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Britten: Three Suites for Cello Denise Djovic Atma ACD22524 Steve Bourke: What classical composer would be daring enough to try to compete head-to-head with Beethoven? No one did, really. Brahms felt compelled to be “the next Beethoven” in his early years, before finding his own unique voice. After the monumental solo cello sonatas and partitas of J. S. Bach, was any other composer brave enough to create music for the cello alone? Max Reger and Zoltán Kodály both attempted to do so in 1915, and so began a century of glory and praise for this elegant instrument. Superior cello virtuosos Pablo Casals and Mstislav Rostropovich inspired more than one modern composer to make music that was worthy of their skill, and so it was with Benjamin Britten. After seeing Rostropovich play Shostakovitch’s first cello concerto in 1960, he declared it “the most extraordinary cello performance I have ever heard.” He immediately began to compose for Rostropovich, the wonderful result being the extraordinary music found in these suites, completed in 1971. Each is brimming with variety — upper octave wisps of pleasure followed by deep musky tones, then a tiny, almost inaudible, fragile sound creates suspense. Then a rush of modern harmonies abruptly shifts the mood. It builds and expands until your emotions again start 70 ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine Software Reviews by Steve Bourke and Gerard Rejskind to anticipate a shift to the next magnetic feeling. It becomes a pleasant guessing game to predict which moods, and what tempos, are about to arrive. Rhythmic switches are constant, so much so that I began to experience the music as a rewarding kind of classical jazz. Only that jazz element called improvisation is not present. Perhaps you admire great musicianship as well as great music. If that is the case, cellist Denise Djokic is just the one to reward you with the professionalism you require. Benjamin Britten himself surely had a virtuoso like her in mind when he declared that he “always liked to write music not just for performers, but for people who are close to me spiritually.” Denise has been named by Maclean’s magazine as one of 25 Canadians who are changing our world. Elle Magazine describes her as one of “Canada’s most powerful women.” In her hands the instrument flourishes. All its textures, tones and delicacies are hers for the playing, and ours to enjoy. And the cello, once scorned by lovers of the viola de gamba during the mid-18 th Century, is today an icon of the classical music world, adored for its tonal beauty and stylistic versatility. Harpsichord Music From a Thin Place Paul Cienniwa Balaena WCS 059 Gerard Rejskind: There’s no mystery why the harpsichord fell out of favor in the late 18 th Century and was replaced by the piano. The harpsichord produces sound by strumming its strings, rather like a guitar, and it lacked the loudness to compete with the ever larger orchestras in the new and bigger concert halls. It had another disadvantage too. Unlike the organ, whose repertoire it was expected to play, the harpsichord plays each note at the same volume, narrowing its range of emotional expression. Though Bach played and wrote for the harpsichord (or “the keyboard,” which could mean organ or harpsichord), the great pianist Glenn Gould argued that he would have preferred the piano had he had access to it. And yet there is something special about the sound of the harpsichord, even to our ears so jaded by the infinite variety of electronic instruments. Unlike the piano, the harpsichord produces notes with a discreet fundamental tone, which is however rich in harmonics. It cannot be confused with any other instrument. That very richness, however, make it challenging to record, and to reproduce. Pretty much any reproduction system has difficulty with higher frequencies, and that goes double for digital. Few instruments other than the modern flute have such harmonics, and they’re a challenge. The result is that many harpsichord recordings are difficult to listen to for long, because they trigger major listener fatigue. This recording is a major exception. To capture at once the delicacy and the richness of the instrument, engineer Walter Klimasewski used a single pair of Schoeps CMC 64 microphones, with neither equalization nor compression. Avoiding compression and volume limiting usually means leaving plenty of headroom, but in fact there is a lot of volume on this CD. All the bits are used, yet there is no trace of overload. Why the odd title? Paul Cienniwa says that the “thin place” is the threshold
etween the ordinary and the spiritual. “It is my desire,” he says, “to bring my audience to a thin place through the beautiful stately elegance of the harpsichord’s most introspective repertoire.” The pieces he has chosen are mostly French (the Couperins, both Louis and François) Rameau, and Forqueray, as well as Sweelinck, Byrd and Bach. I’ve heard some of this music sound rather deadly, especially that of Louis Couperin. Cienniwa gives it life, not by accelerating the tempo, but because he has a feel for its innate beauty. No listener fatigue here. Not many music lovers, even lovers of the Baroque and the Renaissance, have large collections of music for solo harpsichord, but this fine recording belongs in the collection of those who just love music. Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances (LP) Eiji Oue/ Minnesota Orchestra Reference Recordings RM-1504 Gerard Rejskind: The Minnesota has done a number of exceptional recordings for Reference Recordings (and for Mercury, years ago when it was called the Minneapolis Symphony), but this one of Rachmaninoff’s highly approachable orchestral suite counts among the best. Curiously the label, not long after, recorded the Utah Symphony with the same suite (RR-105), but it wasn’t nearly as successful, and this one remains the one to get. It’s still available in HDCD on RR-96CD. Now you can get it on LP. Many people know Rachmaninoff for what were mostly early neo-Romantic works, such as the piano concertos, and especially the Concerto No. 2, which dates from 1901. The Symphonic Dances were composed in 1940, not long before Rachmaninoff’s death. Originally written for two pianos, it seemed destined to be a ballet. His Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini had been produced successfully as a ballet just the year before, and Rachmaninoff’s neighbor on Long Island was none other than the great choreographer Mikhail Fokine, who showed great interest. However Fokine was in ill health and would die not long after (as would Rachmaninoff), and so the dances became an orchestral suite. And it is a gorgeous one. The dancelike character is most noticeable in the second movement, the Andante Con Moto, with its waltz theme. The first movement, with the curious marking Non Allegro, is highly rhythmic, and even syncopated, and it is difficult to imagine it being danced to. It includes a tenor saxophone and a piano — Rachmaninoff was one of the most famous pianists of his age, lest we forget. There are haunting passages inspired by the liturgical chants of the Russian Orthodox Church. As in Rachmaninoff’s other orchestral music, much use is made of rich instrumental textures. It is a wonderful vehicle for a good orchestra, and the Minnesota is a very good orchestra. Also on the recording is the Vocalise, which Rachmaninoff wrote in 1912 for soprano Antonina Nezhdanova. It was meant as a wordless song, with the soprano (or alternatively a tenor) choosing the syllables to be sung, with the music transposed to whatever key was best for the singer. There are some fine recordings with soprano of the Vocalise, but it is most often played, as here, in its orchestral arrangement. After my particularly warm review in UHF No. 91 of the Stravinsky Firebird, on one of Reference’s two inaugural LPs, I found this one initially less overwhelming, but I quickly realized why. The recording is also available in highresolution digital (24/176.4) in the HRx series, and we had in fact been using that version in equipment reviews in this very issue. I was used to this music sounding terrific. So how does the LP compare? Not surprisingly the two do not sound identical, but by any standard this is a simply wonderful LP. Technically it is a triumph, and the HRx version is as well. Happily, the music and the performers deserve no less. Schindler’s List Rösner/Orch. Symphonique Bienne Atma ACD22579 Steve Bourke: Trying to watch and enjoy a movie without the soundtrack isn’t most people’s idea of good entertainment, for it is often the music in a movie that gives a dramatic moment its real impact. The reverse, where we seek out and buy just the soundtrack of a movie, and listen to it without seeing any moving pictures, may seem like a poor choice too. How often is thematic music from a film truly entertaining all by itself? As often as you like, if you choose John William’s musical score from Schindler’s List. Williams’ ability and reputation have been earned the hard way. After completing his studies at UCLA and the famous Julliard School of Music in New York, he found work as a studio and club musician playing jazz on the piano. Hollywood and orchestration jobs in Los Angeles were the next step, and from there he has won the admiration of film producers and audiences worldwide. At last count he has been honoured with 20 Grammys, five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, two Emmys, and seven BAFTA Awards. He has also served as principal conductor of the Boston Pops Orchestra for 13 years and has composed many successful concert pieces. The theme of Schindler’s List is considered one of Williams’ masterpieces, ULTRA HIGH FIDELITY Magazine 71 Software Feedback
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