C. HALFFTER String Quartet No. 1, “3 piezas para cuarteto.” String Quartet No. 2, “Memories.” String Quartet No. 7, “Espacio de silencio” • Leipzig Str Qrt • MDG 307 1671-2 (60:47)


Cristobál Halffter was born in 1930, is a nephew of Ernesto Halffter, and writes music of some density and difficulty. I find myself admiring this recording perhaps more than loving it. The performances are extraordinarily committed and proficient, and the music makes a very strong impact because of the skills of the Leipzig Quartet, and because the music itself is expressive. But it is expressive in a very modernistic language and is likely to appeal to listeners open to the musical vocabulary of composers like Henze, Birtwistle, Boulez, or Carter.


The first of these quartets is the most accessible (or conservative, if you prefer). Halffter’s Spanish origins are evident, as is his debt to Stravinsky. This is music in the style of the neoclassical Stravinsky, the composer of L’Histoire du soldat . Halffter’s music here has an undeniable charm, and is much more than a mere copying of Stravinsky. Between 1956 and 1970 (the dates of Quartets Nos. 1 and 2) Halffter’s style had changed dramatically. In 1970, the Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge Foundation commissioned chamber works from a number of composers in honor of the Beethoven bicentenary, and one of them was Halffter. He chose to write a string quartet, and in it he recalls specifics of Beethoven’s last quartet, op. 135; Halffter called the quartet “Memories,” and it is clearly meant to recall the earlier masterpiece. The excellent program notes accompanying this disc give all the detail and insight any listener will need to appreciate Halftter’s work. This is a knotty, terse piece of music meant, one is sure, to be as revolutionary in its time as Beethoven’s was when it was composed.


Of the three quartets recorded here, it is the Seventh, composed in 2007, that I find the most difficult to warm up to. Its seven movements are an homage to Beethoven’s op. 131, also in seven movements. But the peculiar conception of this piece is that verses of the 15th-century Spanish poet Jorge Manrique are integrated into the score. But they are not read aloud by the performers; instead, the performers read the poems to themselves. Presumably, the audience has a printed text to read the poems to themselves as well, and MDG kindly provides the poems and translations for us. Thus, the first track of the Seventh Quartet is 11 seconds of silence. Then comes a seven-minute movement marked “Deciso,” followed by another blank track of 13 seconds, and so it goes. The quartet opens and closes with the silence, and has two more such sections internally. As for the music itself, it makes no concessions to the more conservative trends that were making themselves felt strongly by 2007. The music is uncompromisingly harsh, without the contrast of mood and color that tonality can provide. There is no questioning the compositional skill of Halffter, and if you believe that this kind of music is for you, you’ll find it here at a high level.


The recorded sound is excellent; the performances, as I indicated, are far more than merely dutiful or competent. These musicians clearly believe in Halffter’s writing, and they play it with abandon and accuracy. The performances are so good that they make me wish the music were more my cup of tea than it is.


FANFARE: Henry Fogel

C. P. E. BACH Symphonies, Wq 174–75, 178–81 • Christian Zacharias, cond; CO de Lausanne • MDG 9401824 (SACD: 68:49)


Students and fans of C. P. E. Bach will rejoice in this recording of six of his short but feisty and innovative symphonies from the late 1700s. Although the performances aren’t quite as dynamic or lively as those by Hartmut Haenchen with the C. P. E. Bach Chamber Orchestra (Berlin Classics) or Gustav Leonhardt with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (Virgin), they are certainly beautifully phrased and well articulated. The Andante and Largo movements, in particular, have a lovely sense of repose that Haenchen does not always achieve.


As the liner notes explain, the three-movement concert symphony began in Crown Prince Frederick’s small court orchestra. What the notes don’t explain is that it was essentially an outgrowth of the tripartite “overture” style developed by both French and German composers. This may explain C. P. E. Bach’s penchant for linking movements, something that was certainly ahead of its time, but it’s interesting to note that when other composers such as Haydn and Mozart began to emulate this style, they usually wrote three completely separate movements, thus un-linking the music. But, of course, there’s a lot more to Bach’s music here than just linked movements. The harmonic audacity (for its time), angular melodic structure ( far ahead of its time), and quirky pauses in the flow of the music (copied to some extent by Haydn, but largely unique to him) make his music much more than museum pieces. One example among many of his audacity and originality: listen to the agitated string figures in the first movement of the Symphony Wq 178, with their frequent and audacious upward key changes. They sound almost identical to the music with which Gluck introduces his “storm” music in the first scene of Iphigénie en Tauride. To be honest, I’m surprised that C. P. E. Bach’s music isn’t programmed more often in modern-day symphony concerts. It certainly holds up well and, in fact, makes a better complement to any 20th-century works that may also be in the same concert.


This is one of those cases where saying little about a disc actually says a lot. Any attempt to over-analyze this music or over-praise the performances would be futile, since this is primarily an auditory experience. Nevertheless, as I have tried to make clear, these are very good performances of some truly outstanding music.


FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley

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

DEBUSSY Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp. Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune (arr. Ceysson). CRAS Quintet for Flute, Harp, Violin, Viola, and Cello. JOLIVET Chant de linos & • Anette Maiburg (fl); Alexandra Cravero (voc); Emmanuel Ceysson (hp); Karina Buschinger (vn); Wen Xiao Zheng (va); Guido Schiefen (vc); Mathias Haus (vib, xyl) • MDG 910 1825 6 (SACD:76:45)


& songs by LAI, GLANZBERG, MAITRIER, AURIC, BREL, BARBARA, LEGRAND


Entitled Classica Francese , this is the French entry in a series of discs, each focused on music of a particular nationality, for a project organized for MDG by the excellent German flutist Anette Maiburg. (Flutists, so often, seem to be the driving force behind chamber music ventures.) It intersperses nine 20th-century French chansons among four standard 20th-century classical selections for a chamber ensemble featuring the flute. I find the performances superlatively good, the recorded sound truly stunning, the program concept odd, but stimulating, and the booklet’s omissions annoying.


Why MDG fails to identify the chansons’ composers either on the cover or in the booklet—though there are references to some of them in Eckhard van den Hoogen’s whimsically rambling notes, with some copyright information given in tiny print—is a mystery. Another regrettable decision was to include synopses of the lyrics. Why not the actual texts with translations?


On first hearing the program, I assumed that the popular songs were meant to relate in some musical way to the classical material, but the chansons, which are essentially Romantic, seem a mismatch with the unsentimental, 20th-century French classics. (Three by Jacques Brel— Amsterdam, Ces gens la , and Ne me quitte pas , along with Padam, Padam by Norbert Glanzberg—have an overwrought, haranguing quality that might better complement some of the more melodramatic scenes in Massenet or Saint-Saëns operas than Debussy, Jean Cras, or André Jolivet.)


On repeated hearings, I realized that the link between the popular and classical material was not one of style or content, but instrumentation. The ensemble of flute, three strings, harp, and vibraphone or xylophone, accompanying the singer Alexandra Cravero, in sophisticated arrangements by Andreas Tarkman, brings the same refinement and virtuosity to the song accompaniments as to the chamber selections. I began to enjoy the program more as a French-themed playlist, with instrumental color as the common denominator. Cravero, with her rather low-placed voice and perfect diction, is an accomplished vocalist, fully convincing as a chanteuse.


Some of the chansons are less lacking in wit than Brel’s, and I wonder whether Fanfare readers know of “Barbara,” whose Göttingen is among them. A chanteuse of the 1960s, better known in France than in the U.S., Barbara—not to be confused with her American contemporary “Barbra”—was the stage name of Monique Andrée Serf. Her singing is exquisite, and some of her songs are almost Schubertian in their harmony and form. While Göttingen , a catchy waltz, isn’t her very best—those are found on her album “Barbara chante Barbara”—it’s the most charming on the disc, and a pleasure to encounter again.


As for the classical performances that make up most of the disc, they are superb. I would have preferred not to hear yet another transcription of the Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune , even one played with as gorgeous tone and sensuous phrasing as Maiburg’s. There are so many other programming choices that could have been made from the French repertoire for flute and instruments. The supple performance of Debussy’s amazing Sonata for Flute, Viola, and Harp, one of the most original pieces of music ever composed, has all of the right attributes: alert rhythm, flexible ensemble, and sensitivity to the subtle timbral possibilities of the three instruments. It alone would give reason to recommend this disc. The brief, one-movement Quintet by the obscure, yet periodically revived Impressionist composer, the naval officer Jean Cras, is a colorful, diverting work that has received several previous recordings. It is radiantly done here. Jolivet’s sophisticatedly primitive Chant de linos , composed for flute and piano in 1944, receives a suitably dynamic performance in the composer’s chamber arrangement. It, and the entire CD, benefits from the very natural, live, but clear sound that’s customary with MDG.


FANFARE: Paul Orgel

Great verve, big sound, authenticity: in her "Classica" series the flutist Anette Maiburg has outstanding personalities from world music join forces with classical musicians of the first rank. This time the music of Brazil is the special focus. The guitarists Marcelo Rosário and Rafael Aguirre, Gabriel Rosário on the mandolin, and the singer Filippa Gojo share the spotlight, with Wlodzimierz Gula on the bass and the percussionist Roland Peil in supporting roles. The SACD scores its triumph in 2+2+2 recording technique and offers the appropriate playing field for colorful display, high animation, and fine artistry.

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

Now in his mid-fifties, Christian Zacharias has successfully recorded much of the central repertoire, German and Austrian. His Mozart and Beethoven have been especially well received. Nonetheless, before listening to this disc, I have not heard him playing, or heard of him playing, Chopin. Perhaps I have missed something. Certainly he can play Chopin beautifully, for this is a very attractive recording, notable for the warmth and naturalness of its sound, for Zacharias’s unaffected phrasing and sweet tone, and for the subtlety of his interactions with the chamber orchestra he leads. Zacharias never overacts. I have heard (though rarely) the great Larghetto of the First Concerto played in a more heart-wrenching style, but Zacharias has a way of making the whole cohere convincingly that seems just as effective. His is a sunny, patrician style. He’s careful with detail and yet seems to dance along with his orchestra in the Rondo, for instance, of the First Concerto. He can be grand, as in his entrance to the first movement of the Second Concerto, but even here he plays with a kind of noble restraint that fits these works. He must be an excellent conductor as well: the strings seem to breathe with him.

Michael Ullman, FANFARE

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CHOPIN Etudes, opp. 10, 25. 3 Nouvelles Études • Hardy Rittner (pn) • MDG 904 1747-6 (SACD: 61:30)

Hmm. Another recording of the Chopin etudes? That was my very first thought when I was asked to review the current recording. I have so many different versions of these works as it is—why would I need another? Because I thought that one always needs to be reminded of how great these works truly are, and the pianist—well period-instrument pianist, that is—Hardy Rittner was a name new to me. The pianist chooses to use a Conrad Graf Piano (c.1835, 244cm, 6.5 octaves) that he feels has the necessary dynamic breadth, along with moderator pedals, which allow for changes of color appropriate to the music, and which all together is a historically plausible instrument, as Chopin did play on Graf pianos throughout the 1830s (even though the pianist admits that Chopin did eventually prefer the Pleyel pianos). So what does the recording sound like? In general the upper registers of the instrument are thin and the lower registers are muddled. But this gives little impression of how fine a performance this truly is. What is most important is how the pianist uses these timbres in his survey of the works.

Beginning with op. 10/1, the first etude bursts forth with energy; the individual notes sparkle with clarity and vivacity, while the collected arpeggios ebb and flow. The dreaded op. 10/4 is given a whirlwind performance—one of clarity, yet one full of forward momentum. My favorite of the op. 10 etudes, however, was a Horowitz favorite: No. 8 in F Major. Here Rittner basks not only in the continuously paced arpeggios, but relishes the quirky and bouncing left-hand figures. The first of the op. 25 etudes is also spectacularly played: the accompanimental arpeggiations shimmer underneath a gently lilting melody. The etude that follows (in F Minor) has never been given a better performance than here; there is, no matter the tempo, always a sense of grace present. But the faster etudes are not the only highlights of the disc; the mysterious aura of op. 10/6 and the brooding quality of the lovely “Cello” Etude, op. 25/7, are brought to the fore in these performances. Yet some of the true highlights of this disc are the little-played Trois Nouvelles Études. They provide relief from the storm of the two major books and as they are programmed here—between the two larger sets rather than after them—they feel like an integral part of this recital, not an afterthought. The second of the three is my favorite. It is beautifully phrased and sensitively voiced. In this pianist’s hands it is a true gem.

That said, there are also moments that disappoint. The etude in thirds (op. 25/6) feels like a study. There is a lack of sensitivity and a lack of overall dynamics (rather more like one overall dynamic throughout: medium loud). The op. 25/3 in F Major sounds a bit clunky at times and is tarnished by an odd sense of tempo fluctuation. But these are minor quibbles when one is reviewing a recording of 27 etudes. Whether one has a set (or more) of the Chopin etudes, I would recommend hearing the etudes as Chopin might have. And with performances of this caliber in phenomenal SACD sound, how can one go wrong?

FANFARE: Scott Noriega

CHAUSSON Piano Trio. DEBUSSY-MOUTON Pelléas et Mélisande Trio. FAURÉ Piano Trio • Trio Parnassus • MDG GOLD 1711 (62:18)


Trio Parnassus is a relatively young group with relatively young members. I found their approach to this music reverent, well phrased, and in the proper style, but to a certain extent lacking an individual personality. They make very little of either the dynamic or emotional contrasts in the music, particularly in the Chausson, which so obviously calls for such qualities. This is not to say that they don’t play fortes —they do—but they somehow sound perfunctory. Of competing versions, I prefer the Wanderer Trio on Harmonia Mundi. There are even more versions of the Fauré trio, and some good ones, too, including the Florestan Trio (Hyperion 30029 or 67114) and members of the Tokyo Quartet on Sony 62413. By the way, has anyone else besides me noted the uncanny resemblance of the last movement’s opening theme to “Vesti la giubba” from Pagliacci?


Where this disc seems to be unique, however, is in the performance of Hubert Mouton’s trio arrangement of music from Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande. This strange piece appears to be unknown to either ArkivMusic or Amazon, though you can buy the score at sharmusic.com or view it at the IMSLP Petrucci Library website, so this may very well be its premiere recording. The arrangement was written in 1909 and published by Durand, so there is little chance that Debussy was unaware of it. The score indicates that one of the two string instruments could be replaced by flute, double bass, or clarinet! Mouton, according to the notes, also later arranged a full orchestration of Debussy’s Suite bergamesque, which includes the famous “Clair de lune.” Such transcriptions were still being made in the early years of the 20th century, when phonograph records were still generally considered to be tenuous carriers of “real music” and home chamber groups still existed. Here, Trio Parnassus’s style is completely apropos to the music, giving just enough emotion and energy to bring out the character of the music yet in an instrumental way. Although the themes can be linked to emotional states or events in the opera, the trio itself is more of an instrumental study in and of itself.


I can definitely recommend this CD for the Debussy-Mouton piece and, as I indicated, the other two performances are by no means poor ones, but your decision to acquire it will of course be based on your needs and which works are currently in your collection.


FANFARE: Lynn René Bayley

Cécile Chaminade’s Op. 11 and Op. 34 Piano Trios have had decent catalog representation, although the present release is only the third time that both works are featured on the same disc. The Trio Parnassus easily outclasses the competition, and makes the best possible case for this beautifully crafted music.

Take Op. 11’s Presto leggiero, for example, and notice how pianist Johann Blanchant pays heed to the cross-rhythmic intricacies in the glittery passagework, while cellist Michael Gross’ pizzicatos sing out rather than merely thump. The agitato finale evokes some of Schumann’s obsessive traits, yet it ventures off into some pretty wild harmonic territory.

In Op. 34’s central Lento movement, both Gross and violinist Julia Galic gorgeously intone the eloquent long-lined theme as they match timbre, vibrato, and portamentos with breath-stopping synchronicity. While the trios belie Chaminade’s latter-day reputation as a mere salon composer, the remaining duo compositions are admittedly lightweight, bordering on the banal (the third of the Op. 31 Morceaux’s sappy tunes, for instance). The Op. 18 Capriccio for violin and the composer’s cello arrangement of her Romanza appassionata display superior melodic taste and plenty of surface charm.

MDG’s warm, well-balanced engineering adds further enticement for chamber music enthusiasts who like to explore the repertoire’s unbeaten paths. Take or leave the short pieces, but the Op. 11 and Op. 34 deserve serious attention, as do the Trio Parnassus’ reference-setting interpretations.

– ClassicsToday (Jed Distler)

REVIEWS:
BBC Music (6/98, p.67) - Performance: 4 (out of 5), Sound: 5 (out of 5) - "Great credit is due to Professor Dieter Klöcker, not only for his fine performances here, but also for his tireless research into composers who do not deserve the obscurity in which they languish....Klöcker, with very fine accompaniment from the excellent Prague Chamber Orchestra, plays with his usual effortless virtuosity..."

Classical Music

The short life of Antonio Casimir Cartellieri left a legacy of unique and beautiful music. His richly melodic and enthusiastic themes are filled with a courtly joy. His eclectic influences and inspirations share much with the works of Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Schubert and Haydn, but are distinctly his own.
Cartellieri's works require a high degree of virtuosity from performers. Pushing the instruments to the limit, the composer's inventive orchestrations paint a vivid portrait of a magical world. From the furious pace of the Concerto for Two Clarinets to the delicate solo passages in the Flute Concerto, the music enchants with its unique style. The Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra executes with a delightful energy.

Classical Music