Early, Classical and Beyond

Idil Biret Solo Edition 8 – Alexander Scriabin
Idil Biret
IBA 8.571302

The Idil Biret Archive (IBA) covers the long career of this much-recorded pianist; its Solo Edition features recent performances by the still-masterly Biret. This disc includes all 12 Scriabin Études of Op.8 and the eight of Op.42, along with Op.2, No.1 and the Fantaisie, Op.38. Biret’s expansive technique and musicianship meet the many requirements of these intricate, virtuosic pieces. Though it is greatly influenced by Chopin, I find Scriabin’s early style more “Russian” than do most commentators. Biret projects well the Russian soul and idiomatic vocal inflections of the dolorous Op.8, No.11 (1895). She is equally at home with the intense expressiveness, typically thick middle- and low-register textures and wide-ranging leaps (though a couple are missed) in the popular No.12 in D-Sharp Minor.

In the Op.42 Études (1903) Scriabin’s style becomes more idiosyncratic. The rapid moth-like No.1 is crowded with non-harmonic tones. Unequal note-grouping between left-hand accompaniment and right hand melody pervades several pieces, including No.6 with its five against three ratio. Scriabin’s tendency toward agitated and complex inner parts becomes more frequent as in No.5, as well as in the Fantaisie (1900). The overall tendency toward greater harmonic and rhythmic exploration connects with the often-improvisatory origins of Scriabin’s works, which Biret conveys with convincing rubato where appropriate. Among other things, this set is a good preparation for Scriabin’s later experimental, darkly mystical piano compositions.

The complete cycle of Beethoven String Quartets with which the Quatuor Alcan is celebrating their 25th anniversary continues with Volume 2, a 3-CD set featuring the five works that have come to be known as the middle quartets: the Razumovsky quartets Op.59, Nos.1-3; Op.74, The Harp; and Op.95, Quartetto serioso (ATMA Classique ACD2 2492).

The high standard set by Volume 1, reviewed in this column last issue, continues here. As with that set, these works were recorded several years ago, between May 2008 and December 2011, but the fact that all the recordings were made at the excellent Salle Françoys-Bernier at Le Domaine Forget in Saint-Irénée in Quebec means that there is no discernable difference in the recorded sound.

Given the quality of the first two sets, I can’t wait to hear what the ensemble does with the late quartets in the final volume, scheduled for release in April.

There’s yet another beautiful CD of the three Brahms Violin Sonatas, this time featuring the French violinist Augustin Dumay and Canadian pianist Louis Lortie (Onyx 4133).

The playing here is perfectly judged. Nothing is ever rushed, but nothing ever seems to drag either; there is plenty of forward impetus when needed and a natural flow to the music that is helped by the expansive phrasing and the beautifully judged dynamics.

Dumay plays with his heart on his sleeve to some degree, with a big tone and a judicial use of portamento, but his playing – and Lortie’s too, for that matter – is always underpinned by great thought, intelligence and perception.

The Scherzo in C Minor, Brahms’ contribution to the collaborative F-A-E Sonata that he, Robert Schumann and Albert Dietrich wrote for Joseph Joachim, rounds out a simply lovely CD.

Hyperion’s outstanding series The Romantic Violin Concerto reaches Volume 18 with major works by the Belgian composer Joseph Jongen (1873-1953), in terrific performances by Philippe Graffin and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic under Martyn Brabbins (CDA68005).

The three works here – the Fantasia in E Major Op.12, the Adagio symphonique in B Major Op.20 and the Violin Concerto in B Minor Op.17 – were all written within a three-year period around the turn of the last century, when Jongen was still in his 20s. All are beautifully crafted Romantic works, with the concerto in particular a major composition with a quite beautiful slow movement.

Also included is the Rapsodie in E Minor by Jongen’s contemporary Sylvio Lazzari (1857-1944). Although born in Italy, Lazzari lived in France for most of his life and was influenced by Gounod, Franck and Chausson as well as by Wagner. His music has remained mostly unperformed since his death, but if this beautiful Rapsodie is anything to go by, then we’ve all been really missing something.

Graffin is, as usual, superb in every respect throughout the CD, with a luscious tone, expansive and nuanced phrasing, and sensitivity and passion to burn. He is given terrific support by Brabbins and the orchestra.

The outstanding Chinese violinist Tianwa Yang adds to her already highly impressive Naxos discography with a new CD of the two Violin Concertos by Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (8.573135). Pieter-Jelle de Boer conducts the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden Baden und Freiburg.

It’s always interesting to hear rarely performed 20th-century violin concertos, and it’s a pretty safe bet that you won’t know the Concerto Italiano Op.31 at all – it’s a world premiere recording. Written in 1924, it looks back to the violin styles of the 17th and 18th centuries, and was considered by the composer to be his first truly symphonic work. Jascha Heifetz really liked it and after performing it in Paris in 1927 and in New York in 1931 he asked Castelnuovo-Tedesco to write a new concerto for him.

The resulting work, the Violin Concerto No.2 ‘The Prophets,’ Op.66, is certainly completely different. In 1925 the composer had discovered a notebook in which his grandfather had notated the music for some Hebrew prayers; the discovery had a deep emotional effect on him and led to his writing several works that celebrated his Jewish heritage. The concerto is one of these and uses traditional Jewish melodies in an orchestral setting that has more than a hint of the Hollywood movie scores that Castelnuovo-Tedesco would produce after moving to California some ten years later.

Heifetz, who gave the premiere in 1933 and also recorded the concerto, really liked it, but commented that apparently “no-one else did.” I’m with Heifetz.

Strings Attached continues at thewholenote.com with guitar concertos by Torroba (Pepe Romero and Vicente Coves), string quartets by Ruperto Chapí (Cuarteto Latinamericano) and works by Piazzolla arranged for violin and harp (Ann Hopson Pilot and Lucia Lin).

If you were asked to name a Spanish composer who lived through almost all of the 20th century, was over 90 when he died and wrote several guitar concertos, chances are you would name Joaquín Rodrigo (1901-1999), but Federico Moreno Torroba (1891-1982) was an exact contemporary who wrote ten guitar concertos of his own.

Naxos has issued Volume 1 of the Torroba Guitar Concertos, featuring guitarists Pepe Romero and Vicente Coves and the Málaga Philharmonic Orchestra under Manuel Coves (8.573255). Romero is the soloist in the world premiere recording of the Concierto en Flamenco, written in 1962 for the virtuoso flamenco guitarist Sabicas. Romero’s technical and musical mastery of both the flamenco and classical guitar styles make him an ideal interpreter. Coves is the featured soloist in the Diálogos entre guitarra y Orquesta, which was originally written for Andrés Segovia in the early 1960s but was subsequently revised and premiered in 1977. Pepe Romero recorded it in 1980. Since Coves is described in the booklet notes as having been a disciple of Romero’s for the best part of the last 20 years his performance clearly has the stamp of authenticity. Both works are pleasant and entertaining – the Diálogos in particular has a beautiful Andante movement – but neither makes as strong a first impression as the more popular Rodrigo concertos, which may partly account for their being less well known.

This Naxos CD is the first of three volumes of Torroba’s complete works for guitar and orchestra. As there are ten concertos to cover, the inclusion of two fairly substantial solo guitar works here is somewhat surprising. Again, the two soloists share the spotlight, with Romero the soloist in the five-movement suite Aires de La Mancha and Coves performing the three-movement Suite castellana, which includes Torroba’s first-ever composition for the guitar. Both works were the result of the composer’s collaboration with Segovia.

This seems to be a good month for works you’re not likely to hear that often, or even to know at all.

Ruperto Chapí (1851-1909) is a new name to me, and his String Quartets 1 & 2 are available on a new Sono Luminus CD in performances by the Cuarteto Latinoamericano (DSL-92185).

Chapí was a Spanish composer famous in his native country for his zarzuelas, the popular Spanish opera form, and he didn’t turn to chamber music until the last decade of his life, starting work on a series of four string quartets in 1903.

There certainly wasn’t much of a Spanish quartet tradition to follow. Little had been written since the three quartets of Juan Arriaga, who died just short of his 20th birthday in 1826, but the formation of the Cuarteto Francés ensemble in Madrid in 1901 kick-started the composition of string quartets by a number of local composers, Chapí among them. His first quartet was dedicated to the Cuarteto Francés.

Chapí had a thorough knowledge of the European masters, but his quartets are essentially portraits of Spain using the rhythms and colours of Spanish folk music. They are charming and effective works, and while the booklet notes mention references to Tchaikovsky and Grieg their mostly warm and sunny nature seems to me to be more reminiscent of Borodin’s D-Major Second Quartet.

The Cuarteto Latinoamericano are in their element here; you couldn’t ask for better performances.

Escualo is the title of a lovely new CD of the music of Astor Piazzolla, with violinist Ann Hobson Pilot and harpist Lucia Lin supported on selected tracks by J.P. Jofre on the bandoneón (harmonia mundi 907627).

Piazzolla’s nuevo tango music, which fused the traditional Argentine tango with jazz and classical elements, has become extremely popular over the past few decades, and the arrangements here work very well. There are two instrumental solos – Chiquillin de Bachin for harp and Tango-Étude III for violin – and two duets for violin and harp – Valsísimo and the four-movement suite Histoire du Tango. The only disappointment for me is the fact that the bandoneón only appears in the two remaining works: the three-movement Angel Suite and the title track. It’s a real pity, because the instrument’s distinctive sound adds such an air of authenticity to the music and takes it to a quite different level.

Pilot’s playing is clean and idiomatic, albeit perhaps a little restrained at times, but no matter – it’s always a delight to listen to, and she clearly understands the heart of this music.

Handel’s Recorder: Recorder Sonatas; Musick for the Royal Fireworks
Ruth Wilkinson; Miriam Morris; John O’Donnell
Divine Art dda 25124
(divineartrecords.com)

Putting out a CD of Handel’s recorder sonatas might seem a slightly strange choice these days, as numerous versions are already available; but then, if musicians want to record music they’ve known and long enjoyed, who’s to argue? Featuring three Australians active as performers and teachers for over three decades, this disc opens with a twist: an intimate version of the Music for the Royal Fireworks, arranged in the 18th century (like much of Handel’s opera music) for treble instrument and basso continuo. It’s a pleasure to hear this piece in miniature, and quite entertaining if you’re familiar with the heartily orchestrated original!

The four recorder sonatas from Handel’s Opus 1, lovely pieces all, follow in their usual order, and there is much tasteful and cheery playing here. The perennial balance problems in the A minor sonata are solved by the removal of the bass viol from the mix, though that’s a bit of a pity because Handel’s bass lines are so robust, but that said, harpsichordist John O’Donnell whips through the feisty second movement with aplomb. The seasoned and well-knit ensemble playing of recorder player Ruth Wilkinson and her colleagues O’Donnell and gambist Miriam Morris is immediately evident, as is their affection for this music. The booklet notes are informative and the recorded sound is particularly beautiful; because of this, the session photo of the musicians with their tech team is a very nice touch.

Canada’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.

On 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.

The 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.

It’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.

Gould 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.

Beethoven – 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.