On Record – Hensel: Lieder (First Hand Records)

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Fanny Hensel
Wenn ich ihn nur habe. Die Schönheit Nicht, Mädchen, Wohl deinem Liebling (all 1820). Der Abendstern. Die sanften Tage, Der Sänger. An die Entfernte (all 1823). Auf der Wanderung. Abschied. Mond. Sehnsucht, HU190 (all 1824-6). Sehnsucht, HU192. Maigesang. Seufzer. An den Mond. An die Ruhe. Sehnsucht, HU203. Sehnsucht, HU205. Umsonst. Suleika (all 1827). Sehnsucht, HU217. Nacht. In der Ferne (all 1828-33). Über allen Gipfeln ist Ruh’. Ach, die Augen sind es wieder. Das Meer Erglänzte. Ich wandelte unter den Bäumen (all 1835-8). Der Fürst vom Berge. Traurige Wege. Dämmrung senkte sich von oben. Traum. Mutter, o sing mich zur Ruh’ (all 1840-44). Erwache Knab’. Vorwurf (both 1846).

Jennifer Parker, Stephanie Wake-Edwards (mezzo-sopranos), Tim Parker-Langston (tenor), Jâms Coleman, Genevieve Ellis, Ewan Gilford (pianos)

First Hand Records FHR148 [82’25’’]
German texts and English translations included. Producers and Engineers Tim Parker-Langston, David Jones
Recorded 3-8 January 2023 at Mendelssohn-Haus, Leipzig, Germany

Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse

What’s the story?

First Hand Records expands its already enterprising catalogue with this release of Lieder by Fanny Hensel (1805-47) – Felix Mendelssohn’s elder sister – who has recently come into her own not least through her prolific song output, many of which are only now being recorded.

What’s the music like?

Hensel left some 450 individual works, with songs comprising over half this total. A handful of these appeared under her brother’s name, while she had published just three collections of songs and piano pieces at the time of her death: a measure of the extent of her composing is that half of those songs featured here are being recorded for the first time. Covering some 26 years, this selection feels representative of her musical development in terms of its evolving approach to harmony and word-setting, together with the range and type of authors being set.

Although other sequences are perfectly feasible, the decision to proceed chronologically is justified by relative unfamiliarity of Hensel’s songs. Starting with the appealing gaucheness of the Novalis setting If I could only have him, this continues with such relatively ambitious numbers as the Ludwig Uhland ballad The Gentle Days (at almost five minutes the longest item here) or wistful eloquence found in Ludwig Tieck’s Parting. A highlight is her setting   of Ludwig Hölty’s May Song, notably the subtle variations of tone and texture drawn from its 12 verses. The songs from the late 1830s include a striking treatment of Heinrich Heine’s I wondered beneath the trees and those from the early 1840s include the sustained intensity found in Nikolaus Lenau’s Sorrowful Paths, which poet’s Reproach is almost her last song.

A good way into Hensel’s songs is through comparing those five items (from a total of nine) all entitled Sehnsucht (Longing) and written during the mid-to later 1820s. First, a setting of Johann Voss which never ventures far from its subdued opening; next, a setting of Hölty that points up this poem’s conflicting images with real acuity, followed with two briefer settings by these poets (that by Hölty the shortest here at barely 50 seconds) such as amply turn such succinctness to expressive advantage and, finally, a poem by Friedrich Märcker whose overt pantheism inspires a setting of gentle profundity. Here, as in almost all these songs, Hensel never forces the issue with regard to ‘interpreting’ the words at hand – rather, her approach is to tease out its meaning through a dialogue between voice and piano in which inference is all.

Does it all work?

Almost always, not least owing to the advocacy of these artists. The lion’s share is entrusted to Tim Parker-Langston (not unreasonably so given his masterminding of this project), whose mellifluous tenor is eminently suited to Hensel’s music. Of the two mezzos, Stephanie Wake-Edwards’s soulful contralto is duly complemented on three numbers with the lighter tone of Jennifer Parker. The 34 songs are divided almost equally between three pianists who, between them, confirm Hensel wrote as idiomatically as any more illustrious peer for this combination.

Is it recommended?

It is, given this release is a significant contribution to the ongoing dissemination of Hensel’s music. The booklet, too, is admirably produced with its succinct introductory note alongside full texts and translations. Those looking for an overview of these songs need look no further.

Buy

You can explore purchase options on the First Hand Records website Click to read about Hensel Songs Online, and on the artist names to read more on Jennifer Parker, Stephanie Wake-Edwards, Tim Parker-Langston, Jâms Coleman, Genevieve Ellis and Ewan Gilford

Published post no.2,173 – Thursday 9 May 2024

On Record – Rasmus Faber – Where Light Touches [A NIMA Story] (Farplane Records)

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by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

Rasmus Faber’s first foray into ambient music with classical overtones is made as a collaboration with illustrator Ross Tran (RossDraws), interpreting his book NIMA using electronics and a full orchestra, recorded in Stockholm.

Faber, having become absorbed in the characters and settings of the book, started to think of ways in which he could provide a sonic match for Tran’s artwork. The result is an 18-track album of instrumental pieces.

What’s the music like?

As fresh as a daisy, with the air of someone who has an original voice when writing for orchestra. Faber writes music of pure ambience but manages to avoid cliches, achieving clarity of line but also a wide open sound.

The brightly lit musings take place against this incredibly airy sonic backdrop, as though the listener has been ushered outside in the experience. When you hear the shimmering tremolo strings of Opus it is like being caught in a chill wind, while New Moon has a similarly cold clarity, beautifully orchestrated and realised – with marimbas in the foreground and the strings oscillating softly. Faber has an imaginative ear with orchestration, as the probing cello theme and percussive dialogue of Iris illustrates.

Train To Nimbus establishes the watery sonic picture, its rippling piano set against hazy string chords – but Faber can do stillness too, establishing a far-Eastern setting for Healing Rain and a contemplative place for Lament. Meanwhile Dragon’s Whisper generates a chugging momentum with the strings, as does the urgent Warden, which – like The Apparition – explores an impressive depth as the orchestral sound expands.

The title track is the pinnacle of Faber’s writing, a mass of colour that washes over the listener, slow moving strings complemented by faster moving figures in the middle ground and finished off by piano flourishes.

Does it all work?

It does – the wide open sound is a joy on the home stereo and also on headphones, providing a refreshing experience for the listener.

Is it recommended?

Wholeheartedly. Rasmus Faber has achieved something special here, and it is to be hoped this is the first of many excursions into orchestral music. He has a sound painter’s ear, and makes music not just to soothe the fevered brow but to energise it too.

For fans of… Thomas Newman, Michael Nyman, Penguin Cafe Orchestra

Listen and Buy

You can listen to clips and explore purchase options at the Farplane Records website

Published post no.2,172 – Wednesday 8 May 2024

On Record – Serena Wey, Basel Sinfonietta / Mark FitzGerald – Weill: Die sieben Todsünden, Die Dreigroschenoper, Suite panaméenne (First Hand)

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Weill
Die sieben Todsünden (1933)
Die Dreigroschenoper – Suite, arr. Schönherr (1928, arr. 1956)
Suite panaméenne (1934)
September Song (1938)
Surabaya-Johnny (1929)

Serena Wey (soprano), Martin Müller, Werner Güra (tenors), Othmar Sturm (baritone), Grzegorz Rózycki (bass), Basel Sinfonietta / Mark Fitz-Gerald

First Hand Records FHR140 [65’48’’]
German texts included. Producer Philipp Steiner Remastering Engineer John Croft
Recorded 3 February 1991 and 5 September 1993 (Suite panaméenne) at Stadtcasino, Basel

Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse

What’s the story?

First Hand Records continues its series of reissues with this appealing collection of music by Kurt Weill, capably performed by the Basel Sinfonietta and judiciously conducted by Mark Fitz-Gerald, who has since become synonymous with recreating Shostakovich’s film scores.

What’s the music like?

The main work is The Seven Deadly Sins, the ‘ballet chanté’ Weill wrote in Paris after having departed Berlin in the wake of Nazi rule and which was his final collaboration with Berthold Brecht. Written as a vehicle for his wife Lotta Lenya this found only limited success, though its conceit of the main role being split between singer and dancer was to prove influential on later generations of dramaturgs. Serena Wey captures the spirit of Anna in her journey from innocence to experience over each of those sins, their respective settings in seven American cities pointing up that critique of Capitalism which Brecht and (still at this time) Weill were intent on making. The four male vocalists ably convey the role of ‘The Family’, somewhere between Greek Chorus and Barbershop Quartet in its pertinent observations and occasional tendency to moralize. Often revived with its main role transposed to the mezzo register, the piece benefits from being heard as it was conceived and, had it been issued at the time, this account would have been early in establishing an authentic ‘tradition’ of Weill performance.

Suites derived from two of Weill’s other stage-works are further enhancements, even if that from The Threepenny Opera is not the one he himself adapted – rather, a truncated selection by Max Schönherr (1903-84), a composer and conductor of light music whose arrangement for full orchestra is expert rather than inspired but features most of the items for which this ‘play with music’ remains famous. More valuable, though, is the Panamanian Suite drawn from incidental music to the play by Jacques Deval that takes in a breezy Introduction and uproarious March of the Panamanian Army alongside the pert fusion of Tango-Habañera and no less catchy Tempo di Foxtrot – this suite echoing the masterly and still underrated Second Symphony from the same time in its deft irony and edgy melodicism. Of those two songs which round off this release, September Song (Knickerbocker Holiday) sounds oddly uninvolving in German, despite Martin Müller’s mellifluous delivery, but Surabaya-Johnny (Happy End) leaves a plangent spell even out of context through Wey’s affecting eloquence.

Does it all work?

Pretty much. As already indicated, the performances are never less than idiomatic thanks to Fitz-Gerald’s evident sympathy with Weill’s subtle changing idiom and committed playing from the Basel musicians. The sound is a little dull and unyielding, though the remastering has clearly done much to improve it, with Rodney Smith’s succinct and informative notes a welcome addition. A pity that only the original German texts have been included here, but English translations can be found online while the presentation cannot otherwise be faulted.

Is it recommended?

Indeed, and as more than merely an archival release. The performance of the main work can hold its own with most of those which choose the original version, and it is to be hoped that more instances of Fitz-Gerald’s Basel collaborations from this period can be made available.

Listen

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You can explore purchase options on the First Hand Records website Click on the artist names to read more on conductor Mark Fitz-Gerald, soprano Serena Wey, tenor Martin Müller and the Basel Sinfonietta

Published post no.2,171 – Tuesday 7 May 2024

On Record – Tim Posner, Berner Symphonieorchester / Katharina Müllner: Bloch, Bruch & Dohnányi (Claves)

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Tim Posner (cello), Berner Symphonieorchester / Katharina Müllner

Bloch Schelomo (1917)
Bruch Kol Nidrei Op.47 (1880)
Dohnányi Konzertstück Op.12 (1904)

Claves CD3079 [56’21’’]
Producer & Engineer Johannes Kammann
Recorded September 2023 at Diaconis-Kirche, Bern, Switzerland

Reviewed by Ben Hogwood

What’s the story?

This is the debut concerto album from British cellist Tim Posner, currently principal cellist with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta. He has been awarded the Thierry Scherz prize at the Sommets musicaux de Gstaad, joining a list of illustrious cellists such as Nicolas Altstaedt, Pablo Ferrández and Anastasia Kobekina, as well as viola player Timothy Ridout, with whom he is a member of The Teyber Trio.

The winner of the Thierry Scherz prize gets a recording with Claves as part of their reward, and here Posner. together with conductor Katharina Müllner and the Berner Symphonieorchester have constructed an attractive program of concertante works for cello and orchestra, written in the style of a concerto but in single-movement form.

What’s the music like?

Bloch’s Schelomo is increasingly well-known, a powerful utterance for cello and orchestra in an extended single movement. Subtitling the piece Rhapsodie hébraïque, Bloch wrote the piece in six weeks, modelling it on chosen verses from the book of Ecclesiastes. In his words, the cello takes ‘the incarnation of King Solomon (the book’s author), while the orchestra ‘represents his internal world and his experience of life’. The themes are mostly original but are of Hebrew resonance, one a reproduction of a tune Bloch’s father would often sing.

The Konzertstück for cello and orchestra is not a well-known part of the output of Ernő Dohnányi, but it had personal significance for the composer when he completed it at the age of 26. The composer’s father was a fine amateur cellist, and he must have been at the front of Dohnányi’s mind when he wrote this single-movement work, set out as though it were a single movement concerto.

Bisecting the two larger works is Kol Nidrei, one of the most enduring of works for solo instrument and orchestra by Max Bruch. Completed in 1880, it was dedicated to Robert Hausmann, who premiered Brahms’s Double Concerto with Joseph Joachim seven years later. Kol Nidrei is based on two Hebrew melodies.

Does it all work?

Yes, it does. Posner brings a fresh approach to each of the three works and is extremely sensitive in his balancing with the orchestra and the melodic phrasing he applies.

Schelomo receives a commanding performance, but with room for the orchestra to make its telling contributions, ideally shaped under Katharina Müllner. Posner’s tone is beautiful throughout, and especially secure in the higher register sections, where he takes the part of Solomon with assurance and poise. There is some really nice detail in the smaller sections, where the Bern principal oboe really shines, and the whole mood is one of intense and passionate thought.

Kol Nidrei starts softly, lost in thought, but comes through to a chorale theme displaying emotional strength in depth, a real point of light in the darkness. Müllner’s pacing here is ideal.

The real discovery of the album is the Dohnányi, whose cheery, airy theme sets the tone for free flowing piece that proves contagious in its positivity. Cello and woodwind enjoy frequent dialogue, and the main theme is a joy when it reappears in orchestral guise half way through. The cello part is deceptively virtuosic, but it falls easily under Posner’s hands.

Is it recommended?

Enthusiastically. This is an imaginative album, performed with sensitivity and flair. The trio of pieces are extremely complementary, and Posner’s verve and enthusiasm are infectious. It is to be hoped more recordings will follow from this source, for this is a very fine package all round.

Listen

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You can explore purchase options for this recording on the Presto website

Published post no.2,170 – Monday 6 May 2024

On Record – Arthur Lourié: Chamber and Instrumental Music Vol. 1 (Toccata Classics)

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Lourié
Sunrise (1957)a
Pastorale de la Volga (1916)b
Regina Coeli (1924)c
La Flute à travers le Violon (1935)d
Dithyrambes (1938)e
Deux Études sur un sonnet de Mallarmé (1945/62)f
The Mime (1956)g
The Flute of Pan (1957)h
Funeral Games in Honor of Chronos (1964)i

cCandy Grace Ho (contralto) iRaphael Leone (piccolo) adehBirgit Ramsl (flute), gPaolo Beltramini (clarinet), Egidius Streiff, bd(viola/violin) fiGottlieb Wallisch (piano)
Musicians of Arthur Lourié Festival, Basel [iLucie Brotbek Prochásková (alto flute), bcHansjürgen Wäldele (oboe), bNicolas Rihs (bassoon), cSimon Lilly (trumpet), bAgnès Mauri (viola), bMateusz Kamiński (cello), iNicolas Suter (percussion)]

Toccata Classics TOCC0652 [70’05’’]
Producer Mauro Piccinini Engineers Sergio Cossu & Riccardo Botta
Recorded 26 November 2021 (g) and 25 February 2022 (adeh) at Sacro Cuore, Bellinzona; 20/24 February 2022 (bcfi) at Studio 1, Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, Zurich

Reviewed by Richard Whitehouse

What’s the story?

Toccata Classics adds to the growing recorded representation of Arthur Lourié (1892-1966) with this first volume devoted to chamber and instrumental music, so extending appreciation of not only a culturally significant figure but a strikingly original composer in his own right.

What’s the music like?

Earliest here is Pastorale de la Volga – its pungent scoring for woodwind and strings, with its avowedly constructivist unfolding (what might be termed ‘additive form’), maintained across two continuous movements which do not develop linearly as evolve modularly; these motifs intensifying, as it were, through association and in a manner Stravinsky or Prokofiev drew on intensively around this time. Subsequently isolated in Wiesbaden, Lourié brought modernist and traditional facets into telling accord with his setting Regina Coeli; here, oboe and trumpet play off a vocal line that continues unaware of, or is indifferent to, their contrasting presence.

In essence a sonata ‘malgré-lui’, La Flûte à travers le Violon has its composer utilizing some of the more recondite aspects of Stravinskian neo-classicism – whether in the agile rhythmic displacement of its opening Allegretto, taciturn eloquence of its central Adagio or engaging repartee of the final Presto with its appealingly populist undertones. By contrast, the trilogy for solo flute Dithyrambes offers an avowedly Nietzschean take on the choral odes found in Greek antiquity – the graceful undulations of Le Sacrifice du miel duly complemented by the unfurling lament of Plainte d’Ariane, before the tonal and rhythmic intricacies of the relatively lengthy Labyrinthe make a potent corollary to that fabled if mythical construct.

Phrases, first of two études respectively commenting on and setting a sonnet by Mallarmé, finds this composer at his most unashamedly melodic – though there is nothing reactionary about its plaintive and at times capricious interplay between flute and piano. This is no less true of Mime, a study for clarinet which is dedicated to Charles Chaplin and which it is not unreasonable to think of as a portrait of this actor in his most enduring guise as the Tramp.

The programme had opened with the alluring strains of Sunrise, its (imagined?) evocation of the ‘dawn chorus’ just one of the aspects of this first cousin to pieces by Debussy and Varèse, and to which The Flute of Pan makes for a pointed contrast with its gradually but inexorably mounting activity to a febrile ending. From here to Funeral Games in Honor of Chronos is to encounter Lourié’s penultimate work, his latter preoccupation with ritual heard in a sequence of linked episodes conceptually of the ancient past yet aesthetically of the immediate present.

Does it all work?

Yes, notwithstanding that Lourié is a composer less occupied with any expressive or technical consistency than with imparting a ‘world view’ such as veers freely between past and present. These performances, recorded under the auspices of the Arthur Lourié Festival in Basel, are always attuned to his arresting idiom and have been recorded with the requisite spaciousness.

Is it recommended?

Indeed, and good to hear a follow-up volume from this source is forthcoming. In particular, Lourié’s music for string quartet would be necessary listening for anyone who has heard his epic first such work (recorded by the Asasello Quartett on Genuin GEN22745) in this genre.

Listen & Buy

You can listen to sample tracks and purchase on the Toccata Classics website. Click on the names for more on composer Arthur Lourié

Published post no.2,165 – Wednesday 1 May 2024