Italian-style concertos

Press, 24 September 1988, Page 21

Italian-style concertos

WASSENAER: The “Pergolesi” Concert! Armonici 1 to 6 piayed by the I Music!, of Montreal, directed by Yuli Turovsky. World Record Club release from Chandos ABRD 1193. Also CD, Cassette.

In spite of having been a long-term fan of Sir Neville Marriner and the academy, I still find it hard to believe they are so far ahead of this group that comparisons are futile; there is, in fact, great delicacy shown by the Montreal players and the direction is first-rate.

The chief problem with these delightful south Italian-style concertos was establishing the' true author, but that has now been resolved since 1981, when the autographed manuscript was found, thus ending prolonged paternity wrangles that have lasted since 1740.

Among many others, including Handel, Pergolesi was the main contender for many years, but it was the Dutchman, Count Unico Wilhelm Wassenaer, who was the accepted composer.

The very high standard of the pieces clouded the issue for many years, and so it might have been logical that Handel was considered, as was Pergolesi, the rich textures and sparkling invention thought to be beyond any seldom-heard composer. After 1981, several sets were sparked off through the historical discovery,

Wonis&rfccs’

the Camerata of Bern, the I Music! (of Europe) and the ASMF, all competent in their own special ways.

This latest set has the advantage of CD quality recording, and while it may lack some of the maturity of the ASMF, for instance, it is well worth owning. MOZART: The Flute Quartets K 285, K 298, K2BSA and K 2858 played by Jean-Pierre Ramphal,flute, Alexander Schneider, viola, Isaac Stern, violin, and Leonard Rose, cello. Record Clubs Of Australia release from CBS CD MYK 42601. 1970. These CDs are almost ancient history now, but have obviously been reveived for the purpose of showing how well the big guns of the 1960 s and 1970 s managed some of Mozart’s lesser works. Some consider these flute quartets plain boring, left to the musicians to lift the composition into respectable proportions, many failing to do just that.

It is well know that Mozart held an antipathy for the flute and these works give the impression they have been tossed off without too much care or

thought, posing problems in later years for musicians.

This group does extremely well under the circumstances, although it is still a “patch job” of pieces that are of academic interest only. BRAHMS: Piano Quartet No. 2 in A major, Op. 26, played by the players of the Borodin Quartet with Sviatoslav Richter, piano. Record Clubs of Australia release from Philips CD 420 158-2. DDD

No-one seems to record Brahms piano quartets unless to mark a special occasion, so that this issue becomes something of a rarity, a chance to be considered among the few available. Richter is now in the veteran class, and takes a while to warm to his task. The Borodin players — Mikhail Kopelman, Dmitri Shebalin and Valentin Berlinsky — also seem ill at ease in the opening phrases of the first movement, and so the dramatic statements lose some of their impact. All is well in the later stages, though not as fluid as the old Rubinstein set (1972) or as warm as Gilels in other quartets.

ALLAN FRANCIS

The live recording favours Richter, who appears to relish the challenges that beset soloists in the concert hall, but at the expense of some bloom on recorded sound. SAINT-SAENS: Cello Concerto No 1 in A minor. “Le Cygne.” Allegro Appassionato Op. 43. Caprice for Violin and Orchestra. Op. 52. Prelude to Le Deluge Op. 45. Wedding Cake Op. 76. Paul Tortelier, cello, Yan Pascal Tortelier, violin, Maria de la Pau, piano, with the CBSO conducted by Louis Fremaux. EMI CD CDM 7 69386 2. ADD. (1975). If ever a 13-year-old performance deserves reissue on CD, this family affair must be among the first in line, regardless of playing time. Louis Fremaux gets the Birmingham Orchestra playing well above itself, rising nobly to the stimulation the Tortelier family induces for the occasion. No-one would pretend

there is any great depth in any of the composition, but the stylish playing by ail concerned lends the whole concert a frisson that is all too rare.

In fact, there is nothing to compare this programme with. It stands alone on an isolated peak that will assuredly get a place in the top recordings for 1988. “The flute is not an instrument which has a good moral effect; it is too exciting.” Aristotle, “Politics.”