Bach - Brandenburg Concertos; Shostakovich – Preludes (arr. Maute)
Ensemble Caprice; Matthias Maute
Analekta AN 2 9996-7
The Montreal-based recorder/flute player, composer and conductor Matthias Maute has established himself as one of the country’s finest baroque musicians and his Ensemble Caprice maintains a busy annual touring and recording schedule. The oft-recorded Brandenburg Concertos are given lively performances by Maute and his excellent Montreal colleagues, with stellar work from violinist (and violist in the sixth concerto) Olivier Brault, oboist Matthew Jennejohn, trumpeter Josh Cohen and, perhaps especially, harpsichordist Erin Helyard, who handles the challenging solo part in the fifth concerto with elegance and style.
There is a certain hyper-energetic quality to the playing that is at first attractive, but can become exhausting. Maute’s approach, even in the slow movements, is aggressive and rustic, with extreme dynamic contrasts, accents and abrupt endings to phases and – sometimes – whole movements. This is certainly not easy listening, but it gives a fresh, honest and immediate feel to the music making, emphasizing the improvisatory nature of Bach’s music.
Maute’s liner notes are fanciful and entertaining, as he analyzes each concerto in terms of instrument hierarchy, trying to prove that Bach was making subversive political statements with these pieces.
Each concerto is preceded by a short work by Shostakovich, originally for piano, but orchestrated by Maute especially for the Bach forces. These preludes (and one fugue) were apparently inspired by Shostakovich’s adjudication of the 1950 International Bach Competition and his admiration of the Well-Tempered Clavier. The performances are tremendously successful and their inclusion lends a special flavour to the whole program.
