More Lessons for the Classical Niche Crowd?

Several composers have written music for study purposes. Two typical examples are Bach’s Trio Sonatas to teach one of his sons how to master the three simultaneous voices of the organ (two keyboards with obligato pedal), and Chopin’s two sets of Etudes to practise his fingers to be able to compete in a strong field of excellent pianists. With this second release by the Polish quality label Prelude Classics, another series of study materials comes our way. The possibly for many not-so-well-known Belgian-born composer, Jean-Baptiste Loeillet, wrote several ‘Lessons’ for practising, six of which, composed for the Harpsichord, are now put on record by Michał Bryła. Bach’s and Chopin’s works meant for study purposes, have since become part of the core keyboard repertoire. Will the Six Lessons by Loeillet follow the same path? 

For a good understanding: In Loeillet’s days ‘Lessons for the Harpsichord’ were nothing special. Several composers, including Handel, produced them for obvious reasons. Not all reached the level of core repertoire. As for Loeillet; at the end of the day, it is the listener who decides. The performer and the sound quality are nonetheless compelling factors for the final verdict.

Whose lessons are they anyway?

Confusion exists about the Loeillet family and who wrote what. There is an earlier recording of ‘Six Suits of Lessons for Harpsichord or Spinet’, released in 2019 on the Urania Label (Leonardo Digital Collection) with the Italian Harpsichord player Luigi Chiarizia, advertised as Jean-Baptiste (John) Loeillet. A mistake. They were composed by Loeillet’s Flemish cousin, Jean Baptiste Loeillet de Ghent. And then there is a Jacques Loeillet … Furthermore, according to La Sala del Cembalo del Caro Sassone (The Handel Harpsichord Room), there is a 2018 recording of John Loeillet’s ‘Six SuIts of Lessons’ with the Italian Harpsichordist Fernando de Luca, but is nowhere listed as CD. The Loeillet we are talking about, is the one that settled in England referring to himself as ‘John L. of London’ and the Suites recorded here are his.

A World’s First?

Looking at it from different angles, it is not clear whether or not John’s set has been recorded previously. However, World Premiere or not, Michał Bryła has, in my view, hit for more than one reason the jackpot. Firstly, the soloist, Maria Banaszkiewicz-Bryła, professor at the Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań, Poland, turns out to be a phenomenal harpsichordist; secondly, these Suites are now for the first time available in Super Audio; and last but not least, reading the technical specifications in the booklet, Bryła has not spared any technical means to produce all Six at the highest possible engineered level. 

Mother and Son at work.

My listening sessions confirmed Maria’s pleasing style; a style that matches, in all its shades and colours, the intimacy of this sophisticated and noble instrument. Yet, she shows her technical aptitude i.a. in a magnificently projected Corrente (Courante) in the Fifth Suite. Harpsichords can sometimes sound like someone scraping his throat. A warm sonority is on display thanks to Bryła’s careful engineering with a realistic sonority and discrete surround sound pattern. A family in harmony is what I sensed; Mother and Son at work. 

I shan’t pretend that Loeillet’s Suites are of a similarly high level as Bach’s Trio Sonatas. It would need more time to wait and see if confirmed harpsichord players will put and keep it in their repertoire. For the time being, however, and surely in Madame Maria Banaszkiewicz‒Bryła’s interpretation, they have given me immense listening pleasure. We must be thankful for her having taken them out of oblivion. 

The liner notes by Lilianna Stawarz are equally outstanding! It makes the ‘Six SuIts of Lessons for the Harpsichord or Spinnet in most of the Key’s with Variety of Passages and Variations Throughout the Work’ all the more monumental. A true contribution to the classical catalogue and to all those who demand nothing less than the best.  Simply said: A Must Have.

Epilogue.

More from Michal Bryla and Prelude Classics:

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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  Young & Foolish: Mozart & C.P.E. Bach
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Music that makes you happy.

If there is anything these days that we need in large quantities, it’s music that makes you happy. Well, here it is, thanks to Alpha Classics. It is said that Mozart’s music has a positive effect on the psyche. Studies prove it though others -as always- deny such an effect. Whatever the truth, test it for yourself. I have no reliable information on a similar spin-off from C.P.E. Bach, but by listening to the works recorded here, it worked for me. 

In this context, Café Zimmerman and its ‘bartender’ Pablo Valetti are a further uplifting element. With Madame Frisch as a ‘regular’ at the harpsichord, and visiting artist, Monsieur Melnikov, playing the fortepiano, your enjoyment can’t go wrong.

Who is the Young; who is the Foolish?

The title of this release is puzzling. Reading the liner notes to discover why ‘Young & Foolish: Mozart & C.P.E. Bach’ was chosen, the ‘Why’ doesn’t become altogether clear. In the sense: Young Mozart against foolish C.P.E. Bach, is not very complimentary for the second ‘Hamburg & Berlin’ son of Pappa Bach. The other way around, then? Mozart the Fool? Could be. But then again C.P.E. Bach was years his senior and not Foolish. So, we must accept the explanation of Café Zimmermann: “One can readily imagine them, the young man and the old, crafting the history of music and of art .. with the enthusiasm of reckless youth: young & foolish”. 

Or is it ‘Fresh & Fruity’?

Reading the accompanying booklet, one searches in vain for details about Café Zimmermann. It is not a pub, but a French Baroque Orchestra, created in 1999, with a complement of around 20 musicians, led by violinist Pablo Valetti and harpsichordist Céline Frisch. It is named after and aims at “bringing together soloists who strive to revive the artistic emulation brought about by the establishment of Gottfried Zimmermann (Zimmermannsches Kaffeehaus, or Coffeehouse) in Leipzig in the 18th century”. The place no longer exists. It was destroyed at the end of the Second World War. But its importance for the world of Baroque lingers on in Avignon, in the South of France, the home base of this ensemble. In this new recording, their playing is straightforward. No unnecessary salon-style frills. Firm in tone and attack, committed and virtuoso in a brilliantly shaded execution of the scores. ‘Fresh & Fruity’, that’s how it sounds to me. 

Stern Lutheran North meets Sunny Catholic South.

The Sunnyside first. One of the most inspiriting parts of this release comes from Mozart. Who else? His popular Third Divertimento KV 138 was indeed meant for pleasure. Not too difficult and full of charm. Café Zimmermann play with gusto and succeed in making the listener happy. Most enjoyable!

From the North comes C.P.E. Bach’s Symphony in D major WQ 1831/1, and double keyboard concerto, in a version for harpsichord (Mme Cécile Frisch, playing a 2013 Christoph Kern copy after Michael Mietke, Berlin 1710) and fortepiano (Monsieur Alexander Melnikov, playing a 2007 Christoph Kern pianoforte copy after Anton Walter, Wien 1795). I wonder how many are familiar with these works. They are new to me. Looking at bot, typically a case of Lutheran North meets Sunny Catholic South. Different in structure, but similar in bringing new to old, whether or not that be ‘Foolish’ is not up to me to judge. 

In the Double Concerto, both soloists treat us with a buoyant and sparkling performance that can best be compared to a glass of bubbling Champagne. Tossing the narrative back and forth between harpsichord and fortepiano, interspersed with glowing accentuating strings and twinkling flutes, in the outer movements, and a stern more solemn (Nordic?) tone in the middle to remind us that joy is a bonus that needs to be earned.    

Covering More Drama than the album’s etiquette suggests.

The orchestral forces deliver the perfect background for Alexander Melnikov to perform Mozart’s 17^th piano concerto on a fortepiano. Though the final part of the programme, it is by all means its central main item. Melnikov’s reading breathes the genius of a talented composer. Popular as it was at the time and now still is, it is more dramatic than the album’s etiquette suggests. Melnikov adds baroque-style ornaments, which I like. And not only to reinforce the orchestral body in the tuttis. At the same time, however, the andante foreshadows elements of Romance. Carefully and sensitively portrayed. The final movement is the cherry on our longing for optimism, ending with lots of blustering conviction. I find his reading altogether a gripping mix of insight, virtuosity and musicality.

Blangy-le-Chateau, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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A PCM recording needn’t be a dark horse

Having spent a fortune on a (multi-channel) system, some classical music buffs can be dismissive about everything that may not meet their expectations. A PCM recording for example. I’ve fallen into that trap several times, too. Not without reason. Depending on your ears, equipment, and mood, it’s only logical that one demands nothing but the best in sound quality. Isn’t that the core business of Native DSD? Does that rule out PCM? Listening to this new Linn release, we ought to remedy the idea that a PCM recording cannot be good enough for the ultimate musical experience. In such general terms, it simply isn’t true. If the music is well played, an original PCM recording can be as rewarding as any. The more so if, as is the case here, it is subsequently expertly remastered in DSF.

The Maxwell Quartet‘s fresh approach in Haydn’s three Op. 74 String Quartets is the proof of the pudding. One may argue that these are not ‘salon’ compositions, and some do. Haydn wrote them at the time he composed his London Symphonies and it is a general belief that this Apponyi threesome should be played similarly. To my ears, that’s what the Maxwell readings are all about. Sturdily convincing with a taste of a good glass of malt followed by and mixed with a generous dose of wit. 

The winning stroke of the Scots.

For real competition, one may turn to BIS and its Haydn (PCM!) String Quartet releases with the Chiaroscuro Quartet, having earned so many accolades. However, thus far with no Op. 74 on the menu. The choice in high resolution is indeed limited. Praga Digitals issued the same set 20 years ago with the Kocian Quartet. I have it and the comparison reveals that the quality of both playing and recording are at par with the Maxwell’s but in readings that are quite different from one another. Should anyone be tempted, the label has long stopped producing SACDs and this set is now difficult to get.

Besides, one should not only look at what someone else has to offer but also at what someone else has not. In my view, the winning stroke of the Scots is the combination of the three quartets with neat arrangements of several Scottish Folk Songs, whether anonymous or written by respectively Nathaniel Gow (1763-1831), Niel Gow (1727–1807), Sìne NicFhionnlaigh (?), William Marshall (1748–1833) and Isaac Cooper (c. 1755–c. 1811). Everything beautifully done.

As things stand, this is the best choice available. 

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.
Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

The post Maxwell Quartet ‘Haydn: String Quartets Op. 74 & Folk Music from Scotland’ on Linn Records appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

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  Williams: Violin Concerto No. 1 [DSD EP]
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This Stereo & 5 Channel Surround Sound DSD EP has been sourced from the DXD original edit master and is available only at NativeDSD!

Check out the full album that was put out by Pentatone, which also contains Berntein’s Serenade:

I don’t know anyone who doesn’t know John Williams’s music for Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film ‘Schindler’s List’ and notably its ‘Theme for Violin and Orchestra’. Still, I wonder how many are familiar with his two Violin Concerti, the first of which is recorded here with one of the better and second oldest American Orchestras and one of the best Canadian violinists, both conducted by Stéphane Denève, risen to stardom in only a few years. I, for one, didn’t know the concerto, which, I think – and with hindsight – is a big shame. I was perhaps too focused on the idea that film music composers are ‘different’ from sheet music composers. With Korngold as an example, I should have known better! 

It poses the question of to what extent music and film are different. Many composers have said that they ‘saw things’ when composing, and some even went as far as to say – and insist – that music must have a Programme. If the ‘programme’ is a ‘film’, Williams must be a perfect composer because able to look both ways. 

In this release, however, there is no film reference. Or is there? I think there is. In my view, this violin Concerto is as much about music as it is about film. Not literally, but all the more so in spiritual expression.  Listening to the recording with an open mind and not having heard it before, it dawned on me that there was something intangible, a sense of emotion connecting me to filmed episodes. 

The funny thing though, is that Williams doesn’t seem to agree. At least not if we accept what he says in his programme notes to his Second Violin Concerto (2022 DGG Blu-Ray Pure Audio release): ”And while music has many purposes and functions, I’ve always believed that, in the end, it (what the music is about) ought to be interpreted through the prism of every listener’s own personal history .. ”.  Modesty? I believe so. Williams conceded in the end: “ I took my inspiration and energy directly from this great artist (Anne-Sophie Mutter, for whom he composed the concerto) herself.” Ergo: Music doesn’t come out of nothing.

It is real and it is beautiful

In the Hi-Res EP download release, there is no booklet, but in the RBCD release (26/04/2024, coupled with Bernstein’s ‘Serenade after Plato’s Symposium’) there is. It says: “ .. hints of his work as a film composer; the slow movement brings to mind a scene of emotional gravity.” Of course! Williams’s music is not abstract. It is real and it is beautiful. And the performers do all they can to honour the composer.

In the good old Super Audio days, Leonard Slatkin and the St Louis Symphony graced the young Hi-Res community with some excellent releases, and it is great to have the orchestra back in the picture and blossoming like Spring. And with Ehnes holding the fiddle and Denève the baton, the stage is set for a stellar performance. 

I‘m sure that many discerning classical music lovers will value a concerto that may not be at the cutting edge of experimental composition but is instead at the zenith of emotional creation based on the same traditional values that have marked all truly sensitive and inspirational composers over the ages.  

This short release brings the best of two worlds, real and imaginative, making it, despite the missing Bernstein Serenade, worth all your while.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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  Mysterium [Pure DSD]
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A growing number of Spain’s classical prominence has gained worldwide recognition thanks to Gonzalo Noqué, the driving force behind the Spanish audiophile label, Eudora Records. Noelia Rodiles is one of them. I’ve greatly admired her interpretation of Schubert’s Moments Musicaux D.780 (Rodiles 1823) with which she joined in my view the ranks of Schubert notables. Still, her reach is much farther than that, as I (and not just me) noted in another Eudora recording ‘The Butterfly Effect’. With this new release, she continues to surprise with her rendition of two concerti by Hispanic composers: Julián Orbón de Soto of Cuban nationality but spending much of his productive life in Spain and his younger Spanish colleague, Manuel Martínez Burgos.

Not all contemporary music from the second half of the previous century has captured my interest. I’ve listened to several that did not ring my bell, to put it mildly. In those days, innovation seemed to be de rigueur. There is nothing wrong with that if it weren’t for the fact that for some, notably in some parts of Western Europe, it became a goal in itself. Their ‘creative innovations’, were being published with much aplomb and a disdain for those who did not ‘understand’ their twists of art. But for my ears, they had little else to communicate than ‘noise’. Innovation for the sake of it without any artistic idea behind it.

Saved from Oblivion

Orbón followed a different path. He has something to communicate. His Partite No. 4, a Symphonic Movement for Piano and Orchestra, commissioned, composed and premiered in 1985 by the Dallas Symphony under the baton of Eduardo Mata, turned out to be an immediate success. However, after repeats in some of the great Halls in Europe and the death of the Mexican conductor, it somehow fell out of grace. All that was left was a 1989 Olympia recording (OCD 351).

In her preface, Noelia writes that she found the full score in the library of Indiana University Bloomington, embracing it from the very start. The title is deceptive. The Movement is a monumental 23-minute piece, the same length as, for instance, a three-movement Mozart Piano Concerto. Moreover, ‘Symphonic’ suggests that the orchestra gets an equal part in the common effort. It thus falls on the shoulders of Lucas Macias, the conductor of the Oviédo Filharmonía, to guide his musicians into shaping, side by side with the soloist, a mysteriously medieval atmosphere alternating with a dazzlingly modernist work. The result is remarkable.

I’d never heard it before, but contemporary as it is, it has an immediate appeal. Listening to this reimagining of old into new, one gets the feeling that the Partita has become part of Sra Rodiles herself! Her playing is sensitive and brilliant as the score demands. At the same time, this wonderful work highlights an orchestra I also had never heard of before. It is one of Spain’s still existing traditional City Orchestras (Orquesta Sinfónica Ciudad de Oviédo) with an attractive and well-balanced sonority. I cannot compare it with the Olympia recording (possibly no longer available), but one thing is sure, we may count ourselves lucky to have the Partita No.4 once more on record, but this time in a superior resolution.

Burgos’s Tolling Bells Premiered for All

Manuel Burgos is from a different age when many composers returned to the core of their trade, composing music. Unlike previously mentioned ‘innovators’, he clearly did have an idea on why and how to let his in 2021 composed ‘Cloches’ toll. Was Orbón’s Partita built on concepts from the pre-Baroque era (O Magnum Mysterium), the idea behind Manuel Burgos’s piano concerto goes even further back in time. “From the beginning of our era until recently”, writes the composer in his introduction to the score, “the bell has been .. a privileged instrument of mass communication” .. “part of the soundscape of cities and towns since they distinguish themselves from other sound productions”, giving several examples, be they religious, civil, or simply marking time. My appetite was whetted.

This work is indeed turn-of-the-century modern, capturing the listener’s attention in its diverse facets. Nonetheless, I needed several listening sessions to grasp the essence and above all, how Noelia plays a central role in her interaction with her fellow orchestral percussionists (yes, the piano, too, is a percussion instrument) and to sustain a dialogue with the orchestra. Each time I listened, I discovered something new, like receiving new messages from near and far away in a sometimes-misty valley, getting more urgently alarming toward the end of the first movement. The second movement takes us to the bells of the Santa Maria church in Wamba, a township in the Province of Valladolid the autonomous region of Castille-et-León in Spain. Such magic from all sides, the composer, the soloist, the conductor, and the committed members of the Oviédo Symphony.

As for the “Grand volée de cloches à Notre-Dame de Paris”, the final movement in three parts, we hope that the sound of Emmanuel, the great bell of the cathedral Notre-Dame de Paris (and the second largest bell of France) will soon sound like it did before the tragic fire that devasted this cathedral in 2019. In the meantime, we must make do with the vision of Manuel Burgos as so passionately performed by Noella and her supporting forces.

Need I say something about the sound quality? It’s Eudora’s. That’s enough.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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• 
  Sibelius Piano Trio [Pure DSD] [Double Album]
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Get Volume 1 & Volume 2 for 40% off when you buy the Double Album

With this Sibelius you get more

Some scholars advance the idea that Sibelius’s chamber music is not at par with, for instance, his symphonic output. I do not agree. Less mature? Yes, by all means. These are youth compositions. But that doesn’t automatically mean that it lacks inspirational quality. The three piano trios recorded and released by Yarlung Records in two volumes stem from the same genial mind that produced the peerless tone poems. The difference is that they were meant to serve another purpose: Intimate music to be played by him (Janne) on the violin, his sister, Linda, on the piano, and his brother, Christian, on the cello. A gifted family affair, one might say. 

As the proof of the pudding commonly is in the consuming, I invite you to listen to any, or better still, all of them as interpreted by the Finnish Sibelius Piano Trio in two Volumes. It convinced me. So, it may do the same to you. Furthermore, in doing so, you may count yourself lucky because you will get a series of unfamiliar yet brilliantly explorative ‘fillers’ and a supreme rendition of a well-known Finnish composer as well. 

The Sibelius Piano Trio, consisting of Juho Pohjonen, “the fast-rising Finnish star”, (The Guardian), at the piano, the violinist Petteri Iivonen (Second Prize in the 2010 International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, playing Isaac Stern’s Carlo Bergonzi’s violin), and the cellist Samuli Peltonen (Principal at the Finnish National Opera), was established some years ago, with a view to promoting Finnish composers and, as it turned out, in preparation of a projected release in honour of Finland’s 1917 centennial of independence. In the meantime, however, their wings have already spread much farther. 

Non-damaging collaterals

Although the three Sibelius Piano Trios surely will attract most people’s attention, the Los Angeles-based label, Yarlung, together with the members of the Sibelius Piano Trio, have decided to add an interesting ‘collateral’ giving the unique possibility to familiarize ourselves with some modern composers hitherto largely unknown. Their contribution, which certainly is non-damaging to the overall result, consists of works dedicated to the Trio, like ‘Nene’, written for them by the Argentine composer, Diego Schissi, ‘Ruminations’, by the American music teacher and composer, David S. Lefkowitz, and ‘Päärme’, by the Finnish composer Lotta Wennäkoski. These add-ons are complemented by Kaija Saariaho’s well-known yet otherworldly ‘Je sens un deuxième cœur’ (I feel a second heart).

I’m not sure if all of this will please all ears. The fact is, however, that each of these gets an interpretation from a technical as well as a passionate angle which can hardly be bettered. For a good understanding of the scores, reading the notes is an absolute must. It helped me come to grips with the South-American-Inspired ‘Nene’ and, above all, the immensely and emotionally powerful ‘Je sens un deuxième cœur’, especially to discover how the text and subsequent score relates to the participation of each of the instruments in the overall framework. 

A rare opportunity in the highest resolution

Being an avid SACD Surround man, this recording of the three Sibelius Piano Trios, originally released as a 2 CD set in honour of the 1917 Centennial of Finland’s independence, escaped my attention. Only since I became aware of its availability on Native DSD was I pleased about the rare opportunity to get these in the most realistically attainable resolution, thus far nowhere else on offer. 

Philip O’Hanlon ‘a music lover of impeccable taste’ describes in the liner notes how Yarlung’s Arian Jansen Studio was built, using the most advanced digital recording equipment. But at the end of the day, it is Bob Attiyeh, Producer and Recording Engineer of Yarlung Records who guarantees the ultimate audio quality of whatever leaves the facility. For the techno-buffs, detailed information about set-up and equipment used is to be found in the booklet.

If you have a home system that can reproduce the technical effort that has gone into this release, you have already won a big chunk of the battle. The bulk, however, is delivered by the three soloists making up the Piano Trio, who, thanks to Bob Attiyeh, come each -and together- to full bloom in your listening room. If I have understood correctly, Bob asks musicians (like what used to be done for the Welsh Nimbus label) to play the score in one go. If so, it explains why this ‘studio recording’ sounds so excitedly life-like. On top of it, one becomes aware that reproducing it in high-resolution benefits only the best players, like the Sibelius Piano Trio undoubtedly are.

Beyond the grasp of anyone else

Despite being a youth work written for the family, the Sibelius Trio set down a memorable ‘Korppoo’, already some steps further on the ladder to fame than the previous Havträsk Trio. Listening to both, it felt like I was at one of Janne’s family summer vacation sessions. Joy and admiration in abundance. The final work on Volume 2, ‘Lovisa’ named after the town of Lovisa, where Sibelius composed it while staying at his aunt’s home, is perhaps the best-loved. The rendition by Pohjonen, Ivonen and Peltonen is one of a surprising freshness and lovable beauty in the second movement, which, after the dark-coloured ‘Je sens un deuxième cœur‘, brings the entire programme to an uplifting close.

In my possibly somewhat subjective opinion, there is no other interpretation that brings Sibelius’s intent so remarkably to life. Summing it all up: This release is beyond the grasp of anyone else. 

Get Volume 1 & Volume 2 for 40% off when you buy the Double Album

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

The post ‘Sibelius Piano Trio’ from Yarlung Records appeared first on NativeDSD Music.

A laudable initiative that deserves to be fully exploited.

With this second volume of the Wittgenstein Project, many will be thrilled to get more out of the legacy discovered at Paul Wittgenstein’s Country Estate after his wife died. A stack of hidden scores that turned out to be a Treasure Trove full of Chamber Music for a left-hand pianist, once composed for or commissioned by a talented and courageous pianist who had his right arm amputated but would not give up his passion for the piano. 

This follow-on release is played by the same forces that entered in 2022 on the wings of the recently created Dutch quality label Cobra Records the privileged market of classical music connoisseurs for whom only the best will do.

The Dutch seem to hold the secret of continuing to operate at the sharp end of recorded classical music. This applies to labels and musicians alike. Cobra Records is one of them, catering for the discerning High-Resolution crowd with many exceptionally well-crafted and engineered releases for which Tom Peeters earns all the credits.

Such a label is a sine qua non for artists to give their best. And believe me, in this second volume, Janneke van Prooijen (violin), Elisabeth Smalt (viola) and Michiel Weidner (cello), forming together the ‘Prisma String Trio’, Lars Wouters (clarinet), and Folke Nauta, playing left-hand piano, are just as good as in the first. Reading their previously garnered laurels, I can’t think of any new superlatives that suit them better. This is Chamber Music at the top of the heap.

From time to time the market is presented with unmissable-and-thus-far-completely-and-totally- neglected ‘pearls’, and some of it is worth our precious while indeed. This Wittgenstein Project, however, is of ‘another world’ type of initiative that deserves to be fully exploited. Listening to this release tells you why.

Brilliantly melodious stuff.

A laudable initiative is fine, but if the music is also attractive, it is even ‘finer’. The Austrian Late-Romantic composer and pianist, Franz Schmidt, is best known for his Symphonies, especially No. 4, but he did write three Piano Quintets for Wittgenstein, of which his ‘Second’ is recorded here. Lovely music, exemplarily played, a joy to listen to. Jozef Labor, another purveyor of Paul’s, is for some perhaps a dark horse, although Capriccio (Labor-Edition) released last year his Clarinet Trio No. 2. Unfortunately, in Red Book CD only.  So, our luck is that it is now available in Hi-Res. It is, like Schmidt, or maybe even more so, brilliantly melodious stuff. 

Although primarily composed for the piano, it might as well have been called a Quintet or Trio for Clarinet, as its part is seemingly as important as that of the piano, and maybe also because Lars Wouters conveys his contribution with such a beautifully styled tone.  

In memoriam Folke Nauta is not the end.

The tragedy of this second release is no doubt that it meant the unexpected final one for Folke Nauta, as he left his earthly life only months after the recording sessions had finished. A sorely missed, talented musician who, due to a muscular disorder in his right arm, had been forced to follow Paul Wittgenstein’s example. Similarly persistent led him to concentrate on whatever was still within his reach, thereby initiating the Wittgenstein Project, compiling scores thus far largely missing in the domain of left-handed piano Chamber Music.  I strongly recommend reading all about it in the liner notes.  

To the great relief of all, we learn from the ‘Personal memories of Lars, Janneke, Elisabeth and Michiel’ that this project is to be continued thanks to the Ukrainian pianist Antonii Baryshevskyi who fled to The Netherlands following the Russian aggression against his homeland. I, for one, will look forward with unflagging interest to the next volumes.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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• 
  Nocturne, et lumineux
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A well-presented case to learn more about a largely unknown French composer.

These days it seems to be common musician’s practice to bless a new release with a title that covers literally or spiritually the various items of their chosen programme. It also is common practice to further explain the choice in a personal note in the booklet. In this case, the performers have opted for ‘Nocturne, et lumineux’, but without giving a clue to what was meant with it. We can only guess. A shortcoming? Well, ‘what’s in a name’? It’s the content that many will care about, leaving the guesswork to the more curious-minded people among us.   

If it is about darkness and light, Charles Koechlin’s Cello Sonata fits the idea rather well, though in a mixed order, with a somewhat brighter first movement preceding the darker tone in the second, followed by lots of light in the final movement. This is a lovingly presented entrance to a particularly charming recital, perfectly coloured in a late impressionist style by two passionate musicians. For us, it means revealing a well-presented case to learn more about a largely unknown French composer.  

This Sonata is a delightful piece that should inspire other musicians and not least entrepreneurial label owners to further explore the Koechlin catalogue. His oeuvre offers an abundance to choose from! As for this sonata, there is no competition in High-Resolution and there are only (very) few recordings in Red Book format. 

Eline Hensels, Cello

A Fairy Tale with a happy end.

When I reviewed Fernando Arias (cello) and Noelia Rodiles (piano) in a recital entitled ‘Slavic Soul’, I said about Janáček’s Fairy Tale Pohádka: “Rarely heard and rarely played”. What a mistake. A year later it was one of the compulsory choices of the Concours Reine Elisabeth 2022 Cello Competition. Following hard on those heels Aram Amatuni (cello) and Igor Tchetuev (piano) included it in their rendition of a ‘Russian-inspired romance’. As a result, there are now 7 high-resolution versions to choose from. A difficult task?

It must have been hard for the Reine Elisabeth jurors because having listened to several of the competitors, it was by no means easy to differentiate between and decide about the various interpretations. I say this because Eline Hensel was one of the contenders. In her version of Pohadka, I liked what she did, and several challengers were, in my view, better than the performance of the overall winner. Technically supreme but attacking the Fairy Tale as though it was a Scary Tale.

Eline does not. With her dreamily enchanting approach, she captures the listener’s attention right from the start. Her lyrical tale is one of make-believe, delicately yet firmly and professionally assisted by her partner, Daniël Kramer, bringing this secretive story to a happy end. 

Daniël Kramer, piano

An ‘awkward’ Sonata joins core repertoire.

About Poulenc’s Sonata, I was mistaken, too. Hardly known, seldom played and little recorded, that’s what I thought. That, at least, is true in Super Audio. As for the Low-Res format, there are several, though perhaps primarily ‘for completeness’s sake’ as part of a French Cellist Sonatas Programme. Whatever the case, we (and that includes me!) must now recognise that its popularity is quickly rising, and -by all means- rightly so. It isn’t easy stuff, and some call the Sonata even ‘awkward’.  

We ought to be immensely grateful to the Hensel-Kramer team for lifting this once-ridiculed Sonata to the level of enjoyment it deserves. Their interpretation is further proof that in the hands of dedicated and capable musicians, this ‘awkward’ Sonata comes of age and may now be seen as having joined the ranks of core repertoire ‘for cellists with a sufficient degree of insight and virtuosity’. The more so, as those requirements are in high demand to turn any idea about awkwardness into one of brilliant innovation, especially in the two final movements. A mission that has perfectly been accomplished by either.

Filling a gap in the catalogue.

For brevity, I have limited myself to the larger works, but there is more new news in this programme: Nadia Boulanger’s ‘Trois pièces’ and, even more so, Henriëtte Bosmans’s ‘Nuit calme’. Both are new to me and a real pleasure to discover. I suggest reading the related notes, and also the informative remarks about the other works. What is missing, though, are the usual bios of the musicians. A minor detail that can be solved through a simple search on the internet.

In conclusion: The prime importance of this recent TRPTK release rests in the fact that it fills with the usual high musical as well as the recorded standard an important gap in the High-Resolution Catalogue, adding, furthermore, the possibility of a Spatial Audio Download.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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Another safe buy

If the guitar player is Petrit Çeku, the music based on Schubert and the recording engineered by Gonzalo Noqué, then I’ve said it all. Another safe buy. End of story.

When (a long time ago) my 14-year-old daughter had to summarize a story, she wrote something like: Two people, a beautiful girl and a handsome boy, met. They liked each other, but there were problems with the families on either side. Their love could not materialize, so in the end they killed themselves. (Shakespeare, Romeo & Juliet). Her teacher didn’t accept it, saying that she had to ‘dress it up’. I’m afraid that my one-liner review above won’t be acceptable either and that I have to devote some more of my time to it to dress it up. 

So, here we go. Not all great guitarists come from Spain. Petrit Çeku is a Kosovar of Albanian nationality. Beginning his musical education in Zagreb, Croatia, to finish it in Baltimore, USA. 

His previous Eudora release ‘The Cello Suites for Guitar [Pure DSD]’ received multiple accolades.

Is he that good? Yes. If you can play Bach’s Cello Suites so convincingly, then Gonzalo is right in his prologue to this new album saying: “He is one of the very few musicians I’ve encountered who’s able to transcend what is written in the score … the true inspiration that strikes composers”. This time he draws us in the world of Schubert as arranged by Joseph Kaspar Merz, or composed ‘in the style of, or with reference to’ by Ivan Padovec, and Manuel Maria Ponce. 

Spellbound all the way

In my ‘one-liner’ I forgot to mention that his Ross Gutmeier guitar is in it as well. Fine, full-bloom sonority, no doubt thanks to the best D’Addario strings.

I won’t go as far as to say that the guitar sings the 6 Lieder with which the programme opens, but the transcriptions by Merz, drawn from the piano scores interwoven with the song lines, become in Çeku hands a marvel of true musicianship, conveying Schubert’s brain-children & spiritual phantasies in a way that the listener cannot break-away from. Spellbound, for short. These Songs are for most of us a rewarding trip down memory lane.

Even more so the ‘7 Variations sur la valse favorite de F.Schubert’ (Schubert – Trauerwalzer, D. 365, No. 2) written by the Croatian guitarist, Ivan Padovec. A simple melody increasingly impressively played by Petrit Çeku without losing one note along the road. 

But maybe less so, the ‘Sonate Romantique’, paying homage to Schubert, by the famous Mexican composer, Manuel Ponce, a kind of ‘ghost writer’ for Andrés Segovia. Schubertian melodious beauty is clearly in evidence. And that is exactly the way it is played by Petrit Çeku, drawing ‘inspiration that strikes composers’ like Schubert, keeping us Spellbound till the very end.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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‘En voyage’ avec Jean-Baptiste

Every time Base2 Music release a dedicated organ album, one can be sure that “Jacob A. Purches, Producer, recording engineer, 3D designer, audiophile and music lover”, has done all in his power to make it worth anyone’s while. He is not just a music lover, but, perhaps above all, an Organ Buff to the point that a composition of his is included in, and can stand up to the level of, the programme.  

One may wonder: Why the title ‘Voyage’? Those who know a thing or two about the French organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll will tell you that these powerhouses are anything but travelling organs. Indeed, the title is taken from another organ in the church of Saint-Ouen Abbey, ‘l’orgue du voyage’, a modular organ (picture provided in the booklet) designed and built (!) by Saint-Ouen’s titular, Jean-Baptiste Monnot, which can be charged on to a small truck. Although one might feel that the techno looks of this contraption curses its sacred environment, its unexpected sound quality does not, as I discovered in the second half of the programme (tracks 8 through 13).

What the title ‘Voyage’ may implicitly refer to as well, are the numerous visits back and forth between Rouen, France, and Jake Purches’s recording studio in Partridge Green, West-Sussex, England; all for the sake of perfecting the result to which Jake and Jean-Baptiste apparently have acted as a team.

As if this wasn’t enough: A third organ in the same church is used in track 7, Brahms’s ‘Es ist ein Ros entsprungen’. A beautiful choir organ, built in 1856 by Joseph Merklin and modified by Hubert Kricher (1888) and George Gloton (1935/36).

A Musical Thunderstorm

The Grand ‘Symphonic’ Cavaillé-Coll Organ, built in 1890 on a pre-existing instrument, was at the time inaugurated by Charle-Marie Widor and it is only logical that this recital starts with one of his major works: The Allegro of his Sixth Symphony. Recording and mastering must have been a real artist’s job. These organs were built for big churches and not for living rooms. For prospective buyers, a warning seems wise as the sheer power risks damaging your costly speakers. At the start, there is a short 11Hz tone to activate a lazy subwoofer. With that support, the low pedal sounds come across like a succession of low- and high-pressure systems that risk creating a standing wave in your listening room. So, be careful with your sub(s), if you have any, and correct the placement of your speakers if needed.

With proper adjustments done, the listener will be rewarded by an admirably played and superbly recorded example of a major French organ composition, electronically ‘near live’ transported into your listening environment, provided your surround (preferably!) system can handle it. Another Grand French organ composer is also included in Monnot’s well-chosen recital: César Franck, once titular of the Basilica of the Sainte-Clotilde church in Paris, playing its Cavaillé-Coll organ until his death. His ‘Pièce Héroique’, recorded here, was composed or rather ‘made’ for the inauguration of such an organ, though in another place (Trocadero, Paris). 

A major part of the programme is devoted to J.S. Bach with 7 compositions divided according to best suitability over the Grand and the travelling organ. That the Cavaillé-Coll was capable of delivering a ‘romantically’ coloured Bach we knew already, and as far as I can judge, Monnot must have selected the best possible choices among the multiple available ‘timbres’ to enhance its broad and warm-sounding palette. 

A Novelty Not to be Missed

The big surprise, however, is the ‘home-made’ travelling organ. Traditionally-minded people may want to question its usefulness and appropriateness. In the words of the inventor, this organ “embodies the qualities of a traditional organ console” offering “remarkable versatility across different repertoires and musical possibilities”, clearly allowing Monnot to successfully manage several difficulties Bach demands from the interpreter. 

Organ fans should not miss the opportunity to acquaint themselves with the phenomenon of ‘l’orgue du voyage’, in particular, the benefits of having at one’s disposal such an instrument. It opens the way to bringing church organ repertoire to a large cross-section of public interest, as well as using it for educational purposes. It may not per se be suitable for the great romantic concert and symphonist range, yet for contemporary works, it seems to me a prime choice, also because it can be set in a -literally- surround position due to its modular design. It’s not by chance that it has already ‘visited’ the Louvre in Paris. 

I, for one, have listened with much pleasure and enjoyment to the travel part of the programme. Interestingly, and I suppose it’s the way Monnot used the technical possibilities of the travelling organ, it created a feel of a smallish church organ, particularly apt for some of Bach’s oeuvre. Fresh and clean, an organ that has just been tuned. A wonderful and unexpected experience. A true highlight of this new Bas2 Music release! 

That said, there is more surprise on offer. After having been at the production side of many excellent organ releases, Jake Purches turns out to be an accomplished composer with his ‘Prelude Passacaglia and Lament Op.6. It is well-constructed following traditional patterns. Sounds great on Cavaillé-Coll. It is also refreshing, at least from my perspective, to note that Jake Purches takes such a great interest in French organ culture. 

And then there is that extra element of the bats in the church. Captured during the recording sessions and made audible to the listener down-pitched 10-fold at the end of the programme. A nice touch by the producer. 

The impressive specifications of the Cavaillé-Coll organ are described on the inside of the back cover. The technically well-crafted liner notes have been written by the American composer-musicologist, Gregg Wager, accompanied by abundant illustrations.  

Monnot is rightly praised in France and elsewhere for his command of the instrument as well as his musical insight, to which I may add his engineering capabilities. With the inclusion of Bach’s works played on his patented travelling organ it is in a way a World Premiere and, therefore, unique. In my view, this release should have a place in the libraries of music schools and conservatoria. It is, from every point of view, a ‘must have’, and not only for those who care about church music. 

Epilogue:

“Monumental, gigantic, it seems almost indestructible. However, the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the Saint-Ouen abbey, a “Rolls” in harmony and sound balance, is damaged after 133 years of musical prowess. Many elements are at the end of life. There are tens of thousands of metal parts and all the leather and felt to avoid friction is worn out”, explains Jean-Baptiste Monnot, a brilliant internationally renowned instrumentalist who is the owner” (as published in Paris-Normandie 2023).           

If we can trust ‘Organ inventory in France’, it isn’t that bad. According to it, the instrument status is ‘Very good, quite playable’, but Monnot is no doubt right in his vision that regular service and replacement of used parts is a must and should be timely done and well before things break down to keep this fantastic instrument in the shape it still is. 

Given the hefty price tag of repairing and renovating the Grand Organ in Saint-Ouen, extra concerts will be given, but let us hope that sales of hard copies of this release by the ‘Association of the Abbey’ will add to the support of this noble initiative.

Blangy-le-Château, Normandy, France.

Copyright © 2024 Adrian Quanjer and HRAudio.net

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