CPE Bach: 4 Hamburg Sinfonias - FLCO, János Rolla

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach
4 Hamburg Sinfonias
Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, János Rolla
Apex 2564 60369 2

No review available.

Tartini: Violin Concertos - Piero Toso, I Solisti Veneti, Scimone

Giuseppe Tartini
Violin Concertos
Piero Toso, I Solisti Veneti, Claudio Scimone
Apex 2564 60152 2

A Penguin Guide * * * * Recording.

Recordings of Tartini’s works have progressed considerably both in number and style since these were made in 1970 using modern instruments. I recall their original release but do not have them in my collection. At that time recordings of Tartini (with the exception of the Devil’s Trill sonata) were as rare as ‘hen’s teeth‘. This issue is slowly being addressed as Tartini recordings are now much more commonly available on disc. In fact, at my last count the period instrument ensemble L’arte Dell’Arco, under director/violinist Giovanni Guglielmo, for the Genoa-based Dynamic label have now released 14 volumes of Tartini’s works.

I have read that of the 200 or so known Tartini violin concertos as many as 70 are thought to be missing. However a small number of the lost concertos were discovered recently in the Bibliothèque Nationale, in Paris and have now been recorded. The five concertos on this Apex release give a good cross-section of the violin concertos composed across Tartini’s life. There is no reliable chronology for Tartini’s compositions which is a consistent problem. A number of his works were published in his lifetime but only a relative small amount with his authorisation, so the timescale between composition and publication remains unclear.

Tartini’s concertos generally follow the established three movement design of Vivaldi’s Allegro-Adagio-Allegro. The central movement is usually presented in a contrasting key with the outer movements being based on the standard tutti-ritornello alternation, occasionally interrupted by a substantial solo passage.

It is fascinating to see the progression of Tartini’s concerto-model as he began to slowly develop the expressive possibilities of his music in terms of more sophisticated technique. He returned later to a more austere conception of structure but still displaying a deepening of thought and an enrichment of expression.

Tartini broke little new ground in terms of innovation but did make some reforms to the conventional concerto form. For example the use of a capriccio section, a brief stanza at the start of the concerto, fuller use of ornamentations and increased technical virtuosity for the soloist all became dominant features. Particularly successful are Tartini’s beautiful slow movements that frequently plumb real emotional depths and display a meditative and intense passion, yet still maintaining grace and dignity. The more I hear Tartini’s works the more I hold the view that although he does not have Vivaldi’s innate gift for melody Tartini’s music has a deeper soul.

On this Apex recording the playing of violin soloist Piero Toso matches his impeccable credentials. Toso is on fine form in these concertos, displaying a lovely tone throughout but tends to come across more as a technician rather than a showman using dazzling pyrotechnics. His playing is measured, concentrated and I’m sure deeply felt, but for my taste I would have liked a few risks to have been taken. In fact the whole recording, as fine as it is, could have been ratcheted-up a few notches to provide a more exciting experience.

The ensemble I solisti Veneti using modern instruments, give a controlled performance, under the experienced direction of Claudio Scimone. Perhaps the proceedings are too controlled overall, as in the Allegro movements I would have preferred the soloist and director to have agreed the adoption of a more liberal tempo. The warm recorded sound is adequate but comes across as slightly cloudy. To enhance the colour of the individual instruments the recording would have really benefited from a sharper detail.

Although playing different violin concertos to those contained on this release there is a superb recording that was released last year on Hungaroton 32045 that provides a marvellous example of how Tartini’s music can really sparkle and display a wide range of colours. Using period instruments the Orfeo Orchestra under the direction of Gyorgy Vashegyi with violin soloist Laszlo Paulik give a groundbreaking performance that made me see Tartini in a new light. To be candid this Apex recording pales by comparison.

These are tried and tested performances on modern instruments that received fine reviews when first released but now there are several newer recordings that portray Tartini in an improved light. In short this Apex recording would not be my first choice if I desired a recording of a sample of Tartini’s violin concertos.

Michael Cookson, MusicWeb-International

Tartini: 3 Violin Concertos, 5 Violin Sonatas, Cello Concerto

Giuseppe Tartini
3 Violin Concertos, 5 Violin Sonatas, Cello Concerto
Toso, Zannerini, Amoyal, I Solisti Veneti, Claudio Scimone
Apex 2564 61693-2

A Penguin Guide * * * * Recording.

This is part of an Apex reissue series devoted to the recordings of I soloisti Veneti and their director Claudio Scimone. As with many of the others – Tartini with Piero Toso, Vivaldi with Jean-Pierre Rampal and Albinoni – the recordings were made in the 1970s. This one has a difference of opinion; the jewel box claims 1979 for the Amoyal Sonatas but the booklet notes claim 1977. It’s good in any case to welcome them back to the fold.

It’s the Frenchman who bears the greatest burden in this set, which makes the democratic artwork so unrepresentative and the blizzard of blank pages in the booklet does speak of a certain level of ungenerosity. Toso is a good fiddle player but he’s not in Amoyal’s class – so I’d have preferred some typographical credit for the man who has nearly both these discs to himself, the excellent and eloquent Amoyal. His tight silvery tone illumines the E minor Concerto even if a recurring problem of the disc is immediately apparent; he’s been placed rather too far forward of I soloisti Veneti for entirely comfortable listening and they do sound rather distant behind him. His elegant phrasing and the cloudy veil that Scimone summons from the orchestra give expressive feeling to the slow movements. Amoyal even enlivens proceedings with some discreet portamenti; his cadenza in the opening Allegro of the G major Concerto is also suitably grand. Toso proves a commendable soloist in the D minor and cellist Zannerini despatches the A major well enough – though there’s an odd moment of pitch lurch in the finale. Good performances these in the main though the bass attacks are somewhat over forceful and the luscious orchestral string tone can be rather unremitting.

The second disc has the sonatas and not just the Devil’s Trill. There’s good balance between the trio and I was taken by the genial and warm way they span the Affettuoso first movement of the G major, not as easy a feat as it may seem. Amoyal varies his vibrato cannily in the Adagio of the F major – slowing appreciably to good effect - and his trill and bowing are on good form in the same sonata’s finale. It’s certainly of value to hear an essentially modern minded fiddler playing with a quasi-authentic set up of harpsichord and anchoring cello. To my ears, though, his anti-virtuosic performance doesn’t really take flight in the Devil’s Trill – but then perhaps that was part of the musical point he was making.

Jonathan Woolf, MusicWeb-International

Albinoni: Oboe and Violin Concertos - I Solisti Veneti, Scimone

Tomaso Albinoni
Oboe and Violin Concertos
Pierre Pierlot, Jaques Chambon, Piero Toso, I Solisti Veneti, Claudio Scimone
Apex 0927 49020 2

A Penguin Guide * * * Recording.

Very little of Albinoni’s immense output of compositions has survived, unlike those of his better known contemporary Vivaldi. The two composers even lived and worked in close proximity in Venice. However, it is said that Albinoni’s instrumental music, unlike that of Vivaldi, is almost a by-product of his operatic music, with long breathed and eminently singable lines which remind many commentators of operatic ‘bel canto’. Albinoni was a most proficient singer and was fortunate to have a comfortable private income which allowed him to pursue a full time musical career, including the composition of over 50 operas.

On this Apex release seven of the twelve opus 9 concertos published in Amsterdam in 1722 are included, and they are indeed fine works. All the concertos are in the three movement fast, slow, fast, form that Albinoni was probably the first composer to use consistently in his concertos. Often accused of displaying a lack of harmonic finesse, these opus 9 concertos bear testament to Albinoni’s melodic gifts together with a pronounced individuality which was most probably due to the relative insularity of his life.

The highlight of the disc is the haunting and meditative adagio from the popular oboe concerto No. 2, which I feel must have been the inspiration and model for the main theme from Geoffrey Burgon’s 1980’s score to the TV drama Brideshead Revisited. In addition, the concerto No. 3 for double oboe is most appealing and proves to be a inventive work. In particular, the opening allegro is notable for the consistent flow of its musical line. For me, the concerto No. 1 for solo violin is the weakest and least memorable of all the concertos on this release, particularly when compared to those concertos for the oboe, which are clearly of a high melodic standard.

Pierre Pierlot, the oboe soloist, has a beautiful tone, and his playing is distinguished and easily conveys the spirit of the music. In addition, Jacques Chambon in the double oboe concertos and Piero Toso in the two violin concertos are expressive and fluent in their interpretations. Under the persuasive direction of Claudio Scimone the performance of the ensemble I Solisti Veneti invite admiration, displaying how assured they are in this repertoire.

The performances are naturally caught and mainly well recorded; however I would have preferred slightly more prominence in the bass line harmonies. The disc’s total timing of just over 71 minutes is generous but unfortunately Apex have provided sparse booklet notes and there is no information concerning the recording venue and dates. For the quality of the music, the standard of performance and the modest cost this disc will prove a welcome addition to any collection of late baroque music.

Michael Cookson, MusicWeb-International

Albinoni: Concertos Op.10 Nos.7-12 - I Solisti Veneti, Scimone

Tomaso Albinoni
Concertos Op.10 Nos.7-12
I Solisti Veneti, Claudio Scimone
Apex 2564 61256-2

A Sankerib Super Ultra Extra Plus Recording.

Albinoni: Concertos Op.10 Nos. 1-6 - I Solisti Veneti, Scimone

Tomaso Albinoni
Concertos Op.10 Nos. 1-6
I Solisti Veneti, Claudio Scimone
Apex 2564 61136-2

A Penguin Guide * * * Recording.

Four of the Op. 10 set are violin concertos (Nos. 6, 8, 10 and 12) and three are concerti grossi with a small concertino group and have non-fugal last movements. They radiate simple vitality, a love of life and a youthful exuberance that belies the composer's age. The playing is warm and musical, and the recording is made in an ample acoustic.

The Penguin Guide

Veracini: 5 Ouvertures - Musica Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel

Francesco Maria Veracini
5 Ouvertures
Musica Antiqua Köln, Reinhard Goebel
Archiv 439 937-2

Veracini's music is little known, but the neglect is as unjustified as the traditional unfavourable comparison with Vivaldi. Something of the particularity of his performing manner was noticed during Veracini's lifetime by the English historian Charles Burney, who once remarked that "by travelling all over Europe he formed a style of playing peculiar to himself". The same might be said of his composing, which far from being simply an assimilation of contemporary modes speaks with a sharply individual voice that constantly surprises with its freshness and originality.

The players of Cologne Musica Antigua have latterly become persuasive advocates for some of the darker corners of the Italian concerto repertory that lie between the twin poles of Corelli and Vivaldi, and they approach Veracini with all the passion and vitality that have characterized some of their finest recordings of this repertory. As usual they use either period instruments or modern copies, and Reinhard Goebel's informed and committed direction teases out all the subtlety of Veracini's rich and varied textures. String tone is attractively alive and has been carefully varied to underscore all the variety of sound and timbre in the writing. In short, these are authoritative and commanding performances of bold if at times quirky music that no enthusiastic connoisseur of the period can afford to miss. Outstanding.

N.A., Gramophone Magazine