Early Music America Summer 2013 - (Page 20)

recordingreviews Edited by Tom Moore Johann Sebastian Bach Reasoned Madness: Harpsichord Music of Johann Sebastian Bach Elisabeth Wright, harpsichord Self-produced Email: cembalista@hotmail.com Harpsichordist Elisabeth Wright, professor at the Early Music Institute of the School of Music of Indiana University, has had a long and distinguished career, including as a member of Duo Geminiani (with violinist Stanley Ritchie) since 1974. It is a surprise, then, to find that the present recording seems to be only her second release of works for solo keyboard (the first being a release of Iberian 17th-century repertoire, available through CDBaby). It focuses on works by Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) in the 17th-century “stylus phantasticus,” a style that combines strictness of polyphonic treatment with more freely improvisational passages. The Toccata in E Minor is among Bach’s earliest works in this style, probably dating to his early Weimar years or even before. The Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue (one of Bach’s most celebrated works for harpsichord, which I had the luck to encounter for the first time in concert under the fingers of John Gibbons) dates from considerably later. The English Suites are thought to be the first of Bach’s three large sets of keyboard suites, the others being the French Suites and the six Partitas. The cover art of this beautiful recording is in sync with Wright’s darkly expressive, rhythmically flexible, and clearly articulated playing. The fine instrument that she chose for the disc (a 1994 copy by David Jacques Way and Marc Ducornet of an 18th-century Flemish instrument) is well-captured by the recording, which was made in Colombia by Mauricio Ardila. I hope that more such recordings will follow. A word to the wise for the producers of the release: the font size 20 chosen for the booklet is much too small even for the best eyes, requiring reading glasses or a magnifying glass to interpret, which is a serious faux pas in an otherwise lovely package. —Tom Moore Johann Sebastian Bach Transcriptions for Viola da Gamba Susanne Heinrich, bass viol Dagamba100 www.dagamba.com To a greater extent than the violin, the viola da gamba inspired an extensive and distinguished repertoire of unaccompanied works by 17th- and 18th-century composers; regrettably, and despite writing two collections of such music for the violin and the cello, Johann Sebastian Bach wasn’t one of them. In this recording, German gambist Susanne Heinrich, who won acclaim with recent recordings of music by Carl Friedrich Abel and Tobias Hume, steps in to give Bach’s sonatas and partitas for solo violin an authoritative bass viol treatment. Purists need not be alarmed, because Heinrich makes clear in her notes that she tampered only minimally with the autograph manuscript in adapting the works to her instrument. Her interventions consist of changing the key of the Partita in E Major, BWV 1006, down a tone to D major, adding an occasional note to a chord, and rewriting the first arpeggio in the Ciaconna of the Partita in D Minor, BWV 1004. The alert sharpness of the violin’s multiple stops transforms into chords of a gentler contour on the viola da gamba, and the instrument’s breath-like caress enhances the contemplative nature of these works. This soulful sound suits Bach’s introspective masterpieces so felicitously that it seems incredible, given the extent to which Bach’s catalogue has been plundered by performers eager to co-opt a greater portion for their chosen instruments, Summer 2013 Early Music America that no previous disc-length recording of arrangements for the viola da gamba exists. The booklet notes point to one possible explanation: the fiendish physical demands of performing works written for a compact, four-stringed instrument on an instrument of far greater heft with up to seven strings. (In this recording, Heinrich uses both a six-stringed and a seven-stringed instrument.) Heinrich is equal to the task; she plays with assertive power in fast passagework and airy grace in the dance movements, making light of the technical burdens. Her performance of these works is much more than a mere transcription curiosity. It reflects a deep engagement with the music that makes it possible to forget that that these pieces—some of the most iconic written for the violin—were ever intended for an instrument other than the viola da gamba. This is an outstanding recording, and one is left fervently hoping for a completion of the set. —Berna Can Franz Xaver Dussek Four Symphonies Helsinki Baroque Orchestra; Aapo Häkkinen, director Naxos 8.572683 www.naxos.com I’m sure that any listener who didn’t know Dussek’s symphonies when first listening to this CD would agree that they should be better known. Their sound evokes the First Viennese School, especially Haydn, but they also have their own personal qualities. Born in Bohemia, Franz Xaver Dussek (1731-1799) studied in Prague, and later in Vienna with harpsichord virtuoso G. C. Wagenseil, returning to Prague by 1770 as a prominent pianist and teacher. His house—shown on the cover of the CD booklet—was an important musical center, receiving many passing foreign musicians, including Mozart on more than one occasion. Written in the 1760s and ’70s, Dussek’s symphonies flourished in a prosperous time in the Habsburg lands, when the aristocracy not only maintained a musical establishment of its own and employed a Kapellmeister, but also commissioned works from prominent freelancers. The Helsinki Baroque Orchestra was founded in 1997 and has since worked with numerous early music giants. Their playing in this recording is vigorous and dramatic, though at times more warmth and depth of sound would be welcome from the strings. The winds are to be commended, especially in the memorable first symphony in G major, which, according to the CD booklet, might have been composed while Dussek was still in Vienna. Dussek’s works, it seems, did not reach much further than his own circle, which might explain why they still have not earned their own place in today’s musical life. But these short and powerful works deserve space in concert halls, and certainly in your musical library as well. —Inês d’Avena André Grétry Le Magnifique Opera Lafayette; Ryan Brown, conductor Naxos 8.660305 www.naxos.com The comic operas of Belgian composer André Grétry (1741-1813) were a hit in Paris, and based on Le Magnifique (1773), it’s easy to Early Music America magazine welcomes news of recent recordings. Please send CDs to be considered for review and pertinent information to Tom Moore, Recording Reviews Editor, 2937 Chapel Hill Rd., Durham, NC 27707; recordings@earlymusic.org. Early Music America cannot guarantee the inclusion of every CD sent for review. All reviews reﬂect the personal opinions of the reviewer only. Label web sites are supplied with each review to assist readers who are unable to locate discs through Amazon.com, CDBaby.com, ArkivMusic.com, or other outlets. http://www.dagamba.com http://www.naxos.com http://www.naxos.com http://www.Amazon.com http://www.CDBaby.com http://www.ArkivMusic.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Early Music America Summer 2013

Editor's Note
Reader Forum
Sound Bytes
Profile: Christopher Jackson
Musings: When the Music Becomes Ours
Recording Reviews
Early Music, 21st-Century Style
The Indigenous Musicians of Cuzco
Bird Quills, the Art of Touch, and Other Pleasures
Pallade Musica: A Swift Rise, All'Italiana
Book Reviews
Ad Index
In Conclusion: Finding "Local Content" in the Music of New Spain

Early Music America Summer 2013