I Solisti del Vento
(‘The Wind Soloists’) is a talented
Belgian wind ensemble, made up of players
from some of the country’s leading orchestras.
The conductor,
Etienne Siebens, is also Belgium-based,
and shares the baton for this recording
with Ivo Hadermann, who plays horn in
the Dvořák and Strauss works, but
takes over as conductor in the Alpaerts,
which is for woodwinds only.
I thoroughly enjoyed
listening to this recording, despite
one major reservation, which I will
deal with later on. The playing is of
a very high standard, and the woodwinds
achieve an exceptionally smooth blend.
In fact, the sound of the reed instruments
will be a little too smooth for
some tastes, though, in combination
with near flawless intonation, this
makes for an exceptionally well integrated
ensemble.
The programme commences
with a lively, even sprightly,
version of Dvořák’s ever-green
Serenade in D minor. The swaying second
movement – based on the Czech dances
Sousedska and Furiant
– is taken about as fast as I’ve
ever heard it. I confess I felt it lost
a little of its charm and elegance,
sensitively though the musicians shape
their phrases. However, the slow movement
brings some magically expressive playing,
and the finale has an irresistible momentum.
This little masterpiece
is scored for the unusual combination
of pairs of oboes, clarinets and bassoons,
three horns, ‘cello and double bass,
with an ‘ad lib’ contrabassoon part.
I’m glad to report that the contra is
very much in evidence, for its organ-like
depths contribute greatly to the sound.
The Alpaerts Evening
Music is a pleasant enough work
consisting of two contrasted serenades,
one slow and rather melancholy, the
other scherzo-like. My expectations
were aroused by the interesting harmonic
twists of the opening bars, but the
music doesn’t quite live up to their
promise. It has a wilful, capricious
feeling that may appeal to some listeners
– I found it ultimately frustrating
and inconsequential.
The Strauss Suite in
Bb is one of the composer’s earliest
characteristic works. Given his age
at the time of composition – late teens
- it is a superbly crafted and highly
impressive work; this is no mere apprentice
piece, but a colourful, witty and entertaining
piece, with some very beautiful moments.
Listening to it, you can well believe
that Don Juan was just around
the corner, and it is fascinating to
detect the influences on the young composer
– principally, as you might imagine,
Brahms and Wagner, but also Schumann,
Mendelssohn and others.
I Solisti del Vento
play superbly; but now I come to the
reservation mentioned above, and it
concerns the horn playing in the Suite.
There are four horns, and the young
Strauss often gives them heroic unison
passages of the sort found in his mature
tone poems. Now four horns can make
one heck of a noise, and the players
here have been allowed to ‘go for it’
in a completely unbridled way. The result
is a bizarre unbalancing of the textures
in many places, with either important
material in other parts blasted to kingdom
come, or relatively unimportant
lines in the horn parts disproportionately
prominent. Some of this is the fault
of the inexperienced composer; but it
is surely the job of a conductor to
bring sympathy and experience to bear
upon such misjudgements. Neither is
it the fault of the players – elsewhere,
they show they can play with real, unobtrusive
pianissimo. No, I fear that this grouse
lands firmly on the doorstep of M.Siebens,
who otherwise directs with considerable
flair. Advice to all conductors: make
sure your horn players know their place,
otherwise they’ll take over!
The final fugue, which
is a splendid contrapuntal contrivance,
develops a joyous impetus, and the final
chord benefits greatly from that contrabassoon
again. But hold on; our contra player
plays his very lowest Bb, (i.e. the
one that is the lowest note but one
on most pianos). Checking the score,
we find that Strauss has not written
that note, but the one an octave above.
So a mild and indulgent slap on the
wrist for the conductor.
Putting aside these
various gripes, this is in essence a
very fine issue, and the playing of
this Belgian ensemble compares well
with, for example, that of London Winds
under Collins, probably the strongest
current version of the Strauss.
Gwyn Parry-Jones
I Solisti del Vento/Etieneene Siebens and Ivo
Hadermann 