musica Dei donum
CD reviews
"The Spohr Collection, Vol. 3"
Ashley Solomon, transverse flute;
Rowan Pierce, sopranoa
Florilegium
rec: April 2023, Rhoon (NL), Dorpskerk
Channel Classics - CCS46024 (© 2023) (72'23")
Liner-notes: E/D/F; lyrics - no translations
Cover, track-list & booklet
Spotify
Wilhelm Friedemann BACH (1710-1784):
Sonata in e minor;
Francesco BARSANTI (1690-1772):
Lochaber;
Lord Aboyne's Welcome or Cumbernauld House;
Thomas CHILCOT (1700-1766):
Orpheus with his lutea;
Walter CLAGGET (1742-1798):
Logie O'Buchan;
The lass of Paties Mill;
John Frederick LAMPE (1703-1751):
Dione (Pretty warblers)a;
Pietro Antonio LOCATELLI (1695-1764):
Sonata in F, op. 2,8;
Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791):
Quartet in D (KV 285);
John Christopher (Johann Christoph) PEPUSCH (1667-1752):
Sonata No. 16 in b minor;
Antonio VIVALDI (1678-1741) (attr):
Sonate in e minor (RV 50)
Sources:
Pietro Antonio Locatelli, XII Sonate à flauto traversiere solo è basso, op. 2, 1732;
Francesco Barsanti, A Collection of Old Scots Tunes, 1742;
Thomas Chilcot, Twelve English songs, 1744;
Walter Clagget, A New Medley Overture consisting entirely of Scots Tunes, and Thirty Six of the most favorite Scots Airs (...), c1794
Agata Daraskaite, Alice Evans, violin;
Elitsa Bogdanova, viola;
Jennifer Morsches, cello;
Fred Jacobs, theorbo;
Steven Devine, harpsichord
Some years ago a collector of historical flutes offered Ashley Solomon the opportunity to make a recording with the instruments from his collection. This was the chance of a lifetime, because most historical wind instruments are too vulnerable to be played in concerts or recordings. It is even a small miracle if they are still in playing condition at all. No wonder that Solomon was very excited and took his chance to record music on the instruments for which it was written. The result was a disc with pieces for flute and basso continuo, which was followed by a sequel with flute concertos.
It is not so easy to find out what the common denominator of this third disc in the project is. The programme spans a period of about eighty years, going from the early 18th century to the classical era. Most of the pieces are for transverse flute and basso continuo, but in some strings are involved, and there are also a few items with a vocal part.
The earliest piece is the Sonata in b minor by Johann Christoph Pepusch. He was born in Berlin and was employed at the Prussian court in Dresden from age 14. Little is known for sure about his musical education, but as later in England he directed performances from the harpsichord it is likely that he was educated as a keyboard player, probably by an organist from Saxony. There are conflicting reports about the time he arrived in England. According to Charles Burney it was "soon after the [1688] revolution", others mention 1697. His activities after the turn of the century are well documented. The sonata performed here is from a collection dating from the early 18th century, known as the Cheney Flute Sonatas Manuscript. These sonatas are among the first specifically written for the transverse flute in England.
With the next two pieces we move to around 1730. The Sonata in e minor has been attributed to Antonio Vivaldi, and as such was given a place in the catalogue of his oeuvre. However, the piece is considered spurious; Ashley Solomon argues that it is different from what we expect from Vivaldi. Although I am in no way an expert in these matters, the sonata does not sound very Vivaldian to my ears. It has been suggested that it may be from the pen of Johann Martin Blochwitz, a hardly-known composer, who was a player of the flute and the oboe and played second flute in the Dresden orchestra from 1717. He may have deliberately presented this sonata under Vivaldi's name to make it more popular. Its attribution to Vivaldi may have saved it from oblivion, and its quality is such that it would be a shame if it had disappeared under the dust of history.
From about the same time is the Sonata in F by Pietro Antonio Locatelli. Like Vivaldi he was known as a virtuosic violinist, who travelled around as such, but then settled in Amsterdam, where he regularly performed, and also published his music. It may come as a surprise that Locatelli composed and published a set of sonatas specifically intended for the transverse flute. However, the inventory of goods compiled at his death included three flutes. He even taught the flute to an amateur from Amsterdam, Mr. Romswinkel. Moreover, it has been observed that several sonatas have also been found in versions for violin. In those cases the flute sonatas may be later adaptations.
The 18th century was a time that saw a growing interest in traditional music. This was partly due to the Enlightenment, which was interested in cultural differences between peoples, and also the idealization of life at the countryside, of which traditional music was an expression. In England several composers arranged traditional songs, among them even immigrants, such as Francesco Barsanti. He was one of the many Italian performing musicians and composers who moved to London to look for employment. He arrived there in 1714, together with his friend Francesco Geminiani; both were from Lucca. For a number of years he played the flute and the oboe in the orchestra of the Italian opera. In 1735 he married a woman from Scotland. He developed a special liking for Scottish tunes which he arranged or incorporated into his compositions. Two further Scots airs were arranged by Walter Clagget, a cellist from Ireland, who spent some time of his life in Scotland. The two arrangements played here date from 1762 and were later included in a collection of Scots airs, published around 1794.
Clagget is one of several composers from the British isles whose names seldom appear in the programmes of concerts and on disc. That also goes for John Frederick Lampe and Thomas Chilcot. Lampe was another immigrant; he was born in Brunswick, where he was educated on the bassoon. He settled in London in 1725/26, and was mainly active as a composer of music for the theatre. His greatest success was The Dragon of Wantley, a mock opera comparable with John Gay's The Beggar's Opera. Here we get an aria with obbligato flute from Dione, first performed in 1733. Chilcot was from Bath, where he worked all his life, from 1721 until his death as organist of Bath Abbey. In 1744 he published a collection of Twelve English Songs for voice and orchestra, one of the earliest specimens of the genre in England. They may have been performed at the Pleasure Gardens concerts in London. Orpheus with his lute is a strophic song on a text by Shakespeare. The flute imitates the voice, and the strings play pizzicato.
Wilhelm Friedemann Bach was a composer who moved back and forth between the various styles of his time. Some of his music is hard to discern from that of his father, and that goes especially for his sacred works, but in other parts of his oeuvre he is even ahead of his time. That as the case, according to Solomon, with the Sonata in e minor, which is technically demanding. Because of its character and quality it is one of the highlights of this disc.
With Mozart's Quartet in D, which ironically opens the programme, although it is one of the chronologically latest, we are on familiar ground. Mozart composed four quartets for flute, violin, viola and cello, and these are among his most popular chamber works, often played and recorded. One should not expect any deep thoughts; these are divertimento-like pieces, intended for entertainment of both performers and audiences; as such they are hard to beat.
This third volume in Ashley Solomon's project of presenting historical flutes may be a little inconsistent in the selection of pieces, musically speaking it is another winner. The use of various flutes - described in the booklet, unfortunately without pictures - lends it much importance, and the mix of familiar and less common repertoire adds to its value. As in the previous volumes, the playing is of the highest order. Solomon brings each piece to life, with the assistance of some renowned colleagues as Agata Daraskaite, Jennifer Morsches, Fred Jacobs and Steven Devine. Rowan Pierce is a young singer, who is making a good career. I like her voice, and she does sing the two vocal items included here rather well, unfortunately with a little too much vibrato.
All in all, this is a disc that certainly will appeal to flute aficionados, but it should be a good proposition for anyone who just likes good music and excellent playing.
Johan van Veen (© 2024)
Relevant links:
Rowan Pierce
Florilegium