Volume 25 Issue 7 - April 2020

Bruch – 8 Pieces Op.83
Philon Trio
Analekta AN 2 8923 (analekta.com)
!!
It is so easy to
love Max Bruch’s
music, and particularly
these works
for clarinet, viola
and piano. His
Acht Stücke Op.83
were composed
for his son, Max
Felix, a noted clarinetist of the early 20th
century. They are the sole material on the
recording released this year by the Philon
Trio, comprised of David Dias da Silva on
clarinet, Adam Newman, viola, and pianist
Camilla Köhnken.
The work is quite often performed in
excerpts, for the simple reason that the pieces
vary so much in character and duration that
there is no compelling reason to present them
all as if they formed a united suite. As the
only material on this disc, one might carp
that something might have been added as a
bolster to the value; the total playing time is
just under 35 minutes. Possibly there were
time or financial constraints. Still, including
Schumann’s Märchenerzählungen, for
context and contrast with another work for
the same forces, would have been welcome.
But I won’t carp; I will stick to the positives:
these are great performances. Tending
more to a dreamy or meditative character for
the most part, the collection is leavened by
numbers four and especially seven, both of
which are presented at a good pace, demonstrating
how technically able these fine musicians
are. Köhnken hails from Bruch’s home
city Köln, and seems to have his spirit guiding
her playing. Da Silva’s sound is airy and fluid
at once, and while sometimes he fights the
demon of sharpness, he most often wins.
Newman’s playing is agile and sure. The mix
seems to favour the clarinet sound overall, an
odd balance anomaly that points to perhaps a
hurried production or difficult acoustic.
Max Christie
Nielsen; Ibert; Arnold – Flute Concertos
Clara Andrada; Frankfurt Radio Symphony;
Jaime Martin
Ondine ODE 1340-2 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
What a good
idea to trace the
dramatic transition
from Romanticism
to Modernism
through flute
concerti by three
composers of three
consecutive generations:
Carl Nielsen, born in 1865, Jacques
Ibert, born in 1890 and Sir Malcolm Arnold,
born in 1921. The age differences notwithstanding,
all three concerti were written in
the 28 years from 1926 to 1954.
The first movement of the Nielsen concerto
(1926) seems to me to capture this strange
and abrupt transition, opening with a stormy
– modernist – flourish by the orchestra,
answered by a long, lyrical melody, which
could almost have been written by Nielsen’s
Romantic predecessor, Carl Reinecke. The
angular second subject, however, is without
argument the product of a 20th-century
sensibility, most effectively played, I might
add, with calm rhythmic stability by soloist
Clara Andrada.
Similarly the second movement of Ibert’s
concerto (1932) begins with a long sustained
melodic line, played with great grace and
refinement by Andrada, before becoming
progressively more disquieted, reflecting
perhaps the growing tensions and anxieties of
the late 1920s and early 30s.
The third movement of Arnold’s Flute
Concerto No.1 (1954), fast, short, exciting –
and tonal – is unquestionably a product of the
20th century. Arnold’s skill as a composer is
very much in evidence in this movement, as
he builds energy and excitement through the
alternation of soloist and orchestra.
I must commend conductor, Jaime Martín,
a flutist himself, and the Frankfurt Radio
Symphony, for their exemplary rapport with
the soloist – musical teamwork at its best.
Allan Pulker
Escales – French Orchestral Works
Sinfonia of London; John Wilson
Chandos CHSA 5252 (naxosdirect.com)
!!
While the
subtitle of this
disc is “French
Orchestral Works,”
it could just as
easily be called
“Spanish Music
from France,”
for that is what
comprises the majority of Escales’ contents.
The opening and closing tracks are Chabrier’s
España and Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole,
clearly evoking a strong Spanish influence,
while Ibert’s Escales outlines a threepart
journey from France, through Italy, to
Spain. Between these works are more standard
essays in 20th century French composition,
with such classics as Debussy’s Prélude
à l’après-midi d’un faune and Massenet’s
Méditation.
The interesting subtext to this disc is that,
although the Spanish-infused pieces are
clearly and deliberately exotic and meant to
sound Spanish, they are immediately recognizable
as being French. Perhaps this is
because the works themselves are only caricatures
of another style, or perhaps because
they are surrounded by more characteristically
familiar music of the same school;
regardless of the reason, this disc makes a
strong case for France’s inherent national
musical identity through its composers.
The Sinfonia of London are fine interpreters
of this rich and lush material, coaxing out
the timbral subtleties of each composer’s
material. From the tranquil openings
of Debussy’s Prélude to the driving conclusion
of Ravel’s Rapsodie, the character of
this music is expressed to full effect, aided in
large part by the terrific quality of the sound
itself. Released as a super audio CD, Escales
captures a high degree of sonic detail, such as
the robust spectrum of overtones produced
by the divided string section, and translates
these into a product that is remarkably close
to a live performance in a concert hall, ideal
for these colourful impressionistic works.
Matthew Whitfield
Strauss – Also sprach Zarathustra;
Burleske
Daniil Trifonov; Symphonieorchester des
Bayerischen Rundfunks; Mariss Jansons
BR Klassik 900182 (naxosdirect.com)
! ! The most
remarkable aspect
of this iconic
work – apart from
the work itself –
is that Richard
Strauss started out
as someone who
was brought up to
almost despise the work of Wagner and Liszt,
who created the very form of one of Strauss’
most famous works. The nine-part symphonic
tone poem, Also sprach Zarathustra is a spectacular
homage to Nietzsche’s philosophy of
the Superman and his celebration of human
power and energy.
Strauss’ response to Nietzsche’s book is a
work of enormous proportions, a free-flowing
fantasia which, apart from its philosophical
aspirations, creates some truly awe-inspiring
orchestral sounds. Not the least of these is the
work’s inspired “sunrise” opening, depiction
of a primordial darkness-to-light so elemental
that the titanic, sustained contra-octave C
played on the organ, contrabassoon, contrabass
and bass drum begins barely audible to
the human ear.
This is a stupendous live recording. The
Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen
Rundfunks play with adventure and excitement
under Marriss Jansons’ inspired leadership.
Few other versions manage to give a
convincing sense of the shape to this work.
The Burleske, written ten years earlier, may
belie a Brahmsian influence, but also foretells
the future of a composer seized with
the true immensity of symphonic sound.
Pianist Daniil Trifonov is particularly dazzling
with exemplary lucidity, showing why he is
the darling of the cognoscenti today as he
employs the sweetest tones to create a great
Romantic wash of colour.
Raul da Gama
58 | April 2020 thewholenote.com