MUFFAT: Organ Works, Vol. 2

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Includes work(s) by Franz Berwald. Ensemble: Uppsala Chamber Soloists. Soloist: Bengt-Åke Lundin.

The Naxos Collection

The last ten years of Mozart' life, spent in Vienna, coincided with the growing development and popularity of the clarinet. In particular, Mozart found inspiration in the playing of the Stadler brothers, resulting in his Clarinet Concerto.

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Jürg: Chamber Music

This is a disc I could listen to again and again and again. Heck, I probably will—excuse me while I hit the back button on my CD player!

RHEINBERGER Sextet, op.191b. Nonet, op. 139 • Consortium Classicum • MDG 301 1453 (68:22)


This was my very first exposure to the music of Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839–1901), a composer who, I confess, I had never even heard of before. Born in Lichtenstein, he was apparently a great organist and the composer of several marvelous organ sonatas as well as a doctor of philosophy. Perhaps the extraordinarily high quality of the performances has something to do with it, but I found this music utterly charming, relaxed, and beautiful, much in the vein of the Schubert Octet or the Brahms Serenades. Like those works, there is nothing startling or innovative about this music melodically or harmonically. It is echt -German Romanticism in all its glory. Yet the warm autumnal colors and relaxed, flowing rhythmic contours of the works held me in thrall from the very first note of the Sextet to the very last note of the Nonet.


I attribute much of my being charmed to the extraordinarily warm playing of oboist Gernot Schmalfuss (in the Sextet) and Pavel Sokolov (in the Nonet), hornist Jan Schroeder, and especially pianist Stefan Irmer, whose consistently light, airy tone and flowing sense of rhythm kept things moving without ever sounding aggressive. Nevertheless, Rheinberger’s music put me in mind of a leisurely stroll through the countryside, in which one’s ramblings are occasionally interrupted by a sight or a thought that shifts one’s reality sideways for a few diverting moments. In a world of gushy, overproduced “relaxing classics,” this is genuinely music of relaxation, but it works not because of its soft contours but because, despite its leisurely quality, it continually engages the mind. His feeling for rhythm is uncannily natural, his occasional emphasis on secondary themes in the foreground creative yet playful. And how this music sings ! The only other composer whose works have had such an arresting effect on me is the vastly underrated York Bowen.


Unlike other music in this genre (Schubert’s and Mendelssohn’s, of course, excepted), Rheinberger is not intent on making or proving a point. He is not trying to convince us that he really is a Great Composer. He just reveals the workings of his mind in music that is tonal and romantic, but also fresh, vital and wholly delightful. Analysis of these sorts of pieces rather withers in the face of the extreme aesthetic pleasures they bring, much as an analysis of Leo Delibes or Paul Dukas rather dissipates in the extraordinary charm of their music. It has been said that Rheinberger’s wife and former pupil, Franziska von Hoffnaass, had a significant influence on his compositional style. I am inclined to believe this; these two works, at least, seem as much feminine in their outlook as they do masculine.


As the disc went on, I rather felt that the sonics were also partly to credit for the music’s impact. For those reactionaries who love to claim that music in the days of vinyl sounded fuller, warmer, more realistic, I commend you to a careful listen of MDG’s sonics. Recorded in 2006 at the Fürstliche Reitbahn Bad Arolsen by engineer Holger Schlegel, there is all the fullness of a real-time concert hall. Everything is clearly articulated, despite the group’s wonderful penchant for ensemble blend, yet absolutely nothing sounds artificial. The only older recordings I can compare these to are the magnificent New York Woodwind Quintet discs of the late 1950s and early 1960s on Everest’s 35-mm recording film. If you liked the sound of those records—and what true musician didn’t, as they were best-sellers among professionals—you will absolutely fall in love with MDG’s sonics. This is a disc I could listen to again and again and again. Heck, I probably will—excuse me while I hit the back button on my CD player!


FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley

GODARD Piano Trios: in g, op. 32; in F, op. 72. Jocelyn: Berceuse • Parnassus Tr • MDG GOLD 3031615 (59:47)


Listening to these two piano trios by Benjamin Godard (1849–95), one would never guess that he trained as a violinist under Henri Vieuxtemps at the Paris Conservatory. I say this because both works are launched by a storm of piano passagework so turbulent as to leave Mendelssohn hanging on for dear life at the dock. From this one might understandably surmise that Godard was one of the great keyboard virtuosos of the 19th century, though such was not the case. This is music that is strangely beautiful and beautifully strange, which makes it difficult to describe, so perhaps some background will help.


The Jewish Godard was born in Paris at a time when opera was all the rage and when piano and violin giants—Alkan, Chopin, Liszt, Paganini, Vieuxtemps, Wieniawski, etc.—filled Parisian salons and concert halls to overflowing. Godard, like his slightly earlier French Jewish compatriots Meyerbeer and Halévy, sought fame and fortune in the opera house, writing at least eight operas, only one of which, Jocelyn , seems to have had any staying power. Unlike Meyerbeer and Halévy, however, Godard did not place all or most of his eggs in one basket. He was highly prolific in a number of genres, composing a surprisingly large number of works considering his relatively short life of 46 years. Among his output are concertos for violin and piano—a Naxos recording of the violin concertos with Chloë Hanslip was reviewed by Ian Lace in Fanfare 31:6—ballets, overtures, three symphonies, three string quartets, sonatas for violin and cello, the two piano trios on this disc, plus numerous songs and solo piano pieces. Yet out of more than 150 works, Godard is today remembered mainly for the Berceuse from his opera Jocelyn , added as an encore at the end of the current CD. It might also be mentioned that Godard was openly hostile to Wagner and outspokenly critical of the German composer’s anti-Semitism.


It’s too easy, perhaps intellectually lazy even, to cite Mendelssohn and Schumann as the only influences in Godard’s music and to just leave it at that, for there’s much more going on here. Take, for example, the rolling, roiling turbulence that opens the 1884 Piano Trio No. 2 in F Major. Franck’s A-Major Violin Sonata was still two years in the offing, but it’s uncanny how closely Godard’s writing presages the beginning of the second movement in Franck’s sonata. There is also a degree and a type of chromaticism in this score that would not have occurred to Mendelssohn or Schumann and that is more common to the French school; I’m thinking particularly of Fauré, who, after all, was born five years before Godard.


Like most works of its genre and period, a second theme, quieter and more lyrical in nature, is introduced. But here is where I believe Godard is at his weakest. The desire and the impulse are there, the gesture sincere, but the ability to craft a memorable melody eludes him, and what emerges in its place is a kind of soft-shoe, salon-style music that bides its time until the next storm surge washes away the cucumber and cress sandwiches. Listen, for example, beginning at 4:20 in the first movement, and then to the violin’s entrance 10 seconds later.


The Piano Trio No.1 in G Minor dates from 1880 and was, at one time, quite popular. Again, the piece opens in a state of tumult, with restless, agitated passagework in the piano. Here, the Mendelssohn influence is a bit more pronounced. Listen, for example, beginning at 1:54 in the first movement, to the second theme that unfolds like a Mendelssohnian song without words. The Leipzig composer is also conjured up in Godard’s Tempo di Menuetto, which is actually a moderately paced scherzo. But these good-natured elves sound more like oafs, hiccupping and clumsily tripping over each other as if they’ve had a bit too much to drink.


I might question the Parnassus Trio’s violinist, Yamel Yu, and cellist, Michael Gross, for overdoing it a bit on the portamentos in the Andante quasi Adagio and elsewhere. The potted plant is leafy enough; fertilizer is not needed. As note author Martin Bernklau observes, “The way Godard’s lyrical talent sometimes borders on sentimentality in the slow movements probably engendered a favorable response in the salons.”


The concluding Allegro vivace provides further evidence of French influences in Godard’s music that tend to dilute the prima facie Mendelssohn/Schumann argument, for here we have a clear example of the cyclic techniques favored by Berlioz, Franck, Saint-Saëns, and Liszt. The trio’s last movement begins with the same material that began the first movement. Godard then transforms it harmonically and rhythmically in true cyclic fashion.


As salon pieces go, the Berceuse from Jocelyn , in Bernklau’s words, “is certainly not kitsch despite its popularity. It is a little gem whose tender melodic beauty has survived more than a century.”


Most record labels are proud to trumpet first-ever recordings. That MDG doesn’t do so in this case suggests to me that previous recordings of Godard’s piano trios may have once existed. Currently, however, I find no other listings. As hinted at above, I wasn’t particularly thrilled by the Parnassus Trio’s somewhat raffish readings; I could imagine this music being played more tastefully and with greater refinement by a French ensemble that better understood the musical aesthetic of Godard’s time and place. But we’re not likely to get another recording of these works anytime soon, and technically, the Parnassus Trio is an exceptionally fine ensemble whose many excellent performances on MDG—trios by Lalo, Philipp Scharwenka, and Rheinberger—I’ve been enjoying for a number of years. Recording, as always with this label, is outstanding. In the absence of perhaps more idiomatic readings, this is definitely recommended, especially to those who enjoy exploring the nooks and crannies of 19th-century chamber music.


FANFARE: Jerry Dubins


Although Benjamin Godard's prolific output is represented today primarily by the Berceuse from his opera Jocelyn, his two piano trios are anything but salon fluff. Each four-movement work fully taps the medium's textural potential, with plenty of melodic interest, well-sustained development, and witty touches, such as the deft alterations from triple to duple time in the G minor Trio Minuetto and the hushed exchanges between the piano's broken chords and the pizzicato strings in the F major Trio's Allegro vivace finale (letter L in my copy of the Durand score).

The Trio Parnassus pretty much matches the high standards it set in its excellent Schumann recordings for MDG. The musicians are especially responsive to the Adagio movements' long, unfolding narratives, and generally take Godard's explicit dynamic directives on faith. Ideally I'd prefer faster, more effervescent and sharply characterized finales than what the Trio Parnassus delivers, but the ensemble still makes a strong case for reviving these works. In the absence of an earlier, out-of-print edition on Koch Schwann featuring the Trio Ma Non Troppo, the Trio Parnassus has no current catalog competition here. Recommended.

--Jed Distler, ClassicsToday.com

GATTI Serenata a più stromenti di Concerto. Sestetto • Calamus Ens • MDG 603 1589-2 (63:01)


Yet another forgotten contemporary of the great classicists, Luigi Gatti (1740–1817) was born in Italy’s lake district; studied in nearby Mantua, where he also became a priest; and established himself as a singer, conductor, and composer of note. In the latter capacity his esteem was such that his works were accepted for performance at Milan’s La Scala. In 1783 he was appointed music director of the court of Archbishop Hiermonymus Colloredo in Salzburg, where he served for the remainder of his life. The best-known of the musicians under his supervision there was music’s most famous doting parent, Leopold Mozart, his celebrated son Wolfgang having since departed for Vienna. After the younger Mozart’s demise, Gatti helped his sister, Nannerl, find and preserve some of the scores that had been left in the court’s archives. Gatti himself left a legacy of more than 150 works, ranging from operas, of course, to service music, but also including occasional music, two samples of which are here recorded. These are substantial works. The 34-minute Serenata consists of four movements in symphonic sequence (Allegro, Adagio alla Romanza, Menuetto, Allegro). The Sextet, with a five-movement configuration more typical of a divertimento, has a healthy running time of 29 minutes. Of the two the Serenata may have more staying power, but both are tuneful and obviously the work of a skilled craftsman and clearly not the model for Mozart’s Musical Joke . While one could not make a case for the elevation of Gatti to the pantheon on the basis of these two genial works, both probably fulfilled their function as entertainments at the court. I suspect that this disc came my way because of the scoring: The Serenata calls for oboe, bassoon, two horns, and string quintet; the Sextet for English horn, bassoon, and strings. MDG’s notes indicate that the oboe was Gatti’s wind of choice in his compositions—not at all surprising, since neither the flute nor the clarinet were fully established members of 18th-century orchestras. The double reeds here are not the center of attention, but serve instead as foils to the characteristically dominant first violin, as one might expect in a typical serenade of the period. This release is for the curious and/or adventurous. The performances could not be better.


FANFARE: George Chien

Lamentations: Holy Week in Provence / Joel Cohen Conductor, Boston Camerata Performing Ensemble, Anne Azema Soprano (Vocal), Readings, Frederick Jodry Counter Tenor (Vocal), William Hite Tenor (Vocal), Paul Guttry Bass (Vocal), Christopher Kale Tenor (Vocal), Schola Cantorum of Boston Choir, Chorus, Daniel McCabe Brass Baritone

Apart from the opera and the symphony, Max Reger made substantial contributions to almost every musical genre, and within chamber music his compositions for violin and piano formed the largest complex. These works are technically and musically demanding and, for one reason or another are rarely ever heard in the concert hall.

Classical Music

HAYDN: String Quartets Op. 50, Nos. 4 - 6, 'Prussian'

SCHUMANN, R.: Piano Trios, Vol. 2

There were 2 Herzogenbergs: the young, wild Herzogenberg of his early years, inspired by Wagner and Liszt, and the classicistic Herzogenberg of his later years, under the spell of his venerated Brahms. Signs of this duality are found in all the works for violin and piano on this release.

Guitar Recital: David Martinez

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.

These are exceptionally well-played renditions of works that have had perhaps more attention--in almost every shape, size, and instrumental configuration imaginable--than any other 18th-century orchestral music. Crisp, clean, snappy articulation, rich-toned horns, bright trumpets, mellifluous strings and winds, and ideal, unhurried tempos and well-balanced ensemble sound makes for a very satisfying hour-plus concert.

The period-instrument Italian orchestra (unusual to hear in this music!) is very ably led by Federico Guglielmo, who chose to follow recommendations recently asserted by Christopher Hogwood particularly regarding performing order of the 22 individual pieces that make up the suites in D, G, and F. This means that instead of the traditional divisions into suites, we hear one compilation of all the movements, beginning with the F major (which is ordered exactly the way it is in my old Eulenburg pocket score from 1973) and continuing with a mixture of the G major and D major movements. Unless you've got a particular movement sequence firmly stuck in your consciousness and you can't jar it loose, L'Arte dell'Arco's program order won't bother you at all. What may bother you, however, is an annoying clicking/clacking noise that in a couple of places disrupts the otherwise demonstration-quality sound (most notable on tracks 7 and 8).

Nevertheless, the highlights are many, including some very lovely ornamentation by the solo flute in the G major Menuet, exciting brass playing throughout, and a Fireworks Overture that's as rousing and artfully executed as you'll ever hear. This is a release that manages to make a memorable impression in a very crowded field--a significant achievement, and an imposing calling-card for this fine orchestra.

--David Vernier, ClassicsToday.com

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Ernst Wilhelm Wolf (1735-92) developed into a central figure in Weimar’s music world after 1760. Among the chamber genres Wolf devoted himself extensively to was the string quartet, or quartet for four stringed instruments, which for him referred to the older Northern and Central German quadro, a trio sonata with an additional melody part set contrapuntally in trio against a basso continuo. The three quartets, Op. 3, form the genuine high point in Wolf’s quartet oeuvre. His predilection for contrast and his compositional techniques lend these compositions their special appeal.

Classical Music