CD Reviews - May 2019

On his latest release, violinist Johannes Pramsohler is joined by fellow violinist from his Ensemble Diderot, Roldán Bernabé for a fascinating collection of French 18^thcentury sonatas for two violins. Louis-Gabriel Guillemain’s (1705-1770) bright Sonata Op. 4 No. 2 which opens the disc immediately sets the tone here, with a sweetness of tone beautifully matched between the two players, and the frequent double-stoppings in both parts make this often sound like at least three of four violins are at play. The gentle Largo is given a delightfully graceful touch, and the dancing Allegro to finish has stylish poise.  Jean-Marie Leclair’s (1697-1764) Sonata Op. 12 No. 6 has beautiful colours in the delicate ornamentations, and Pramsohler & Bernabé excel particularly in the quirky fugal writing of its second movement. But the highlight of the disc has to be a sequence of pieces by Jean-Pierre Guignon (1702-1744), which were performed by Guignon and fellow virtuoso Jean-Joseph Mondonville. These are dazzlingly virtuosic sets of variations, based on tunes such as an air by Rameau (Les Sauvages), and the famous Spanish tune used by many composers as the source for variation, Les Folies D’Espagne, or La Folia. Here, the variations build in complexity and difficulty, so that by the end, both violinists are engaged in rapid leaps and fiendish double-stopping. Étienne Mangean’s (c.1710-c.1756) Sonata Op. 3 No. 6 restores some calm briefly with its stately opening movement, and pulsing Adagio, but the final Chiacona is full of rich stops and rapid runs, bringing this wonderful collection to a highly pleasing conclusion.

Various. 2019. Sonatas for two violins - Guillemain, Leclair, Guignon, Mangean. Johannes Pramsohler, Roldán Bernabé. Compact Disc. Addax Records ADX 13714.

Pianist Mark Bebbington has recorded a disc of works by Arnold Bax (1883-1953), along with a premiere recording of Harriet Cohen’s (1895-1967) Russian Impressions. The disc opens with Bax’s Sonata in E flat major, which was never performed publicly in Bax’s lifetime.  He wrote it in 1921, but the densely textured work went on to form his First Symphony, so the piano version was laid to one side. It opens explosively with weighty, dramatic exclamations, although it subsides into relative calm, before slowly building back up in intensity.  Bebbington manages the thick textures and chromatic colours with great clarity, and paces the ebb and flow of the dynamic shifts with great control, and the watery ripples of the opening of the slow movement are captivating. Again, the music builds to a phenomenal climax, before a beautifully soft and tender conclusion. The weighty chordal opening to the finale gives way to a sprightly chromatic theme, and Bebbington leads us towards its emphatically triumphant close with energy and determination. The Sonata is followed here by an unpublished work by Bax, In the Night (Passacaglia). This has a dreamy, nocturnal feel throughout, and after the fireworks of the Sonata, it gives Bebbington the chance to demonstrate a softer touch, although there is also a fervently romantic climax here too. The Four Pieces from 1947 were again not performed in Bax’s lifetime, and receive their premiere recording here. A spiky, sardonic Fantastic March is followed by more nocturnal writing in the dark Romanza, then a calmer Idyll, before an uneasy, turbulent Phantasie to finish. The single movement Legend concludes the disc here, with its rippling arpeggios and cantabile central melody, concluded with more emphatic chordal writing. But before this comes Cohen’s Russian Impressions. Pianist Harriet Cohen was a key figure in English music of the time, premiering works by many composers, including Vaughan Williams, Elgar, Ireland and of course Bax, with whom she had a forty-year affair. Her Russian Impressions are her only original compositions in print. As one might expect from the title, the four movements are impressionistic, with an atmospheric Sunset on the Volga to open, followed by a solemnly touching The Exile. The Old Church at Wilna is equally moody, with its tolling opening chords, and The Tartars, the longest of the four pieces, uses more bell-like chords to underpin its darkly mellow melody. Bebbington brings out some of the richness in Cohen’s harmonies within these atmospheric miniatures, and they provide welcome contrast to the weight of Bax’s writing. An interesting exploration of mostly unknown repertoire, expertly and knowledgeably performed here.

Various. 2019. Private Passions - Piano music by Arnold Bax and Harriet Cohen. Mark Bebbington. Compact Disc. Somm Recordings. SOMMCD 0193.

(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene, May 2019)

CD Reviews - November 2016

The Tallis Scholars, directed by Peter Phillips, are now on their sixth disc of Masses by Josquin des Prés (c.1440-1521).  There are question marks over the authenticity of both the masses on this current disc, the Missa Di dadi (The Dice Mass) and the Missa Une mousse de Biscaye, although Phillips argues Josquin’s case well in his detailed notes.  The reason for the inclusion of dice at various points in the score of the MIssa Di Dadi is uncertain, with some connection between the numbers on the dice and the note lengths of the cantus firmus, but not entirely consistent.  The appearance of something so secular seems unusual, but gambling was very popular in Milan at the time, where Josquin wrote the mass – was this Josquin’s joke, or a nod to a wealthy patron?  The composition uses a  ‘cantus firmus’ – a tune often drawn from other sources (on this occasion a chanson by Robert Morton) around which composition is based – and this is placed in the tenor part, at different speeds (hence the dice connection). The Missa Une mousse de Biscaye draws on a secular song, with French and Basque text, and the title means ‘A lass from Biscay’.  So two examples of Josquin taking secular material as the basis for his Mass settings, the latter potentially Josquin’s earliest setting.  Both the masses here are in just four parts, and The Tallis Scholars are pared down to just eight voices, with some sections being sung by solo voices.  As ever, the blended sound is pure and even, but the simpler structure of just four parts, and a maximum of eight singers makes for a plainer, clearer sound than sometimes their larger forces produce.  These are beautiful performances, and highlights include the Crucifixus in the Missa Di dadi, with its low, falling sequential lines at ‘simul adoratur’, building to an emphatic Amen.  This is followed by a gloriously reverent Sanctus.  In the Missa Une mousse de Biscaye, there is more rhythmic motion, and the melody is passed around the parts, creating a more fluid feel.  The settings are lower, without high soaring soprano lines, and the combined voices here create a beautifully rich blend.  Highly recommended. 

des Prés, J. 2016. Josquin Masses: Di dad, Une mousse de Biscaye. The Tallis Scholars, Peter Phillips. Compact Disc. Gimell CDGIM 048.

The Brodsky Quartet have returned with their second recording of Brahms with Chandos, this time pairing the String Quartet, Op. 51 No. 1 with the great Piano Quintet, Op. 34, for which they are joined by the Ukrainian pianist Natacha Kudritskaya.  Much has been written about how Brahms struggled to follow on from Beethoven in particular in relation to his symphonic output, but similar self-doubt applied to his writing for the string quartet, and it took him until 1873, aged 40 to publish his first two, the Op. 51 set.  He only composed one more string quartet, favouring instead other chamber genres such as quintets and sextets, of which the Piano Quintet is certainly up there as one of his chamber masterpieces.  The String Quartet, Op. 51 No. 1 is, however, a fine work, with Brahms in his tragic, C minor mode.  The second movement Romanze is particularly beautiful, and the Brodsky Quartet excels here with their warm tone.  Their outer movements could have more dramatic edge and drive, but they never fail to produce a beautiful sound, and their blend is flawless.  The Piano Quintet is mammoth, and began life as a string quintet, and then as a sonata for two pianos, before he settled on its final scoring.  The first movement is full of weighty turbulence, building right from the bare unison opening to its dramatic conclusion.  The slow movement is mostly calm, with occasional undercurrents of disturbed cross rhythms disturbing the stability.  The unsettling mood continues in the Scherzo, and the Finale’s anxious slow opening develops into a dramatically passionate conclusion.  Once again, the Brodskys produce a wonderfully blended sound, and the balance with Kudritskaya is sensitive, although I would have liked a little more power from the piano at times.  Overall, these are strong performances, full of warmth and body.  

Brahms, J. 2016. String Quartet, Op. 51 No. 1, Piano Quintet, Op. 34. Brahms, J. 2016. String Quartet, Op. 51 No. 1, Piano Quintet, Op. 34. Natasha Kudritskaya, Brodsky Quartet. Compact Disc. Chandos CHAN 10892. 

Baroque violin specialist Johannes Pramsohler returns with his Ensemble Diderot with another great discovery, the Trio Sonatas of one Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville (c.1711-1772).  The French composer was a highly renowned composer in his day, although not generally remembered today.  His Trio Sonatas, Op. 2 are beautiful examples of the genre, with an artful combination of the French and Italian styles of the time.  Each in four movements, there are graceful opening adagios, lively fugues, followed by graceful slow movements, topped off with lively rapid finales.  The instrumentation is of particular interest here.  Pramsohler argues convincingly that Mondonville specially intended that some of the second violin parts could be played by a flute, keeping these parts free of double stops and placing them generally higher than the first violin part.  However, he only did this is some of the sonatas, not all, so the argument is that Mondonville wasn’t just taking the common pragmatic and economic line to expand his market, but actually specifically thought about the scoring for flute in some of the sonatas.  To this end, The Ensemble Diderot plays Sonatas 3 and 5 with violin (Pramsohler) and flute (Kristen Huebner), and the rest with two violins, Roldán Bernabé taking the second violin part.  The ‘third’ part of the trio, the continuo is provided by cellist Gulrim Choi and Philippe Grisvard on harpsichord.  These are delightful sonatas, and despite Mondonville’s slight over fondness for long chains of sequential writing, there is nevertheless much variety in the relatively constrained structure.  So, for example, the fugue of No. 4 is spiky and angular, whereas the fugue in No. 2 has a much more of a focus on running lines passed between the two violin parts.  And in the finales, he contrasts a running, racing presto in No. 1 with a dancing allegro in three to close No. 2.  As ever, the Ensemble Diderot play with great precision and energy, and the blending of the two violin parts weaving in and out of each other is particularly impressive.  The change to flute and violin provides a welcome change of texture, and Huebner is suitably sprightly to match Pramsohler in the opening duet allegro to No. 5.  But the absolute highlight for me is the very first movement of No. 1, with wonderfully delicate trilling passed back and forth between the two violins, Pramsohler and Bernabé playing with exquisite perfection here.  This world premiere recording is a welcome addition to the Ensemble Diderot’s impressive and growing catalogue.

Mondonville, J-J. C. 2016. Trio Sonatas Op. 2. Ensemble Diderot, Johannes Pramsohler. Compact Disc. Addax Records ADX 13707.

(Edited versions of these reviews first appeared in GScene, November 2016)

Exquisite Meister Sonatas, plus Biber, Pachelbel & Biber, performed with panache by Ensemble Diderot

Ensemble Diderot (credit: Alexandre Ah-Kye)

Ensemble Diderot

Johannes Pramsohler (director, violin)

Roldán Bernabé (violin)

Gulrim Choi (cello)

Philippe Grisvard (harpsichord)

St John’s Smith Square, London

Friday 6 May 2016

★★★★★

Ensemble Diderot, lead by Johannes Pramsohler chose to promote the UK launch of their latest CD (although already out in other parts of Europe) at St John’s Smith Square in London.  The CD (on their own label Audax) completes a project begun by Reinhard Goebel with Musica Antiqua Köln, who disbanded in 2007, recording six of Johann Friedrich Meister’s (c1638-1697) twelve Trio Sonatas, ‘Il Giardino del piacere’ as their final enterprise. Now Goebel has asked Pramsohler and the Ensemble Diderot to record the final six.

So in their concert, they performed three of the six they have recorded, but also included music by Pachelbel, Keller and Biber.  They opened with the ninth of the Meister set, which begins with a grand Adagio, performed with poise and elegance, followed by a chromatic Fuga. All the Sonatas have multiple, relatively short movements, based on dance forms, but as Pramsohler explained, Meister was one of the first, if not the first German composers to take the prevailing style of Lully and others and move the music away from the ‘danceable’ forms to what became Ars combinatoria. So the French and Italian styles were developed and combined, creating a more intellectual ‘art music’. So whilst the Gigue in this ninth sonata has a real bounce, played by the Ensemble Diderot with lively spirit, it is no longer obviously a simple dance. The Corrente of the twelfth sonata has real rhythmic spice, with accented offbeats, and the Allemanda of the same piece has striking upbeats, all creating great interest and once again moving the form away from the expected. The Ensemble Diderot vary the textures too, with the harpsichord dropping out of the Sarabanda in the twelfth, leaving the cello to provide a walking bass line. The third sonata contains a beautiful Adagio, with the cello starting each phrase with long held notes over which the violins and harpsichord weave plangent cries – here cellist Guglrim Choi maintains a perfectly even, semplice sound for the others to work off. These are exquisite sonatas, and from the performances here, it was easy to see how much the players had taken this music to heart.

To add some variety to their programme, in the first half we were treated to two pieces by Johann Pachelbel (1653-1706) – as Pramsohler said, ‘no, not that Canon!’.  We had the Partie No. 2 in C minor, and the Partie No. 5 in C major from ‘Musicalische Ergötzung’ from 1695, the same year as the Meister Sonatas, and both pieces employed piccolo violins. The former was given great energy with rippling harpsichord underpinning from Philippe Grisvard. The players gave the Gavot real lift, and the Treza had wonderful energy. The bittersweet sound of the higher piccolo violins was particularly noticeable in the Saraband, and the players took the repeat with a subtle pianissimo. The Gigue was given delicate articulation, finishing with some incredibly precise spiccato from the violins.

The two Pachelbel pieces were separated by a Chaconne from a Trio Sonata by a composer new to me, one Godfrey Keller (1650-1704). Apparently born Gottfried in Germany, he settled in England as a musical theorist, harpsichordist and composer. Pramsohler described the Chaconne as a palate-cleansing sorbet, and it bears noticeable similarities to ‘that Canon’ from Pachelbel. The players gave this enchanting piece a pleasing lilt, and Choi on the cello in particular was given a chance to shine here.

Before the second Pachelbel Partie, with a return to the piccolo violins, Johannes Pramsohler took the opportunity to explain a bit more about the challenges of the differently tuned instruments, and ‘scordatura’ notation, where fingerings are marked as if one is playing a normally tuned violin. Having struggled slightly to get this across to Sean Rafferty on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune programme the day before, he decided the best way to demonstrate this was by playing the opening of the Pachelbel Partie No. 5 in C major on normal violins, immediately showing the result of the different tuning and the mental agility required of the violinists to perform this semi-transposed music. They then transferred back to the piccolo violins to perform the Partie No. 5. Again, the piccolo violins give a sweet yet slightly nasal sound, particularly noticeable in the opening Sonata movement. Throughout, Pachelbel provides lots of exchanges between the two violins, relished here by Pramsohler and Roldán Bernabé. 

So after two of the Meister Sonatas after the interval, the Ensemble Diderot cleverly finished their programme with a Partita, No. 6 from the ‘Harmonia artificiosa-ariosa’. Whilst the Meister Sonatas are delightful, they perhaps don’t allow for great shows of virtuosity from the players, and of course all create relatively similar sound worlds. The Biber Partita, from only one year later, is like something from another world. The opening Praeludium is reminiscent of a hurdy-gurdy, and very soon, the violins are showing off with some death-defying string crossing, double stopping and spiccato. It felt a little like the Ensemble players had suddenly been let of the leash, and they brought their highly impressive concert to a lively and spirited close.

Mister, J. F. 2016. Il giardino del piacere. Ensemble Diderot, Johannes Pramsohler. Compact Disc. Audax Records ADX 13705.

(Review of CD here)