Robbins 01 Beethoven AlcanCanada’s Quatuor Alcan has been at the forefront of the string quartet world for many years now, and the ensemble is currently celebrating its 25th anniversary. The group’s sizeable discography includes quartets by Haydn, Mozart and Schubert, but so far, perhaps surprisingly, only two of Beethoven’s 16 string quartets. That’s about to change, however, as their 25th anniversary is being marked by the release of a CD series of the complete Beethoven Cycle. Volume 1 (ATMA ACD2 2491) was released in November and is a 2-CD issue containing the six quartets of Op.18. Although the ensemble’s website refers to the Beethoven project as a “new recording,” these six quartets here were actually recorded between May 2007 and November 2010. 

It’s certainly an auspicious start to the series. There’s marvellous playing, tremendous accuracy and attention to detail here, made even more effective by the way this ensemble seems to think, breathe and play in complete unison.

The Alcan is up against serious competition in this field of course, with complete cycles still available from most of the leading ensembles of the last 60 years – the Guarneri, Amadeus, Orford, Alban Berg, Budapest, Borodin, Emerson, Tokyo, Artemis and Quartetto Italiano for starters. The good news, though, is that comparisons are not only almost impossible but also completely irrelevant; this promises to be a terrific set, and that’s all that matters.

Volumes 2 and 3 are scheduled for release in February and April of this year. Stay tuned.

Robert Schumann, more than any other composer I can think of, tended to concentrate on one particular genre of composition at a time. 1842 was his chamber music year and his three String Quartets Op.41 were written in a matter of eight weeks in June and July, after he had spent several months preparing by studying the quartets of Haydn, Mozart and – in particular – Beethoven, whose late quartets had so impressed him a few years earlier. The influence of the latter is easy to hear, but the voice that really leaps out at you is that of Mendelssohn, to whom the quartets were dedicated on their publication in 1848.

Robbins 02 Schumann YingOn Schumann, their latest CD (Sono Luminus DSL-92184), the Ying Quartet gives passionate and committed performances of these wonderful works. Schumann’s non-keyboard compositions are often viewed as being somewhat pianistic, but if any of his works belie this view it’s these string quartets: they are beautifully written – idiomatic, strong and imaginative, sensitive and nuanced, with wide-ranging emotions and an abundance of rhythmic vitality. All of these qualities are fully exploited by the Ying Quartet; this is full-blooded Romantic playing recorded with a rich resonance.

The CD package comes with an additional Pure Audio Blu-ray CD equipped with the mShuttle application, enabling you to access portable copies of the music featured on the regular CD.

Robbins 03 LanggaardThe third and final volume of the outstanding series of the Complete String Quartets by the Danish composer Rued Langgaard (1893-1952) is now available (DACAPO 6.220577). Volume 1 was reviewed in depth in this column in July 2012 and Volume 2 in April 2014, at which times I noted that Denmark’s Nightingale String Quartet was simply superb in this series of all nine quartets by a composer described as an eccentric outsider who was virtually ignored by the Danish musical establishment in his lifetime.

Most of Langgaard’s string quartets were written in his youth, between 1914 and 1925, although his later revision and recycling of earlier material makes for a confusing numbering system which doesn’t include all of the quartets and doesn’t even reflect the order of their composition. As the excellent booklet notes point out, the works date from the departure point between Late Romanticism and Modernism and cover a remarkably wide stylistic spectrum, with tonal idioms ranging from Mozart to Bartók.

This third volume features the String Quartet No.1 from 1914-15 (revised in 1936), the String Quartet No.5 from 1925 (revised 1926-38) and the very brief string quartet movement Italian Scherzo from late 1950, Langgaard’s last contribution to the genre. This track and the String Quartet No.1 are world premiere recordings.

Once again, the performances by the prize-winning all-female Nightingale Quartet are outstanding – warm, passionate, expressive and displaying great ensemble playing. Beautifully recorded at the Royal Danish Academy of Music and issued on Denmark’s national record label, these performances are as close to definitive as you can get; the complete set is an outstanding addition to the 20th century string quartet discography.

Robbins 04 Brahms SonatasIt’s always a good sign when you play through an entire CD of some of your favourite works and realize that you were so taken by the performances that you haven’t even made any notes. That’s exactly what happened with the new CD of the three Brahms Sonatas for Violin and Piano in performances by the French violinist Arnaud Sussmann and the American pianist Orion Weiss (Telos Music TLS 174). From the opening bars of the wistful G Major Op.78 through the graceful A Major Op.100 to the tempestuous D Minor Op.108, this is simply beautiful playing. Sussmann has a warm, soft tone and faultless intonation, and perfectly captures the different moods of these glorious works. His tonal quality and nuanced phrasing are matched by Weiss, who is an outstanding collaborator and partner throughout the CD. Recorded in Germany in 2013, the sound quality and balance are excellent.

There are so many terrific young violinists around these days that it’s difficult to keep up with them all. The English violinist Thomas Gould is a new name to me, but like many of the soloists I encounter for the first time is already into his early 30s and well-established; also, like many of his contemporaries who grew up in the musical world of the 1980s and 1990s, he is reluctant to restrict his playing to any particular genre.

Robbins 05 Thomas GouldGould describes his latest CD, Bach to Parker (Champs Hill CHRCD078) as beginning life as a recital program in which he interspersed movements from Bach’s Six Sonatas and Partitas for unaccompanied violin with some of the new works recorded here for the first time. His intention was to show how contemporary extended violin technique has evolved from Bach’s supreme contrapuntal writing, and the result is a fascinating CD.

Gould’s technical prowess and musical intelligence are established right from the start with a warm, expansive performance of the great Chaconne from Bach’s D-minor Partita No.2. From then on it’s an eclectic list of ten short pieces written by predominantly young contemporary composers – six are still in their 30s – almost all of whom were either born or are now resident in the UK.

Two pieces – Nico Muhly’s A Long Line and Mark Bowden’s Lines Written A Few Miles Below – use pre-recorded backing tracks, but the rest are pure solos by Graham Williams (Mr. Punch), Anna Meredith (Charged), Nimrod Borenstein (Quasi una cadenza), Ewan Campbell (Two Extremes), Aziza Sadikova (La Baroque), Dai Fujikura (Kusmetche) and John Hawkins (Bobop).

The CD ends with the Miles Davis tune Donna Lee, made famous by the recording with Charlie Parker’s quintet – hence the title of the CD. Gould is joined by bassist David O’Brien in a terrific but all-too-brief jazz performance that channels Stéphane Grappelli.

 

Gould’s tone is sumptuous throughout, regardless of the style he is required to play; hardly surprising, given that he plays a 1782 J.B. Guadagnini violin. The whole CD is a fascinating look at the contemporary music scene in England, and at the way that many young virtuoso musicians view their role and function in a changing musical world.

03 Classical 01 Beethoven Piano ConcertosBeethoven – The Piano Concertos; Triple Concerto
Mari Kodama; Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin; Kent Nagano
Berlin Classics 0300597BC

They say marriages are made in heaven and this is a good case for it, especially if the wife is distinguished Japanese pianist Mari Kodama and the husband the incomparable Kent Nagano, one of the top five conductors today. Apart from their obvious love for each other, there is another bond, their love of Beethoven. For them playing these concertos is a constant revelation, a journey of discovery, as if they’ve never heard this music before. “Richly nuanced” comes to mind as Kodama particularly delights in the unexpected, where Beethoven breaks tradition, as well as in his sense of humour, most pronounced in the two early concertos she recorded in 2006 (previously reviewed enthusiastically on these pages). At that time she was relatively unknown.

It has taken almost eight years for the young pianist to mature sufficiently to conquer the final three, in which Beethoven by a tremendous quantum leap broke loose from the spectre of his predecessors, Haydn and Mozart. Each one is a new entity, a world of its own, completely different from those written before and completely different from each other as well. From the poignant, minor key Third, through the gracefully eloquent, unorthodox and probably the most forward-looking Fourth, to the boldly defiant, heroic Fifth which the deaf Beethoven wrote while Vienna was being heavily bombarded by Napoleon’s guns, all shine with technical brilliance, superbly controlled passion, grace, rhythmic precision, clarity and an epic sweep that are certainly the mark of a mature pianist. A spectacular achievement for Kodama, who is joined by Kolja Blacher (violin) and Johannes Moser (cello) in a memorable performance of the Triple Concerto in C Major, Op.56 under Nagano’s deft direction.

03 Classical 02 Clarinet TriosBeethoven; Brahms; Weber
Jon Manasse; Jon Nakamatsu; Clive Greensmith
Harmonia Mundi HMU 807618

Oh, to have made this recording! What fine playing and fine representation of the repertoire from clarinetist Jon Manasse, with Jon Nakamatsu on cello and Clive Greensmith on piano. The early Beethoven Trio, Op.11 sets a tone of heady optimism, youthful spirit and crisp virtuosity. Beethoven had yet to discover his deafness when he wrote this work. It is perhaps hindsight informing the sense one gets that the young composer felt invulnerable, yet this performance favours the notion. Interesting liner notes fill in details about this seldom-recorded piece, including the fact that Beethoven took the theme for its third movement from a popular opera aria of the day, now forgotten.

At the far end of the romantic spectrum is the final work on the disc, Brahms’ monumental Trio in A Minor, Op.114. As dark and melancholic as the Beethoven is light and chipper, it is a work for which Brahms saved a final great outburst of his Sturm und Drang manner. The piece is difficult, especially the finale, where the sections can seem almost cut-and-pasted together. This tremendous ensemble works beautifully together, eliding and joining the range of moods into a seamless expression. Manasse does something mysterious with his tone in the haunting, second movement Adagio. Rather than press, he floats. It’s extraordinary. This is a special performance, and I’m glad to have heard it.

Sandwiched by the trios is Weber’s Grand Duo Concertante Op.48. Here I’m bound to question how often they dip into the rubato well, which I think cheapens Weber’s music. I like Weber. I think he shows what a lesser-talented Beethoven might have written, had he grown up in the real one’s shadow.

03 Classical 03 Fantasy Parkerfantasy
Jon Kimura Parker
Independent FP0908
(jonkimuraparker.com)

Jon Kimura Parker first gained attention as the Gold Medal winner of the Leeds International Piano Competition in 1984 and he has since maintained a stellar 30-year career. Parker’s newest release fantasy presents five solo piano works in this genre, demonstrating not only his technical prowess, but also his substantial range. The recording opens with Schubert’s Fantasie in C Major, D760, also known as the Wanderer Fantasy, and closes with another monumental work, Schumann’s Fantasie, Op.17. Parker’s deeply expressive playing and seemingly tireless energy propel the momentum of these complex, multi-movement compositions.

Originally written for two pianos, William Hirtz’s Wizard of Oz Fantasy (1999) is presented here in a solo piano arrangement that transforms a medley of Herbert Stothart & Harold Arlen’s Academy Award-winning score into a virtuoso’s delight with its changing textures and dazzling finale. Calogero Di Liberto’s Fantasia sulla Cavalleria Rusticana is a tribute to the opera composer, and fellow Sicilian, Pietro Mascagni with a fantasy that, although written in 2005, recalls the Romantic grandeur of Liszt’s operatic piano transcriptions. The bravura of these two works is in stark contrast to Mozart’s unfinished Fantasia in D minor, KV397 featuring Parker’s own 90-second ending and refined playing.

Mention should also be made of the excellent audio quality of this 75-minute CD that was recorded in Stude Concert Hall at Rice University, Texas where Parker is professor of piano.

03 Classical 04 Niagara PlayersTransformation
Gallery Players of Niagara
Independent GPN14002 (galleryplayers.ca)

Chamber transcriptions of vocal or orchestral music are nothing new – as early as the 1780s, Bohemian composer Joseph Tribensee was arranging arias from Mozart operas for woodwind ensembles, helping to bring music from the opera house onto the street. The tradition continues today, and among the most recent offerings is this delightful disc aptly titled Transformation, featuring arrangements of works by Beethoven, Ravel and Schumann performed by the Gallery Players of Niagara.

The disc opens with Beethoven’s Violin Sonata Op.24 “Spring” – as transcribed for flute, violin, viola and cello by GPN violist Patrick Jordan. Here, the deft arrangement is greatly enhanced by elegant and finely-nuanced playing in which the ensemble achieves a particularly sensitive balance at all times.

Ravel thought highly enough of his keyboard suite Le Tombeau de Couperin to produce an orchestral version in 1919. In this particular arrangement for oboe, clarinet, violin, cello and piano, Trevor Wagler indeed achieves what he set out to do – to remain as faithful to the original as possible. The playing is both graceful and spirited, while the inclusion of the piano is an attractive reminder that the suite was originally conceived for solo keyboard.

Most transcriptions diminish the original orchestration, but in the case of the third work – Schumann’s famous song cycle Dichterliebe Op.48 the resources are augmented, comprising an unusual combination of string quartet, classical guitar and double bass, all joined by Canadian baritone Brett Polegato. Yet Patrick Jordan’s arrangement in no way hampers the mood of quiet introspection, and the six members together with Polegato’s warm interpretation achieve a wonderful sense of intimacy right up to the anguished finale, Die alten, bösen Lieder.

Transformation is appealing on two levels – tasteful and sympathetic arrangements coupled with some fine music-making. It’s perfect listening for a brisk day in February – or for that matter, any time of year.

03 Classical 05 Debussy HamelinDebussy – Images; Preludes II
Marc-Andr
é
Hamelin
Hyperion CDA67920

Internationally recognized French-Canadian pianist Marc-André Hamelin has an impressively extensive repertoire and an astounding discography of approximately 60 albums recorded on the Hyperion label. Hamelin originally developed a reputation as a virtuoso performer of little-known, and fiendishly difficult, late-19th and early-20th century music. This CD showcases Hamelin’s masterful technical control and intriguing interpretive vision as he ventures into the world of Impressionism with a recording of Debussy’s Images (complete) and Préludes, Book II.

Written between 1905 and 1907, the two volumes of Images feature Debussys six well-known favourites Reflets dans l’eau, Hommage à Rameau, Mouvement, Cloches à travers les feuilles, Et la lune descend sur le temple qui fut and Poissons d’or. Suited to the composers rare moments of overt virtuosity, Hamelin executes the intricate passagework with fluidity and ease, exposing an array of subtle tone colours.

The first book of twelve Préludes was composed in 1909-1910, with the second set published three years later. Each Prelude has a descriptive title and the works are considered some of Debussys finest compositions for piano. Hamelin effectively captures the different moods of each piece, bringing a brooding quality to the dark Brouillards and Feuilles morts, complexity to Ondine, and a subtle playfulness to the comic General Lavine. The final prelude Feux d’artifice (Fireworks), the most difficult of the set, catapults this beautiful album to a resplendent close.

03 Classical 06 Pictures at an ExhibitionMussorgsky – Pictures at an Exhibition; Schumann – Fantasie
Paul Lewis
Harmonia Mundi HMC902096

For the first time in memory I found myself truly listening to Mussorgsky’s music. The score itself is not unfamiliar to most music lovers and collectors for whom the only reason for hearing a new performance is surely to assess the pianistic and athletic prowess of the performer. Not so here… not at all. From the opening Promenade there is a real sense of discovery that is unlike any other version, recorded or live, that I have ever heard. This is patrician playing in the very best sense of the word.

There is more than a sense of musical narrative here. His art makes maximum use of the ups and downs of the journey that arcs the music through its climactic episodes with patrician ease. He is always the empathetic observer. This may seem obvious but Lewis is the only performer of whom I am aware, who, instead of imposing his pianistic stamina on the score, successfully plays the music from within, thereby revealing the unsuspected, hidden beauties, the ebb and flow, tension and release as carefully written by the composer.

The listener to this unique performance may well conclude that any orchestration of it is superfluous, losing many of Mussorgsky’s subtlest nuances. Most pianists end up with a demonstration of how loudly they can erect the Great Gate of Kiev, now judged to be a measure of a great performance. Lewis employs extraordinary control in restraining his performance to achieve maximum effect without limiting its power, thereby rather strengthening it.

A stroke of genius on someone’s part was to follow the extroverted Mussorgsky with the substantial, inward-looking Schumann Fantasie. Many of the greats have recorded this work but Lewis stands behind none of them.

The sound is exemplary.

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