Henri Koch (1903-69) was a distinguished Belgian violinist.
He’s particularly remembered as a chamber player – he was part
of the Quatuor de Liège, a leading group of inter-war period
– but one who recorded sparsely. In fact he’s one of those rare
musicians who has become known to us, on disc at least, almost
(but not quite) as one-composer advocates. That composer was
Lekeu. Koch recorded the Violin Sonata in the early 1930s on
78s with Charles van Lancker, and it saw good service on Polydor
and Decca. His ensemble also recorded the unfinished Quartet
in B minor on 78. He was an obvious choice therefore to reprise
the sonata recording on LP, which he did, this time with André
Dumortier, in 1956. There were other recordings by him, though
not many. The major one was Jean Rogister’s Violin Concerto,
which was dedicated to Koch. Rogister, and his brother Lido,
were both members of the quartet in which Koch played. In a
neat twist, Koch’s grandson, Philippe, has also recorded the
Concerto.
Forgotten Records has disinterred the Lekeu LP, which also includes
Franck’s own sonata. Koch was in his early 50s, and still in
good form, though a little past his best. His intonation isn’t
quite on the button, and his tone was never the most opulent,
though it was invariably deployed with great intelligence and
imagination. He does, however, have a tremendously assured way
with Lekeu’s occasionally discursive narrative, and this kind
of playing inevitably sounds just right. Even so august a player
as Arthur Grumiaux, a fellow Belgian, radically revised his
approach to this work in his two recordings, significantly tightening
his tempi. Koch’s approach remained steady, consistent, and
wholly insightful. He allows the pulse of the music to crest
and fall, and his loving portamenti in the slow movement are
truly delightful. He is not a fulsome player – as was Menuhin,
say, who also recorded this sonata twice - but his diminuendi
tell, and though Dumortier’s piano is balanced just too far
forward, Koch’s artistry remains intact. Certainly those looking
for a wide arsenal of tone colour will look elsewhere – sometimes
Koch’s tone tends toward emaciation in certain positions – but
those who want an authoritative historic performance from inside
the tradition will find this recording highly persuasive.
The Franck is perhaps rather less recommendable. Here Dumortier
has to bear an even greater weight of responsibility; on the
whole he makes a decent fist of things, and ensemble is maintained
well. It’s a small-scale performance, though Koch’s vibrato
usage in the second movement is undoubtedly questionably varied,
and at its best in the Recitativo-fantasia where melancholy
is the primary motivator. Rubatos are subtle, and give and take
always plausible. It’s a decent performance, then, but not in
any way outstanding.
Though this will primarily appeal to violin aficionados, interest
will not wholly be confined to them. If you like Lekeu, and
want to hear a very decent LP performance of the sonata by an
excellent exponent of the work, this will do nicely – though
if you can, try to listen to the 78 performance too, which has
been uploaded onto YouTube.
Jonathan Woolf
Henri Koch (violin) 