Early
music ensemble Collegium Musicum 90,
directed from the violin by Simon Standage present ‘Maestro Corelli’s
Violins’, with music by three violinist-composers who worked with
Corelli. So no music by Corelli here in
fact, but instead some fabulously vibrant and energetic music from these
lesser-known composers following in his footsteps. Regular readers might recognise Antonio Montanari (1676-1737) from a
recording I reviewed of his Concertos performed by Johannes Pramsohler and the
Ensemble Diderot (more from them next month). The two recordings share two of
the Op. 1 Concertos – Nos. 6 and
7, and Collegium Musicum 90 also perform No. 2.
It’s great to hear this wonderful music on disc again so soon, and to
have the chance to hear two slightly different takes on some of Montanari’s
music. Standage’s approach is a little
more full-blooded, emphasising the energy of these works, perhaps in keeping
with the rest of his disc’s programme, whereas Pramsohler brings out more of
the subtlety in the solo writing – but both relish the mystery in the striking slow
movement of No. 6. Sadly, little else of
Montanari’s music has survived, but it’s great to have two such excellent
exponents championing what we do have.
Standage’s disc opens with a fabulously energetic and lively Concerto (Op. 7 No. 11) by Giuseppe Valentini (1681-1753). Its six movements include a stately Largo, a
driven Allegro with typical Corelli-esque rapid violin figuration, and a lively
jig to finish. Standage drives this with
great spirit and fun, although the central Grave sections feel a tad
aggressive. The two Concertos by Giovanni Mossi
(c.1680-1742), from his Op. 4 set of 12, are real gems, full of inventive
use of interplay between the solo instruments – no fewer than four violins and
a cello in No. 12, with four further violins and no viola in the accompanying
‘ripieno’, creating an unusual and complex texture. Here, the bright sound and infectious energy
from the Collegium players is a delight.
Overall, this is a joyous disc, giving great insight into music beyond
Corelli from 18th century Rome.
Highly recommended.
Another
period instrument ensemble, the Australian Brandenburg Orchestra, has ventured into later territory for their CD, ‘The Romantics’. For these live recordings they are joined as
Guest Director by violinist Shunske Sato,
who is also the soloist in Niccolò
Paganini’s (1782-1840) Violin Concerto No. 4 which ends the disc. But they open with a warm and energetic
performance of Edvard Grieg’s
(1843-1907) Holberg Suite – subtitled a ‘Suite in the Olden Style’. It is suite of dance movements, in the
Baroque style, yet Grieg’s Romantic sensibility shines through in the rich
writing for strings – Grieg said it the string orchestra for this should
ideally be sixty players. As is often
the way when period instrument groups move into later repertoire, they bring a
welcome incision and attention to detail. Sato also introduces more Romantic stylistic
approaches into the mix, such as extensive portamento (slides), particularly in
the Air, where it is a little overdone.
However, it is full of life, as is the String Symphony No. 3 by Felix
Mendelssohn (1809-1847) that follows.
Remarkably, Mendelssohn wrote twelve string symphonies between the age
of 12 and 14. Produced when he was
having composition lessons from Carl Friedrich Zelter, they nevertheless only
precede works of genius such as the String Octet by a couple of years, so
Mendelssohn clearly learned fast and honed his skills of melodic invention,
harmony and counterpoint in these delightful pieces. A bit like the Grieg, these look backwards to
Baroque style, sounding quite Handelian.
And again, a performance from a period instrument outfit brings out
these roots in the music, and the ABO play with great precision and poise. The finale of their concert is the Paganini
Concerto, with the ABO Artistic Director, Paul Dyer now conducting. Paganini
composed six Concertos, which he performed himself, and the scores were not
published until after his death. They
are of course showpieces for his phenomenal technique, and the orchestra is
there pretty much as backing accompaniment.
Sato is highly impressive here, and seems to breeze through the
technical demands that Paganini throws at him, particularly in the crazy Rondo
galante that finishes proceedings. The
melodramatic funereal slow movement is wonderfully over the top, and Sato milks
the sobbing solo part for all it’s worth.
This is all about the soloist, and Sato certainly does not disappoint. A fun conclusion to a highly entertaining
programme.
Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is on his sixth volume
of Piano Sonatas by Franz Joseph Haydn (1731-1809) – given
that he wrote roughly 60, there’s still some way to go! Here we have another
five, none of which are particularly well known or regularly performed. Yet as ever, Bavouzet brings his dedication
and insight, making this another enjoyable collection. Numbering of Haydn’s sonatas is problematic,
with two numbering systems and uncertainty about the provenance of a few – I’ll
stick with the more recent Landon system.
Bavouzet begins with No. 11, with its bright, crisp opening movement,
and touching slow movement. He combines
energy and clarity in the former with delicacy and a beautifully singing tone
in the latter. This sets the pattern for
the whole disc, with that combination of crisp clarity and sensitivity shining
through. No. 43 that follows has the
same brightness and energy, but with greater virtuosity, which Bavouzet makes
sound effortless, particularly the hand-crossing show of the final Presto. As with other volumes in the series, Bavouzet
exploits ornamentation and decoration in the repeats with exquisite taste,
managing to add interest without it ever feeling intrusive. Nos. 34, 35 and 36 make up the rest of this
volume – although again, the numbering is deceptive here, as the chronological order
is far from clear. There is even some
uncertainty that No. 35 is actually by Haydn, although the argument in his favour
is strong. Regardless of such doubts, it
is a joyful and playful sonata, and Bavouzet exploits the humour here to great
effect. No. 34 has a beautiful central
slow movement, followed by a clever Minuet with variations, and No. 36 that
finishes the disc has a poised Adagio, ending with a lively
Presto. Bavouzet is a delight throughout,
and despite being one volume in an extended project, he raises this way above a
catalogue exercise.
Haydn, F. J. 2017. Piano Sonatas, Volume 6. Jean-Efflam Bavouzet. Compact Disc. Chandos CHAN 10942.
(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene, August 2017)
(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene, August 2017)
