Mystical quality of Debussy captured

Press, 24 April 1984, Page 11

Mystical quality of Debussy captured

Classical records review

ALLAN FRANCIS

DEBUSSY. Chamber Music. Sonata for Flute, Viola and Harp. Syrinx for Flute. Rhapsody for Clarinet and Piano. Petite Piece for Clarinet and Piano. Sonatas for Violin and Piano, Cello and Piano played by the Athena Ensemble. WORLD RECORDS WR 5340.

This is possibly the most important recording by the Athena Ensemble to date, tackling nearly all, but not quite, the total chamber works of Debussy. With close to an hour’s playing time on the prestigious Chandos Super Analogue recording, only the “Quartet” seems to be missing but these scarcer pieces more than compensate. After all, there are hosts of the 1893 “Quartet” available whereas the “Clarinet Rhapsody” is rare indeed. The close breathiness of the solo playing here indicates that we have the intimate, “drawing-room” sound which adds considerable lustre to the proceedings.

With the ‘Cello Sonata,” Athena capture the mystical quality of Rostropovich’s playing, a feature where Lloyd Webber and Seow both failed.

Over-all, there is the mystical quality of Debussy at his most profound, with these late works apt to be overlooked as being relatively unimportant after this more popular major compositions. Athena have furthered their own cause considerably with these very enjoyable versions, which give them much needed airing to some remote pieces.

DEBUSSY. Cello Sonata in D. La Plus que Lente. Preludes Book 1 No. 12. FRANCK. Cello Sonata in A major. Mischa Maisky, cello,with Martha Agerich, piano. WORLD RECORDS WI 5341. What does make for some very interesting comparisons is this issue, which covers some ground parallel to that in the previous recording. Nudged along by the exhuberant piano of Marthh Agerich, Mischa Maisky emerges as a serious rival to other top young cellists of today. Not as a nagging housewife, but more as an irrepressible sparking force, Martha Agerich is slow to warm to her task with the Franck, but once she has things the way she feels they ought to go, there are plently of fireworks. While the pianist almost over-reacts, Maisky proves a solidly reliable partner with a sobering balance throughout the Franck as well as the Debussy. It is

■here we come up against the less powerful cello playing by Stephen Orton from the Athena Ensemble. Whereas Athena make a fetish of their ensemble playing, Maisky and Agerich are both strident individualists so this the the key to their interpretations. Recorded a couple of years later than the Athena, the attacking policy of Maisky and Agerich provide a striking contrast to the warmth of the Ensemble.

Even “La Plus que Lente” has a certain briskness rarely heard in this usually dreamy piece. After hearing both discs several times, I found that these recordings complemented each other beautifully, so the air of competition was compelely removed.

RAVEL. Piano Trio in A minor. SAINT-SAENS. Piano Trio No. 1 in F minor. Maria de la Pau, piano, Yan Pascal Tortelier, violin, and Paul Tortelier, cello. WORLD RECORDS R 09432.

It is easy to place little importance on the value of French chamber music, simply because there is not much of it, but if one needs further proof after the proceeding works by Franck or Debussy, then that evidence is abundently provided here.

Another factor in the argument is that coming up against the might of Ger-

man composition the situation is not unlike David and Goliath, with public sentiment being the only additional armament to ’support David.

That this is not the case is again suggested with these trios, where the true value of composition is only too obvious. Few have bothered to place these pieces on disc but once having heard these under the existing conditions it is hard to understand why they are shunned so miserablv'

Chosen carefully with the Saint-Saens piece, these highly compatible works reach eloquent levels of originality and depth — both .elements which completely dispel the myth of superficiality.

JAMES GALWAY. Nocturne. 11 numbers played by James Galway in nocturnal mood with the National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by David Measham. RCA ARLI4BIO.

The famous flautist has returned to the classical idiom for these easy listening tracks in his most lyrical fashion with pieces chosen by himself.

While the choice is most important, one must be careful to weigh other factors in what might be considered an over-exposed field. Galway is in devasting form though and his opting for some of the lesserplayed items must be recommended. Hamlisch’s “Dreamers" and Mouqet’s “Pan and the Birds” are fine.