48 Scene written for the great oboist Leon Goossens. After a warm string opening, the oboe launches into a winding, sensuous melodic line, and immediately the warmth and incredible smoothness of Daniel’s tone is apparent. The middle movement’s quiet, folk-like melody emerges on the violin over rich harmonies. The oboe eventually enters, darkly improvisatory, and with uneasy string textures, Daniel’s effortless birdlike melismatic interesting rhythms. The slow movement is somewhat unsettling, lines soar. A joyful jig concludes proceedings, with oboe and violin with low, gently pulsing rumbles taking turns, and the pizzicato from the piano, over which the strings having great fun here. The lyrical violin melody rises serenely. harmonies get darker and more The finale is perhaps where unsettled, however, and calm is Voríšek’s weaker invention shows never quite convincingly restored, up the most – less melodically inventive, with expected harmonies despite the flourish to finish. Next comes Gerald Finzi’s (1901-1956) on the whole – yet it brings single movement Interlude. This for proceedings to a fun conclusion me is the highlight here – Daniel overall. The Archduke’s Sonata and the Dorics capture perfectly again has a dark, turbulent Finzi’s darkly introspective and opening, soon swept away by a nostalgic mood, right from the virtuosic, ebullient allegro, with atmospheric string opening. As a rippling piano part. The slow movement that follows is expressive with much of Finzi’s instrumental music, there is an expressiveness and heartfelt, with freer invention that occasionally breaks the surface and harmonies that rock back and with full passion, but the lid always forth. Brüggen’s piano textures goes back on, and the players are warm and rich here, and judge this perfectly here, allowing the Duo find a perfect nostalgic the music to ebb and flow. The sweetness. The minuet and its two final pulsing bars under the high Trios is playful if not particularly revolutionary, but the finale is great sustained violin are enchanting. fun, with flourishes of fantasia-like For somewhat lighter relief, they follow this with Vaughan Williams’ piano episodes between returns (1872-1958) Six Studies in English of the punchy theme. The Duo Folksong, originally for cello set off at a pace, and play with and piano, but here in Robert great drive and energy, with some blistering playing from both in the Stanton’s 1983 arrangement for cor anglais and string quartet. All final gallop. Ultimately, neither using original folksong tunes, they of these works can compete with allow Daniel to shine on the mellow Beethoven’s ethereal calmness, cor anglais, and by and large, the but they have much to offer nonetheless, especially given these strings play a supporting role. Aside from the last of the set, they are highly engaging performances. all quite leisurely, with Vaughan ) Doric String Quartet British Williams’ trademark strolling Oboe Quintets (Chandos CHAN20226). The wonderful Doric rhythms. Daniel plays with an open simplicity, allowing the tunes to String Quartet has joined forces speak for themselves, before they with oboist Nicholas Daniel for a all then play with the final spiky glorious collection of British Oboe jig, before even that dies away Quintets. They open with Arnold to nothing. Then to Arthur Bliss’ Bax’s (1883-1953) Quintet. Like (1891-1975) Oboe Quintet. An most of the works here, this was intriguingly mysterious violin duet sets the tone for a darkly uneasy opening movement. In the slow movement, Daniel’s long sustained oboe lines are incredibly even, all the more impressive given the slithery string chords shifting beneath. The finale by contrast has immediate driving string energy, and the oboe picks up the pecking, virtuosic material as they lead into the jig – Connelly’s Jig
CLASSICAL NOTES BY NICK BOSTON
REVIEWS
) Duo Brüggen-Plank Sonatas for Violin and Piano: Beethoven, Voríšek, Archduke Rudolph of Austria (Audax ADX13727). The Duo Brüggen-Plank are German pianist Henrike Brüggen, and Austrian violinist, Marie RadauerPlank. For their first recording with Audax, they have decided to place the last of Beethoven’s violin sonatas – the Sonata No. 10, Op. 96 – alongside a sonata in the same key, Op. 5, composed by Jan Václav Hugo Voríšek
(1791-1825). Both works were dedicated to Archduke Rudolph of Austria (1788-1831), a great musical patron, and piano pupil of Beethoven, and the Duo also include a sonata by him here too. The Beethoven Sonata is beautifully calm, yet no less challenging for that. The first movement is full of delicate conversation between the two instruments, and here, RadauerPlank’s sweet tone is matched by beautifully warm and smooth runs in the piano part. Brüggen then gently opens the second movement with its hymn-like idea, with the violin joining in with a rocking countermelody. The brief scherzo dances by, before the final set of variations on a cheerful theme. The Voríšek Sonata is very different in atmosphere, right from its mysterious, dramatic opening leading into a totally contrasting galloping allegro. The movement is bright and melodically inventive, and Radauer-Plank is particularly sweet at the top of the range. An energetic, scampering scherzo follows, with sudden halts and
to be specific. The playful dance is dovetailed with the darker opening energy, and the Dorics give an edge to their string playing as things get wilder, almost chaotic. After a brief quieter section with pizzicato strings and fragments of melody passed around, there is a frenetic coda to finish, topped by a spiky flourish from the oboe. The disc concludes with two arrangements of Two Interludes from Frederick Delius’ (1862-1934) final (and unsuccessful) opera, Fennimore and Gerda. Here, Daniel is privileged to play Goossens’ own instrument, and the tone here is noticeably different, with a warm, quavering vibrato and open resonance. Both Interludes are gentle and expressive, with Daniel again demonstrating those lyrically expressive long lines, particularly in the serene second Interlude. All in all, this is a very special recording of some glorious music, and Daniel and the Doric String Quartet excel throughout. ) Dmitry Smirnov J S Bach, Bartók, Schneeberger (First Hand Records FHR117). Russian violinist Dmitry Smirnov has paired Bartók’s (1881-1945) Sonata for Solo Violin with Bach’s Partita No. 2 for his debut recording with First Hand Records. He has performed both works together live, interspersing the movements, but here they appear separately – although of course you could experiment with playing the tracks in a different order. There is a kind of logic to this – it’s hard for any solo violin sonata not to have some heritage line back to Bach, and Bartók’s opening movement, written in the style of a chaconne, although not strictly following its form, links with the final great chaconne of Bach’s Partita. Bartók composed his Sonata for Yehudi Menuhin in 1944, and of course it is highly virtuosic, with fiendish scale passages, use of harmonics and rapid trilling. Smirnov is darkly evocative in the opening movement, with great dynamic contrasts, and an eerily quiet slither towards the movement’s conclusion. Dynamics are key in the second movement’s spiky fugue, and Smirnov expertly brings out the contrast between the different fugal lines. He then
