Buxtehude: Seven Trio Sonatas Op 2 / Holloway, Et Al

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This is a reissue of a dacapo disc that formed part of a three-CD series of the complete chamber works of Buxtehude. I reviewed the disappointingly engineered volume 1, the seven Sonatas, op. 1, back in Fanfare 18:6 (that has also been transferred to Naxos as 8.557248), but for some reason the second disc was never received for review.


While the Sonatas of op. 1 have been generously treated on record, with fine versions by the Boston Musuem Trio (23:1); an ensemble led by Manfredo Kraemer (26:1); and Convivium on Hyperion (not reviewed in Fanfare ), those of op. 2 have fared poorly?so poorly, in fact, that as far as I?m aware this is the only complete version available. There is no apparent reason for such neglect, these works fully maintaining the outstanding quality of op. 1. They were published in 1696, two years after the first group, but it is probable that the sonatas in both sets were composed some years earlier. In any event, Buxtehude clearly saw them as an entity, referring in the dedication of op. 1 to its publication being the ?first part? of his sonata collection (six further sonatas, recorded by Holloway and his partners on dacapo 8.224005, remained unpublished).


There can be no question that Buxtehude?s sonatas occupy a special pinnacle among the peaks of the trio sonata repertoire. Overflowing with unfailing invention, their mood ranges from allegros and vivaces of quite staggering brilliance and ebullient energy to rhapsodic lyricism of timeless beauty, from closely argued contrapuntal wizardry to freewheeling improvisatory movements that capture all the mystery and exoticism of the stylus fantasticus . Absolute equality among the three instruments is maintained, with the keyboard given an independence rare at that time. Buxtehude?s writing for the two string instruments is astonishing for a variety of effects that range from firing quick imitative motifs back and forth to exploitation of the sonorities available when they are combined together. The frequent alternation between fast and slow music ensures that surprises are always lying in wait, nowhere more so than in the A-Major Sonata (No. 5), where Buxtehude follows up an ebullient Allegro in gigue form with solo movements for each of the strings. The first, for violin, is marked Concitato, and moves from a florid, rhapsodic passage that trespasses on Schmlezer and Biber territory into flashing passagework underpinned by a four-note ostinato figure. In complete contrast, the succeeding Adagio for viola da gamba exploits the lyrical qualities of the instrument.


The performances are outstanding. Few violinists today show as much empathy for the 17th-century violin repertoire as does John Holloway, although at the time these recordings were made he had not gone as far with his exploration of the techniques that differentiate it from that of the 18th century. Here, he is ably supported by his distinguished partners, the three combining to produce playing notable not only for its supreme technical merit, but also a rare level of empathy and integration. Unfortunately, as with the first disc, I?m sorry to have to record that the lively, resonant church ambience is far from ideal, frequently imparting a cavernous sound to Jaap ter Linden?s gamba and, in general, frequently masking contrapuntal detail. But until these performances are challenged, and particularly given the new bargain price, I?m happy to recommend the disc for the sake of the indispensable music and totally idiomatic playing.


FANFARE: Brian Robins


Product Description:

  • Release Date: December 13, 2005


  • Catalog Number: 8557249


  • UPC: 747313224920


  • Label: Naxos


  • Number of Discs: 1


  • Composer: Dietrich Buxtehude


  • Performer: Jaap ter Linden, John Holloway, Lars Ulrik Mortensen