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CD reviews
Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH, Giuseppe TARTINI: "Concertos & Sonatas"
Ausonia
rec: Dec 1 - 3, 2019, Mons (B), Salle Arsonic
Hitasura - HSP006 (© 2020) (81'04")
Liner-notes: E/D/F
Cover & track-list
Scores CPE Bach
Scores Tartini
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Carl Philipp Emanuel BACH (1714-1788):
Concerto for keyboard, strings and bc in E minor (Wq 15 / H 418)b;
Rondo I in E flat (Wq 61,1 / H 288)b [1];
Giuseppe TARTINI (1692-1770):
Concerto for violin, strings and bc in A minor (D 112)a;
Sonata for violin in A minor (B.a1)a;
Sonata for violin and bc in G minor (B.g5)a
Source:
[1] Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach, Clavier-Sonaten und freye Fantasien nebst einigen Rondos fürs Forte-Piano für Kenner und Liebhaber, Sechste Sammlung, 1787
Mira Glodeanu (soloa), Tami Troman, Emmanuelle Dauvin, violin;
Michel Renard, viola;
Jérôme Vidaller, cello;
James Munro, violone, double bass;
Frédérick Haas, harpsichord (solob)
Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach and Giuseppe Tartini seem a rather unlikely
combination. Two composers, from different countries, who never met and
who may even not have heard of one another, and exponents of different
instruments: the former of the keyboard, the latter of the violin. The
choice of these masters for one recording is the result of personal
preferences of the two soloists, Mira Glodeanu and Frédérick Haas.
However, it makes much sense to bring them together in one recording.
Both were representatives of aesthetical ideals which were different
from those of the time in which they grew up. Bach is associated with
what is known in German as Empfindsamkeit, often translated into
English as the 'sensative style'. It was the human emotion that should
be expressed in music, and the performer had to feel this emotion
himself, according to Bach. That is not unlike what was the ideal of
Tartini, which can probably be best characterised by the title of so
many movements in his compositions: cantabile. This was what he
missed in Antonio Vivaldi, the greatest violin virtuoso of the previous
generation, who in his view too much focused on technical virtuosity.
The two largest pieces are the two solo concertos. Obviously, such
pieces are usually not the most personal of a composer, as the performer
- often the composer himself in the first place - is not on his own and
the room for something like improvisation - following one's feelings
during performance - is limited. However, in the two concertos played
here certainly the features of their respective styles manifest
themselves. There is a lot of sensitivity in Tartini's Concerto in a minor, especially in the slow movement, and that is also the case with CPE Bach's Concerto in e minor.
The performers have got it right by selecting concertos in a minor key.
In the keyboard concerto we find another feature of CPE Bach's
compositional style, known as Sturm und Drang, which is certainly related to the Empfindsamkeit.
It means that contrasting emotions follow each other attacca, and the
irregularities and strong improvisational traces in especially the first
movement are a perfect display of Sturm und Drang.
It has taken some time for CPE Bach's music to become part of the
standard repertoire of performers and ensembles. Today, he is a
frequently-performed composer. It is a bit different with Tartini, whose
time seems not to have come yet. Some concertos are well-known, but a
large part of his output in this genre is little-known and is seldom
performed. His chamber music is faring even worse. Recently I was able
to review several discs with sonatas, whose release was clearly inspired
by the fact that his death in 1770 was commemorated in 2020. However,
there was no such thing as a Tartini year, and that was not entirely due
to the COVID-19 pandemic. That said, Tartini is known to a wider
audience for one sonata for violin and basso continuo, generally known
as the 'devil's trill' sonata. Its reputation has more to do with the
legend surrounding it than with some specific features. It is in no way
superior to most of Tartini's chamber music that I have heard. In fact,
many other sonatas probably bring us closer to the core of his aesthetic
ideals. The Sonata in a minor is a perfect example. It is for
violin without accompaniment, which was not very common in his time. In
such pieces he is on his own, and can give free rein to his fantasy. He
was often inspired by literature, and in particular poetry. This piece
also shows that his focus on a cantabile style of composing and
playing did not make him omit all virtuosity. This sonata, which
characteristically opens with a movement called cantabile, is a set of variations, in which double stopping plays a major role.
It is a bit of a shame that the performers decided to include Tartini's
'devil's trill' sonata as this is available in quite some recordings.
His Concerto in a minor also ranks among his better-known works.
CPE Bach's keyboard concertos are not that often played, and from that
perspective the choice of this piece is very welcome. It dates from
around 1745, and at that time the harpsichord was still the main strung
keyboard instrument in chamber music and concertos. That justifies
Haas's choice for this instrument. That is different in the Rondo in E flat;
the recordings that I have in my collection are all on clavichord or
fortepiano, and both do more justice to the character of this work that
dates from late in CPE Bach's career.
Despite some issues as mentioned above, I have nothing but praise for
the performances. Both soloists have grasped the style of the pieces in
which they star, very well. The sensitivity both composers aimed at
comes off convincingly. They receive apt support from the small
ensemble, which plays with one instrument per part, which is certainly
an option in this repertoire.
Johan van Veen (© 2022)
Relevant links:
Ausonia