Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Violin Sonatas: Fragment Completions
World premiere recordings of six sonata-allegros and a fantasia for violin
and piano, completed by Timothy Jones.
Rachel Podger (violin), Christopher Glynn (fortepiano)
rec. St John’s Upper Norwood, London, November 2020. DDD/DSD
Reviewed as downloaded in 24/96 sound from press access.
CHANNEL CLASSICS CCSSA42721 SACD
[55:45]
We live in an age when people expect
perfection and completeness; that’s nowhere more the
case than in the urge to finish music which the composer didn’t. Sometimes
it works, sometimes not. The Newbould completion of Schubert’s ‘Unfinished’
symphony, as recorded by Sir Charles Mackerras (Erato 5618062) makes a good
deal of sense
to me; there is some evidence that Schubert did, indeed, complete it. That
of the ‘Beethoven Tenth’, assembled from sketches by Barry Cooper, doesn’t.
Another Newbould Schubert completion from Mackerras (‘Symphony No.10’ and
fragments: Hyperion CDA67000) is very interesting but only border-line
convincing. Bruckner 9 and Mahler 10 in completed form, especially the
latter in the final Deryck Cooke edition, are very worthwhile.
Which category would these crumbs from Mozart’s table fall into? The
question is pertinent because I had already seen two responses, one even
more positive than Timothy Jones’ own assessment of his work. The other,
after something of an ontological discussion of the reasons for attempting
such completions, concludes by expressing enjoyment of the outcome.
In cases like these, the messenger is as important as the message. Just as
the advocacy of Mackerras, with the OAE (Erato)and the SCO (Hyperion),
helps make the case for the Schubert reconstructions, it very much helps
that Rachel Podger is playing the violin part on this recording. A stalwart
of the Channel Classics catalogue – her discography taking up the whole of
page 21 of the booklet – she has recorded all the regular Mozart sonatas
for violin and piano with Gary Cooper, on six separate albums and a twofer.
Most of these are now download only, though Volume 3 survives on SACD
(CCSSA23606), and the whole series is available as an attractive box set
(CCSBOX6414). There’s never any sense, as there is with some recordings of
these sonatas, that the odds are unduly stacked against the violin.
On the new recording, playing her Pesarinius violin (1739), she is
accompanied by Christopher Glynn on a fortepiano on loan from the Royal
Academy of Music; he proves to be just as congenial a partner as Gary
Cooper on those earlier recordings, the first of which earned Recording of
the Month status from Michael Cookson –
review.
That review concludes by praising the ‘near flawless performances … packed
with high quality and extraordinary interest’; while I would recommend
seeking out those earlier volumes first, perhaps in the reasonably-priced
complete set, the same comment applies to the new completed fragments
recording. If I hadn’t known that a good deal of editing and adding had
been done to the music after it left Mozart’s hands, I might well have
believed that I was listening to the genuine article. In a sense, it is –
the kernel of all this music comes from Mozart, over a period of years from
1782 to 1789.
I’m cautious about saying that the fortepiano sound is unlikely to put off
all but the most adverse listeners – one of my colleagues takes a directly
opposite view to me of the period instruments in the recent Harmonia Mundi
Beethoven Triple Concerto (HMM902419 –
review). I’ll merely say that the instrument used on the new Mozart recording is
one of the more amenable examples of the genre, slightly less dry than the
1795 Walter used by Gary Cooper on Volume 1, though that, too, requires
little indulgence.
At this late date, I need hardly add my appreciation of Rachel Podger’s
part in the proceedings; I’ve run out of words of praise in reviewing some
of her other recordings: just see my
Recording of the Month review
of her Vivaldi ‘Four Seasons’, where my only reservation was that she
hadn’t recorded the whole Op.8 set.
Unsurprisingly, given this label’s reputation, the recording is first-rate.
I downloaded it in 24/96 format, but it’s also available on SACD and as
downloads in mp3, 16- and 24-bit format, including surround sound. The
booklet, too, is detailed and informative, including Timothy Jones’
assessment that his work ‘inevitably disfigures’ the music; on the
contrary, it brings these otherwise neglected fragments to life.
Some time ago I made an impulse purchase of one of the earlier recordings
in the Podger-Cooper series of the Mozart sonatas, and I’ve been regularly
listening to it since then. I’ve just looked for it in the cabinet and, lo
and behold, it’s missing: I’ve played it recently and forgotten to put it
back. I always meant to obtain some of the rest of that series, but the
road to Hell is paved with good intentions. Apart from Volume 1, we seem to
have missed the rest of the series. As one of the aims of our little team
of download reviewers is to catch up with missed opportunities, don’t be
surprised if I feel inspired to write about the complete set in the near future. I’m
streaming and enjoying Volume 1 in 24/192 sound as I finish this review.
Meanwhile, the new recording is sure to form part of my listening schedule.
Brian Wilson
Fragment of a Sonata in B flat for piano and violin Fr 1782c: Jones
Completion 3 [6:49]
Fragment of a Sonata in A for piano and violin Fr 1784b: Jones Completion 4
[7:35]
Fragment of a Sonata in G for piano and violin Fr 1789f: Jones
Completion 1 [7:22]
Fragment of a Fantasia in c minor for piano and violin Fr 1782l: Jones
Completion 1 [9:32]
Fragment of a Sonata in B flat for piano and violin Fr 1782c: Jones
Completion 2 [7:14]
Fragment of a Sonata in A for piano and violin Fr 1784b: Jones Completion 1
[7:40]
Fragment of a Sonata in G for piano and violin Fr 1789f: Jones Completion 2
[8:39]
