In
an Indian summer of creativity near the end of his career, Brahms
wrote the Trio for clarinet (viola), cello and piano, Op. 114 (1891);
the Quintet for clarinet (viola) and strings, Op. 115 (1891)
and two Clarinet (Viola) Sonatas, Op. 120 (1894). All the scores
were composed especially for Richard Mühlfeld,
the popular virtuoso clarinettist whose playing had been an
inspiration to the aging Brahms. To ensure the widest possible
circulation for these four scores Brahms transcribed the clarinet
part for the viola; the versions are virtually identical. It
is with these chamber works that Brahms bids a permanent farewell
to chamber music
The
two Viola Sonatas, Op. 120
were composed in the summer of 1894 at Bad Ischl in Upper Austria.
The small resort was an extremely popular holiday destination
in Brahms’s time and the summer capital of the great Austro-Hungarian
monarchy, an association with the Habsburg imperial court that
had continued for at least 700 years.
The Viola Sonata in F minor,
Op. 120 No. 1 opens pessimistically but gathers strength and
hope as the music progresses to a triumphant end. Throughout
one cannot help but be impressed with the partnership of Power
and Crawford-Phillips,
strongly sensing their innate emotional involvement. They expertly
convey the essential elements of storminess and melancholy that
permeate the work.. The dramatic quality of the opening Allegro
appassionato is strongly emphasised and the second movement
is pensive with an unsettling feeling of introspection and searching.
Here Power’s expressive playing is charismatic: relaxed and
unaffected. The duo provide just the right degree of lightness
and grace in the restrained Allegro grazioso where the
mood alternates between grace and a peasant-like earthiness.
In the high
spirited Vivace finale I
especially enjoyed how the players approach the music with verve and exuberance as they hasten towards the
joyous conclusion.
The
Viola Sonata in E flat Major, Op. 120 No. 2 has an unusual structure
and ends with a slow movement that bids farewell to Brahms as
a chamber music composer. Power’s lyricism is unfailingly expressive
and the piano playing Crawford-Phillips is durable and highly supportive. The opening Allegro
amabile has been called a masterpiece of seamless construction
and has a convincing autumnal quality that this partnership
memorably reveals.
The Scherzo
has a brusque and reckless character with playing from Power
of a stormy intensity that accentuates the passionate and unyielding
nature of the movement. In the finale the gently rocking Andante
con moto takes the form of a theme and variations. From
4:36 the concluding Allegro non troppo is performed with
high spirits in what is a remarkably convincing display of musicianship.
There
is strong competition in the catalogues for recordings of the
two Viola Sonatas. These Hyperion performances would not be
my first choice, although I regard them highly and they are
well worth adding to any serious Brahms collection. My recommendation
would be the sweet and Romantic accounts from the dream-team
partnership of Pinchas Zukerman and Daniel Barenboim on a Deutsche
Grammophon double set DG 289 453 121-2 (c/w Violin Sonatas 1-3
and FAE Scherzo). For their spontaneous feel and natural flow
I can also suggest the 2003 Berlin recordings from Shlomo Mintz
and Itamar
Golan on a double from Avie Records AV2057 (c/w
Violin Sonatas 1-3 and FAE Scherzo).
The
Trio for Viola, Cello and Piano in A minor, Op. 114 was composed
in the summer of 1891 and like the two Viola Sonatas also at
the resort of Bad Ischl. Brahms’s alternative arrangement for
the viola from the original clarinet part was undertaken upon
its publication the following year. The A minor Trio has never attained the popularity of the Quintet, Op. 115 although it has a wider
emotional scope and is often considered more challenging to
perform.
The opening movement is an Allegro of aching passion
performed here with wide extremes of intensity, contrasted with
a convincing tenderness. In the hands of this talented trio
the gentle and feminine Adagio is communicated with a
quality of unforced approachability. The Andantino grazioso
is interpreted in a lyrical, even tempered way with especially
cheerful waltz episodes. The high passions of the opening movement
return in the closing Allegro. It feels as if the component
instruments are conducting an intense three-way conversation
that ranges from hearty laughter to the merest whisper.
There
are several versions of the Clarinet Trio, Op 114 in the catalogues
and far less of the viola arrangement. The recording of the
Viola Trio most likely to be encountered, although not one that
I am familiar with, is the 1989 Moscow performance from star
soloists: Yuri Bashmet; Natalia Gutman and Christoph Eschenbach
on the Live Classics label LCL 204 (c/w Cello Sonatas, Opp.
38, 99). However, given the excellence of the present performance
from Power; Crawford-Phillips and Hugh there would seem little
point in looking elsewhere.
All three scores were recorded by Hyperion at St. Paul’s
School in London and the engineers have closely caught the players
in a slightly cramped acoustic, revealing some over-bright forte
passages. The booklet notes from Brahms biographer Malcolm
MacDonald are as authoritative as we have come to expect. In
short this is an excellently performed recording of three attractive
Brahms chamber scores.
Michael
Cookson
