Handel. Six trio-sonatas for two oboes and continuo.
Michel Piguet & Heinrich Haas, baroque oboes; Walter Stiftner, baroque bassoon; Eduard Miller, harpsichord; Archiv 2533 045.
Heinz Holliger & Maurice Bourgue, oboes; Manfred Sax, bassoon; Christiane Jaccottet, harpsichord; Philips 9500 671.
Ronald Roseman & Virginia Brewer, oboes; Donald MacCourt, bassoon; Edward Brewer, harpsichord; Nonesuch H-71339 (with Timothy Eddy, 'cello); Nonesuch H-71380.
These three recordings, all performed by noted interpreters of the Baroque oboe repertoire, provide the listener with a delightful opportunity to choose between fine performances of Handel's youthful sonatas.
Representing two vastly different schools of modern oboe performance, the Holliger-Bourgue (Swiss) and Roseman-Brewer (New York) versions are notably dissimilar. Both quartets show the expected mastery of their instruments and music, articulate cleanly, and ornament briskly but tastefully. Both have recorded absolutely first-rate interpretations of this enjoyable but often demanding music. However, while the Roseman-Brewer performances are generally relaxed, especially in the slower opening movements, Holliger and Bourgue show a sharper, more angular style of phrasing which is usually more exciting in the faster movements. The latters' sense of line and drive and their slightly superior intonation tend to make up for breakneck tempi in some of the allegros. The Europeans match sounds remarkably well on their Rigoutat oboes, but not as well as the American oboists, who are usually indistinguishable. The Americans do tend towards flutiness in the upper registers but are refreshingly warm and soft below the staff. Philips' recording is quieter and more cleanly balanced, showing the counterpoint to better advantage. In both sets, the bassoon could be more prominent, especially on moving lines. The Nonesuch recording, issued on two discs several years apart, has extraordinarily fine notes; Volume I, reviewed in an earlier Double Reed, contains trio sonatas 2 and 3 (in D minor and E-flat), along with two of the Handel oboe solo sonatas, performed by Mr. Roseman. The other four sonatas comprise Volume II.
The Piguet-Haas interpretation, performed on original Baroque instruments and copies, must be heard in a different way than the two contemporary performances. The pitch is lower, the allegros slower, the largos and adagios quicker, the intonation is bothersome to uninitiated ears, and dynamics and articulation more awkward, especially below the staff. Yet, the musical gestalt is in some vague way more satisfying than on the other two sets. Mr. Haas and Piguet match timbres perfectly, and their allegros, being more deliberate, have a sense of breadth and grandeur which is missing entirely in Bourgue and Holliger's displays of unfettered virtuosity, and somewhat less evident in the Brewer-Roseman recording. The Baroque oboists have a wonderfully vocal approach to phrasing, and their ornamentation is flawless. To my surprise, the Archive Production recording is easily superior to the others with respect to balance and to surface noise. Here alone does the bassoon find appropriate prominence, and rightfully so; Mr. Stiftner coaxes from his von Buhner and Keller original (late 18th century) bassoon sounds of surprising beauty and uncanny pitch, providing the firmest bass line of any of these recordings. An album of solo bassoon music by this artist would be welcomed by this reviewer.
All of these recordings are highly recommended; the choice of which to order is a question less of which recording is "better" than of which concept of oboe sound pleases the prospective listener most. Despite my fondness for Mr. Holliger's playing (and now for Mr. Bourgue's as well), I find the Nonesuch discs receiving more play, due simply to my predilection for the more subtle American timbre. Since all of these are truly "dream" recordings, pick the school your ears favor most--European, Baroque, or American--and enjoy the music.
Oboe Fantasia, Malcolm Messiter, oboe, oboe d'amore, cor anglais; National Philharmonic Orchestra; Ralph Mace, conductor; RCA RL 25367.
This light-hearted album was my introduction to the virtuosity of Malcolm Messiter, a young English oboist whose amazing performance opened the 1982 IDRS Convention in Towson, Maryland. It includes a dozen works, none of them very major, by a dozen composers. Although the music is usually superficial, Mr. Messiter imbues all that he plays here with such technique, clean articulation, and beauty of phrasing that even the most cynical critic comes away quite impressed by his accomplishments.
He opens with Pasculli's Concerto on themes from Donizetti's "La Favorita", a showpiece from the turn of the century which has come into vogue recently, published by Musica Rara in an edition by James Ledward. The "brilliant technique and well-controlled breathing" which that editor asks for are more than provided by Mr. Messiter, who tackles the concerto's formidable technical demands with aplomb. Three extended cadenzas, the last including a page of 128th note arpeggios, a set of variations which constantly increase in tempo and brevity of notes, and a presto coda show off his flawless technique. A wistful adagio, a passionate largo, and an F minor cantilena of considerable schmaltz display the artist's ability to perfectly temper phrasing, color, and dynamics. This is the sort of playing that earned a standing ovation from an audience of double-reed players.
The rest of this album, although played as well as the Pasculli, is simply pale by comparison. There are three other works stressing virtuoso technique: a Scarlatti Sonata, Mussorgsky's "Ballet of the Unhatched Chicks" from Pictures at an Exhibition, and a Perpetual Motion by Novacek. All are fast, lithe, and clean, with the Scarlatti notable for staccato tonguing and the Novacek, in a very imaginative arrangement by Charles Gerhardt, presenting an enormous number of notes.
Debussy's Reverie, originally for solo piano, is the most gorgeous of several slower pieces on the record. Messiter "dreams in and out here and there, unwinding to an atmospheric calm" over a very rich orchestral accompaniment. Here, as in several other pieces, we hear examples of the recording's only real flaw; at times, subordinate passages played by the soloist are given more prominence than melodies elsewhere in the orchestra.
In a similar vein are the Adagio from a motion picture score by Delerue, Kreisler's Caprice Viennois, and two works featuring oboe d'amore --Saint-Saën's beloved Swan from Carnival of the Animals and a BBC Television theme by Wilfred Josephs, Song of Freedom. Mr. Messiter draws a lovely tone from his gold-keyed Howarth d'amore, but has less tonal subtlety than on the oboe, as one would expect.
Taking the prize for unabashed romanticism are a Puccini aria, "O Mio Babbino Caro" from Gianni Schicchi and Victor Young's song, Stella by Starlight. This latter arrangement has the soloist playing cor anglais, oboe d'amore, and oboe in succession. While Mr. Messiter plays these songs with a beautiful lyric sense, one takes exception to the jacket's statement that ". . . the hitherto untapped bel canto qualities of the oboe add a refinement to the sound quality and a breadth to the sound that the unaided human voice would be hard-pressed to better. "
My favorite piece on the album is a charmingly simple Mouvements Perpetuels by Poulenc. Messiter's dolce playing is never more evident than in this little melody.
How, then, to assess this album? Certainly, Mr. Messiter's awesome technique and subtlety of nuance speak for themselves. He handles the oboe with incredible skill and grace, and has a surprisingly warm sound in the depths of the instrument's range. But, somehow, the album leaves me unsatisfied. The Pasculli and Debussy pieces which begin side one are the best performances on the record. They set an expectation which the rest of the pieces, however beautifully played, cannot meet, simply because the music means little. At the risk of sounding snobbish, I wish Mr. Messiter would record some of the staple pieces from the "classic" oboe repertoire, if only to give his oboe playing audience an opportunity to hear what presumably would be masterful interpretations.
Hindemith, Trio for Viola, Heckelphone, and Piano Op. 47 with: Rondo for Three Guitars, Trio for Recorders, Sonata for Harp, John Ellis, Heckelphone, Myra Kestenbaum, Viola, Delores Stevens, Piano, GSG recordings Stereo GSC 5.
Found in the close-outs bin of a bankrupt Connecticut record store, this album may not be easily available. That would be a pity, for the obscure work reviewed here will be of increasing interest to oboe performers as the bass oboe becomes more popular.
From the jacket notes one learns that the Trio for Viola, Heckelphone and Piano is a transitional work anticipating Hindemith's mature style. Part 1 consists of a stormy "solo" for piano, leading pianissimo into the "arioso", in which the sumptuous sound of the Heckelphone is first introduced. Rich and reedy, the Heckelphone sings an elegant, irregular melody over the piano's accompaniment. "Duet" follows, bringing in the viola as partner to the wind instrument. Part 2, "potpourri", is just that, a sequence of miniature movements of contrasting style. We hear a march, a fugue, a waltz, a gigue, all recognizable as such but stamped with Hindemith's unique insight.
The Heckelphone, named after its bassoon-making inventor, is more properly a bass heckelphone, as a piccolo version was also devised, playing an octave above the English horn. Intended to provide a powerful bass oboe-like sound for the vast orchestrations in vogue at the turn of this century, it was first made available in 1904, although Wagner allegedly suggested such an invention to Wilhelm Heckel Sr. in 1879. Pitched in C bass, the instrument has a compass to A at the bottom of the bass staff, whereas the bass oboe stops at B, a tone higher. Its creator describes the instrument's sound as "voluptuously sonorous yet sweet; blooming and rich in harmonics, and so manly and baritone-like that one might be listening to a male voice." [1]
Having never heard a solo heckelphone before this album, and having perhaps ten minutes playing experience on its usual substitute, the bass oboe, this reviewer could safely claim inadequate background to critically assess Mr. Ellis' playing. That would miss the point of his accomplishment, however. He handles this rough gem of an instrument with confidence and control, exhibiting marvelous accuracy of pitch and articulation. Mr. Ellis' tone, although certainly not that of a baritone voice, has an agreeable hoarseness, like the upper register of a baritone sax. It is warm and rich, and generally meets Heckel's poetic description. In mastering this instrument he has undoubtedly gone to a great deal of trouble to learn what there was simply no one to teach, for which he deserves applause.
As importantly, the piece works. The three musicians interact sympathetically to produce an interpretation that is as notable for musical satisfaction as for bizarre instrumentation. One suspects that this is rather a difficult score to pull off well, but they do so with surprising gracefulness. All in all, it's a fine performance, which will pique one's interest in this elegant, rare instrument.
Handel, Trio Sonatas in G Major, G minor; Oboe Sonata in C minor; Recorder Sonata in B-flat; Baroque Trio of Montreal; Turnabout Canadian Collection CTC 32004
The Baroque Trio of Montreal consists of Mario Duschenes, flute and treble recorder; Melvin Berman, oboe; and Kelsey Jones, harpsichord. No biographical information is given on the record jacket.
Immediately notable in these interpretations is the absence of bassoon or cello. Entrusted entirely to harpsichord, the bass takes less part in the musical conversation than might otherwise be the case. Particularly noticed in contrapuntal passages, the "missing" part is not always a disadvantage--without a sonorous bass instrument present, the right hand of the harpsichord is more prominent and easily appreciated.
After a minute or two, the ear begins to realize what else is missing in these performances--ornaments. In the oboe Sonata, for example, even the slow third movement is played exactly as written, excepting some small embellishments in the continuo.
These absences aside, the record is most notable for a certain purity of phrasing. Lines are simply drawn, climaxes are clearly stated, and the interplay between flute and oboe is impartial and clean. Neither player dominates the other in the trio sonatas, and neither solo sonata is particularly better than the other. Mr. Berman has a warm, agreeable sound and plays well in tune, but he fails to pursue the tension inherent in many of Handel's phrases, especially in the oboe Sonata. The result is a very nice, but unexciting, performance. Mr. Duschenes sounds equally well on flute, and is a surprisingly accomplished alto recorder artist. He makes this simpler instrument speak with as much authority as oboe or flute, and handles its peculiarities of fingering and intonation with laudable skill.
[1] Baines, Woodwind Instruments and their History. pp 98-100. WW Norton & Company, New York 1962. [return]