Jacques Ibert (1890-1962) was born in Paris, won the Prix de Rome at the Paris
Conservatoire in 1919, and was destined for great things. Perhaps because his musical style was highly
eclectic, with a tendency for lightness and humour, he is not remembered as one
of the ‘greats’, despite a vast catalogue of ballets, operas, film music
(including Invitation to the Dance
with Gene Kelly) and a considerable output of chamber music. The Bridge String Quartet have been joined by friends to record an interesting
selection of these chamber works, including a première recording of the Souvenir for quartet and double bass. Ibert often collaborated with other
composers, and this brief single movement work is a case in point, possibly
based on music by August Gay. The disc
opens with his most substantial chamber work, the String Quartet. This was
composed through the Second World War, when his music was banned by the Vichy
government, and he was exiled to Switzerland.
Whilst not explicitly reflecting the times, there is a restless anxiety
in this music. Other gems in this
collection include the brief but striking Ghirlarzana
for solo cello, sensitively played by Lucy Wilding, and a delightful Trio for
violin, cello and harp (with Bryn Lewis on the harp here). Ibert’s
daughter was a celebrated harpist, and he wrote a number of works for the
instrument – also included here is the well-known Entr’acte, which exists in a number of forms, but here is played by
violin and harp. If Ibert is new to you,
or if you only know his well-known orchestral Divertissement, then this disc is definitely worth exploration.
Clarinettist
Michael Collins
seems to be churning out recordings at a phenomenal rate, all of interesting
repertoire and with playing of an incredibly high standard.
His new disc of British Clarinet Concertos is
no exception.
The three works on offer
here are by Sir Charles Villiers
Stanford (1852-1924), Gerald Finzi (1901-1956) and Sir Malcom Arnold (1921-2006).
The
works span 72 years, from 1902 (Stanford) to 1974 (Arnold), with the Finzi
smack in the middle (1948).
In the Stanford Clarinet Concerto, Op. 80, there are
some beautiful melodies, particularly in the central slow movement, but the
legacy of Brahms is very evident – but it receives a top-notch performance
here, with Collins executing the not inconsiderable demands with panache.
The Finzi
Concerto for Clarinet and String Orchestra, Op. 31 has more individuality for
me, and is full of mournful lyricism and again some pleasing melodies, but the interest
is in the contrast between the purely string orchestra and the solo clarinet, with
surprising variety and richness in the string writing.
This is clearly a work close to Collins’
heart – he played it in the concerto final of the very first
BBC Young Musician of the Year competition back in 1978.
Arnold’s
Clarinet Concerto No. 2, Op. 115 was commissioned by the great Benny
Goodman, and unsurprisingly contains many jazz influences, with a Cadenza in
the first movement where the soloist is instructed to improvise ‘as jazzy and
way-out as you please’.
Here, Collins
plays a cadenza written by
Sir Richard Rodney Bennett, who died recently.
So three highly contrasting works, all played
expertly, with strong support from the
BBC Symphony Orchestra, with Collins
conducted from the clarinet.
Juanjo Mena and
the BBC Philharmonic have released a
a great disc of orchestral works by Carl
Maria von Weber (1786-1826), and are joined by bassonist Karen Geoghegan
for a performance of his Bassoon
Concerto. The rest of the disc is
given over to his two Symphonies, and
the programme opens with Berlioz’s orchestration of Weber’s piano waltz, Invitation to the Dance. The symphonies have never made it into
the mainstream repertoire, which is perhaps a shame. There are some great musical ideas here, and
whilst both works lack a sense of real development of the material, there is
some characteristically deft writing for wind instruments, particularly for the
oboe and bassoon in the Allegro of
the second symphony. The Bassoon Concerto deserves to be as well known as the
clarinet concertos, and Geoghegan certainly argues its case well here. As ever with her playing, she manages to
bring out a remarkable lyrical line from an instrument perhaps sometimes stereotyped
as a little cumbersome. The Invitation to the Dance is a great
showpiece, and Berlioz’s lively orchestration popularised the work beyond its
solo piano beginnings. The playing
throughout on this disc is lively and sprightly, with particularly tight wind
playing.
Pianist
Martin Helmchen has recorded a selection of solo works by Robert Schumann (1810-1856).
The two substantial collections here are
the
Waldszenen, and the 18
Symphonische Etüden, and he finishes
the disc off with the
Arabeske in C.
Whilst the
Symphonic Etudes are more overtly
virtuosic pieces, the
‘Forest Scenes’ are of a more intimate nature, and are
perfect examples of Schumman’s ability to convey character and imagery in such
simple forms.
Helmschen’s playing is
incredibly precise, and no detail is left out.
The same applies to the
Symphonic Etudes, which exist in a few different
forms, as Schumann reviewed the work, deleted some variations, and then Brahms
added five variations that Schumann had deleted back in after his death –
Helmchen includes these here.
There are
myriad coded references in the music to a young woman, Ernestine, who Schumann
took a shine to, even though he had by now begun seeing the love of his life,
Clara.
The work is more extrovert in
feel, and Helmchen responds to this with more energy in his playing.
He closes the disc with a beautifully light
and delicate performance of the
Arabeske.
(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene magazine, April 2013)
