenor recorder in ‘She moved through the fair’. While transcriptions of single-reed music are the least successful, Horsch’s collaborations with players of the bandoneón, cimbalom, guitar and kora enable her to further explore the capabilities of her instruments. In Bartók’s Romanian and Hungarian music the pairing of recorder and cimbalom has a timeless authenticity, and the Senegalese flavour of the two improvisations with kora-player Bao Sissoko showcases the breadth of Horsch’s artistic vision.
PERFORMANCE ★★★★★
RECORDING ★★★★★
JS Bach
Concertos for Harpsichord, Vol. 2 Bach
Collegium Japan/Masato Suzuki(harpsichord)
BISBIS-2481(CD/SACD) 60:03mins
Nearly all Bach’s harpsichord concertos are arrangements of earlier works composed for entertainments in the relaxed environment of Gottfried Zimmermann’s Leipzig coffee house and garden where they were directed by the composer, presumably with a number of his sons as soloists. Two of the concertos recorded here are versions of Bach’s two familiar violin concertos, a third is of Brandenburg Concerto No. 4, and the charming A major concerto derives from a concerto for oboe d’amore. Unsurprisingly, with its appropriately modest orchestral forces, the Bach Collegium Japan goes for brisk tempos, but without any sense of rushing or impatience. A prime example is the first movement of the D major Concerto, with carefully considered phrasing and excellent timing from the orchestra matched by dazzling harpsichord solo playing. Here, as in the other fast movements, in particular the Allegro assai finale of the fourth Brandenburg Concerto arrangement, Masato Suzuki proves an ideal keyboard soloist balancing moments of zestful virtuosity with some elegant inequality in the passagework. Willem Kroesbergen’s copy of a contemporary Couchet harpsichord on which he plays is characterful with a pleasing range of timbre; and throughout, in these well-recorded performances, it blends attractively with the other instruments. Jan Smaczny
PERFORMANCE ★★★★
RECORDING ★★★★
Hellendaal
Six Grand Concertos, Op. 3
Lidewij van derVoort (violin); La Sfera Armoniosa/Mike Fentross
Challenge Classics CC72911 79:38mins
Pieter Hellendaal was a Dutch pupil of Tartini who came to London in 1751, remaining in England until his death in 1799. While London was his first port of call, it was in East Anglia, first at King’s Lynn, then Cambridge where he was appointed organist of Pembroke College in 1762, that he spent the rest of his life.
Hellendaal’s Six Grand Concertos – concerti grossi, in other words – were published in 1758 as his Op. 3. The two previous collections were of violin sonatas. Unlike Corelli and Handel, whose concertino groups consist of two violins and cello, Hellendaal, like Geminiani and Avison, added a viola to make a fourinstrument solo texture to contrast with the tutti sections. These concertos demonstrate an assured style and an expressive individuality which compare favourably with much concerto writing of the time. It is, in this light, surprising that they are not better known.
While the concertos adhere to a basic four-movement scheme, to which a concluding dance or march is added, there is plenty of melodic and compositional interest within. A good example is provided by the Concerto No. 4 in E flat which well illustrates the varied colours of Hellendaal’s palette. Its concluding ‘Pastorale’ is one of the most attractive pieces in the set, along with its markedly Handelian opening.
La Sfera Armoniosa under the direction of Mike Fentross conveys the contrasting affects of the music with expressive warmth and stylistic assurance. Yet too often the concertino sounds undernourished, especially in the violin strands. However, the commendable esprit demonstrated by the ensemble, and an excellent accompanying essay should encourage readers in explorative mode to proceed. The live recording includes applause. Nicholas Anderson
PERFORMANCE ★★★
RECORDING ★★★★
Rachmaninov
Piano Concertos Nos 2 & 4
Anna Fedorova (piano); St Gallen Symphony Orchestra/Modestas Pitrėnas
Channel Classics CCS42522 64:45 mins
Ukrainian pianist Anna Fedorova is clearly not only a fine human being – it’s been difficult to keep up with the number of her fundraising projects in western Europe for her beleaguered country – but also a remarkable artist. Her performance of Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 1 was the highlight of the brand-new Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra’s Prom, and the clear thinking and feeling behind these Rachmaninov concerto interpretations are refreshing indeed: this certainly isn’t just yet another ‘Rach 2’. Fedorova’s commanding contrast of spaciousness with vital forward movement may not be what’s always in the score, but it makes total sense to me in the context of the overall need for tension and release. And while the St Gallen Symphony Orchestra may not be the world’s most plush – the recording in the Tonhalle Theatre keeps things on the realistically dry side – there’s total co-ordination between Fedorova and conductor Modestas Pitrėnas.
The recording was made in November 2021, before the current horrors were unleashed, but Federova is as thoughtful in her post-hoc introduction as she is in the performances. She reminds us, in the face of resistance to Russian repertoire right now, that Rachmaninov was also a refugee who never returned to the motherland after 1918. She also explains her reasons for placing the Fourth Concerto first, defining this amazing and often enigmatic work as ‘a farewell to the past and a dive into a quite terrifying future’, while the Second reminds her of a phoenix. May the Ukrainian phoenix rise from the ashes as soon as possible. David Nice
PERFORMANCE ★★★★★
RECORDING ★★★★
Vieuxtemps
Violin Concerto No. 8; Fantasie in E, ‘La Sentimentale’ etc
Alexander Markov (violin); Thüringen Philharmonie Gotha-Eisenach/Markus Huber
Naxos 8.574363 67:25 mins
Now largely forgotten outside violinist circles, Henry Vieuxtemps enjoyed a long and successful career as both fiddler and composer, beginning with his early appearances as a boy prodigy of the instrument. Berlioz, writing in 1841, had kind things to say about the 20-year-old, referring to him as ‘the new star whom the astronomers of the Conservatoire have spotted on the horizon.’ The first four tracks on this recording do justice, through the remarkable technique of Alexander Markov, to the virtuoso, but rather less to the composer, by presenting works written in his teens or, in the case of the Air varié No. 3, perhaps even earlier. While the result may be noteworthy in one so young, he was not a Mozart or a Mendelssohn, and it’s often all too easy to guess from the first few notes how it will continue.
The one extant movement of his Violin Concerto No. 8, begun in his last year of 1880 and here tactfully orchestrated by Christoph Baumgarten, is more interesting, though here again the virtuosic passages don’t always spring naturally from their surroundings. In later life Vieuxtemps claimed he wanted to produce music that had more true feeling than Paganini’s but, sadly, on this showing he lacked the crucial virtue of inventing memorable tunes, while his orchestration never rises above the workmanlike. How nice it would have been to have just one offering somewhere from a solo wind instrument. Roger Nichols
PERFORMANCE ★★★★
RECORDING ★★★★
Vivaldi
Il Mondo al rovescio: Concertos RV 344, 432, 536, 556, 562, 571, 572 & 576
Gli incogniti/Amandine Beyer (violin)
Harmonia Mundi HMM902688 72:23 mins
Antonio Vivaldi is prominent among composers whose music has been greatly invigorated through historical performance. Harmonia Mundi has been closely involved with this invigoration since the 1970s. Il Mondo al rovescio marks French ensemble Gli Incogniti’s eighth album for the label since 2014, and the third devoted exclusively to the music of Vivaldi. Directed from the violin by Amandine Beyer, Gli Incogniti presents eight concertos spanning the breadth of Vivaldi’s contributions to the genre. Their interpretations amply demonstrate the composer’s flair for individual instrumental timbres and varied ensemble sonorities. Beyer shines throughout, particularly as soloist in the welcome recording of the lesser-known RV 344, and with oboist Neven Lesage in RV 576. Of the two concertos ‘per la Solennità di S Lorenzo’, RV 562 is majestic and dramatic, enhanced by Beyer’s stylish embellishments. In RV 572, from which the album takes its name, we relish Vivaldi’s innovative instrumental doublings.
The sleeve notes incline towards indulgence and would benefit from more assiduous research, particularly in the light of the ensemble’s claim to be ‘among the top reference groups for historical performance’. For example, RV 556 was more likely composed c1715, thus pre-dating the other concerted works with clarinet, but is not actually the earliest known work to include that instrument.
With gratifying plucked string continuo sonorities, sprightly allegro movements and crisp articulation, Gli Incogniti’s interpretations can easily take their place alongside the likes of Tafelmusik, the Academy of Ancient Music and Europa Galante. Ingrid Pearson
PERFORMANCE ★★★★★
RECORDING ★★★★★
The Kreutzer Project
Beethoven: Violin Sonata No. 9 in A, Op. 47 ‘Kreutzer’ (orch. C Jacobsen); Anna Clyne: Shorthand*; Colin Jacobsen: Kreutzings; Janáček: String Quartet No. 1, ‘Kreutzer’ (orch. MP Atkinson)
Colin Jacobsen (violin), *Karen Ouzounian (cello); The Knights/Eric Jacobsen
Avie AV2555 75:11 mins
Colin Jacobsen’s orchestration of Beethoven’s ‘Kreutzer’ Sonata is mostly convincing – there are a few places where the piano figuration doesn’t translate well, and sometimes the texture is congested at climaxes. But, had you never heard the original, you might accept this as a viable slice of Beethoven. I could do with a broader tonal palette from the soloist, Colin Jacobsen himself, especially in the variations in the Andante, but the outer movements are alert and buoyant, with colourful playing in the wind section.
The Janáček doesn’t come off as convincingly in its orchestral dress, as the composer had such a precise ear for the fit of his musical material to the string quartet: massed strings give too lush an effect when the music needs lean strength. There are hints of real Janáček in the use of wind and brass, even if the timpani and side drum are sometimes intrusive, but this is only a qualified success, despite the intensity of the performance by The Knights.
Between these pillars are two new works which refer to Beethoven and Janáček, and in Kreutzings to the French violinist Rodolphe Kreutzer himself. His violin studies still plague students, and Jacobsen exploits the obsessive repetition of arpeggio patterns, which find an echo in some of Janáček’s writing, and pushes them to new limits. Shorthand is an elegiac piece for much of its length, and packs a real emotional punch, with cellist Karen Ouzounian’s passionate playing leading the way. At one point, Janáček is transformed into a klezmer dance: those two worlds are not that far apart. Martin Cotton
PERFORMANCE ★★★★
RECORDING ★★★★★
Mozarty Mambo – Cuban Dances
Mozart: Horn Concertos Nos 1 & 2; plus works by Egües, Gavilondo, Lombida, Muñoz, Olivero & Véra
Sarah Willis (horn); Havana Lyceum Orchestra/ José Antonio Méndez Padrón
Alpha Classics ALPHA878 61:03 mins
Volume 1 of French horn player Sarah Willis’s Mozart y Mambo project was a surprise hit of 2020. Working in collaboration with a formidable ensemble of Cuban musicians, Willis recorded a combination of works by Mozart for horn alongside newly-arranged Cuban repertoire to create an album bursting with energy and imagination. This follow-up disc is every bit as exuberant as the first.
Willis completes her survey of Mozart’s horn concertos with assured and expressive performances, accompanied with aplomb by the Havana Lyceum Orchestra. Sandwiched between these fine recordings sits an intriguing new work – ‘the first ever Cuban horn concerto’ – commissioned by Willis from six young Cuban composers for solo horn, strings and percussion. Each movement explores the musical heritage of a different area of the island, combining to create ‘a musical map of Cuba’. From Yuniet Lombida’s elegant Danzón de la Medianoche to the relaxed warmth of Ernesto Oliva’s ¡Ay Comay! Un Changüí pa´Sari, the work is wonderfully varied and performed with terrific flair throughout.
The album closes with ‘Pa pa pa’: a playful Cuban take on Pagageno and Papagena’s duet (with the two voices here rendered by horn and baritone saxophone). With proceeds from the album pledged to support young Cuban musicians, this disc comes highly recommended. Kate Wakeling
RECORDING ★★★★★
PERFORMANCE ★★★★★
Obsession
Dvořák: Romance in F minor; Kreisler: Praeludium and Allegro (in the style of Pugnani); Ravel: Tzigane; Tartini: Violin Sonata in G minor, ‘Devil’s Trill’; Tchaikovsky: Souvenir d’un lieu cher, Op. 42
Niek Baar (violin); Concertgebouw Chamber Orchestra
Channel Classics CCS44822 63:13 mins
Playing with a select band of string players from the Concertgebouw in skilful arrangements by Michael Waterman and Alexandra Lascae, recorded in gently atmospheric sound, Niek Baar’s debut album for Channel Classics oozes class. Coaxing a silvery, seductively pure sound from his 1729 Bergonzi violin, Baar places his distinctive interpretative stamp on a series of recital favourites, making each seem freshly minted. Rather than going for a largescale, luxurious sound, Baar allows the Bergonzi’s natural resonances to shine, employing a bewitching range of different bow pressures, speeds and angles to maximise its tonal colours. This really comes into its own in the gypsy delights of Ravel’s Tzigane, despatched with beguiling abandonment as Baar relishes the music’s wild imaginings rather than applying an all-purpose concert hall sheen. Dvořák’s glorious Romance also sounds more emotionally wideranging than usual, with gentle hints of dancing along the way.
Baar’s captivatingly wide dynamic range and supple rhythmic freedom comes to the fore in Kreisler’s Praeludium and Allegro, which is shorn of all Baroque pastiche as he shapes every phrase with a freewheeling sense of exhilaration. Individual notes ring out with senza vibrato purity, there is a touch of Grappelli in his fine-judged portamentos, and bowing contact varies from chilling spikiness near the bridge to an over-the-fingerboard flautando. Even Tartini’s ‘Devil’s Trill’ Sonata emerges afresh, completely free of cloying espressivo. Some may occasionally find Baar’s quickfire responses almost too much of a good thing, yet it is that very individuality that makes his playing so compelling. Julian Haylock
PERFORMANCE ★★★★
RECORDING ★★★★★
Recuerdos
Britten: Violin Concerto in D minor; Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2 in G minor; Saraste: Carmen Fantasy (after Bizet); Tárrega: Recuerdos de la Alhambra (arr. Ricci)
Augustin Hadelich (violin); WDR Sinfonieorchester/Cristian Măcelaru
Warner Classics 9029631076 79:55 mins
This album imaginatively couples two major violin concertos of the 1930s which relate to Spain in that troubled decade. These are framed by arrangements of more familiar views of Spain – Sarasate’s of numbers from Bizet’s Carmen and, as an encore, Ruggiero Ricci’s of Spanish Romantic composer Tárrega’s popular guitar piece.
In his booklet note, violinist Augustin Hadelich highlights the Britten – written in response to the Spanish Civil War and completed in 1939 – as the programme’s main work, with the Prokofiev (composed 1935) apparently a support act. Yet, perhaps precisely by not identifying so closely to the Prokofiev, Hadelich actually shows greater respect for that score. And because he makes much of the sweetness and sunlight of the first movement’s second theme, there’s a stronger than usual sense by the movement’s end that storm clouds have stealthily darkened the landscape. Likewise, the full blossoming of the slow movement’s lovely theme is a foil to the soloist’s subsequent ghostly arpeggios; and the sinister way in which the orchestra finally appropriates the soloist’s theme, the violinist reduced to playing the penny plain accompaniment, seems telling. With the finale, the soloist appears trapped in a Red Shoes-style dance they cannot escape.
Alas, Hadelich’s identification with Britten’s Concerto is such that it loses its character. Conductor Cristian Măcelaru does not help by starting at a speed much lower than Britten’s suggested metronome mark, making the music sound exhausted from the outset. The performance does pick up at the scherzo, but overall fails to compel attention as does, among many other fine alternatives, Janine Jansen’s magnificent account with Paavo Järvi (on Decca). Daniel Jaffé
PERFORMANCE ★★★★
RECORDING ★★★★★
Synergy
JS Bach/Mahler: Suite aus den Orchesterwerken*; Doppler: Flute Concerto in D minor; Saint-Saëns: Tarantelle in A minor*; Telemann: Concerto TWV 52:e1; Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasileiras No. 6
Sharon Bezaly ( flute), Michael Collins (clarinet), Bram van Sambeek (bassoon); Swedish Chamber Orchestra/Thomas Dausgaard, *Michael Collins
BIS BIS-2339 (CD/SACD) 67:59 mins
After two years of enforced separation and socially distanced musicmaking, Sharon Bezaly makes a playful return to the BIS recording studio for a series of performances rooted in collaboration and musical camaraderie. In this programme of concertos and chamber works, Bezaly’s trademark clarity of both thought and tone is matched by her colleagues. Her stripped-back, rounded sound is at the fore in Telemann’s Concerto in E minor, with her fellow instrumentalists dancing around one another before reaching the thrilling climax in the gypsy-style Presto. It’s carefully considered, though. While many other recordings fly into this movement with wild abandon, Bezaly and her colleagues take a more restrained tempo, making the acceleration much more impactful.
They take this same, thoughtful approach to the subsequent Tarantelle, a Saint-Saëns work that also featured on Bezaly’s 2002 album Aperitif. This interpretation is much lighter, with a broader palette of colours, supported by Michael Collins’s buoyant playing and BIS’s luminous recording. There’s nowhere to hide in Doppler’s Concerto for Two Flutes, or in Villa-Lobos’s Bachianas Brasileiras, with exposed, conversational duet lines sparking off throughout. Mahler’s arrangement of movements from Bach’s Orchestral Suites serves as another instance of synergy, this time between two composers at the height of their powers.
Altogether, a fervent reminder of the brilliance of collective musicmaking – and just how much we’ve missed it in recent years. Freya Parr
PERFORMANCE ★★★★
RECORDING ★★★★★
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