Ysaÿe’s works for
violin and orchestra are far less frequently encountered than
his solo sonatas. There was always something of a vogue in Russia
for some of the bigger works. Oistrakh was a proponent of the
Poème élégiaque, recording it. More recently Raskin has
committed a couple to disc. But in the main these are under-recorded
works of lush, Chausson-esque evocation.
One can see what
Oistrakh saw in the Poème élégiaque. Along with its hothouse
Franckian inheritance there’s Chausson’s stamp but also a Tchaikovskian
shape to the solo line that reminds one of the Russian’s own
Violin Concerto. The languorous heat haze that sometimes falls
over the music is almost tropical - the rich orchestration is
by Jacques Ysaÿe. Chant d’hiver offers another cushioned
ride, though one obviously less verdant. Good player though
he is – lower string work really speaks - Albrecht Laurent Breuninger
takes a decidedly more leisurely approach than Aaron Rosand
did in his traversal with the Luxembourg Radio Orchestra and
Louis de Froment in their Vox Box. Rosand deploys timbral variety
and a bewitching colouration to make this piece really live
and at a considerably faster tempo. The newcomer’s more leisurely
charms aren’t obliterated but are very different.
The Berceuse
is a more concise and delightfully lyrical morceau but of a
bigger stamp is Les neiges d’antan. This has its whimsical
side, attractively brought out here, and certainly not over-done.
Breuninger dares a sleek period portamento or two and he proves
deft in his harmonics, even the cruelly stratospheric ones with
which the piece ends.
The Violin Concerto
might raise hopes as to an undiscovered masterpiece but it’s
actually a surviving work – among many concertos – from his
relative youth and boyhood. It’s couched in concerto grosso
form, in three movements, and is for strings alone. The
recording team has calculated this rather well with the solo
violin well integrated into the body of strings without losing
its relative prominence in the fabric. The ethos here is backward-looking
but enjoyable because there are those typically languorous moments
that mark out his orchestral writing. The fugato sounds rather
academic but the slow movement is intense if short. The finale
has its vaporous moments but also some Chausson inspirations
as well.
The Op.24 Divertimento
is aptly described in the notes as an example of Art Nouveau
in music. Well, Brussels is famous for its Art Nouveau, and
Ysaÿe was a Belgian, so ... well let’s not follow it too far
as Liège was his stomping ground. There are some insider’s
bowing demands here and some terrific colouristic opportunities.
It’s an unusual work, quite intense, with a lot of decorative
embellishment of the theme.
This disc has the
field largely to itself at the moment. Performances are warm
and lyric, though occasionally rather laid-back. With very decent
notes and a suitably enveloping acoustic this is a intriguing
sidelight on Ysaÿe’s more prominent and bracingly up-to-date
solo sonatas.
Jonathan Woolf
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Albrecht Laurent Breuninger
(violin)
