Comparison recordings:
Franck: Curtis Qrt, Vladimir Sokoloff Westminster
LP XWN 18577
Franck and Dvorák: Vienna Philh. Qrt,
Clifford Curzon [ADD] Decca 421 153-2
Any recording of the Franck Quintet is welcome, especially one
so well played and recorded as here. However this is not the best
version ever done or even the best available. This work contains
deep despair, lush sentiment, anger, mystery, fragile beauty,
all of which are played by Heifetz with his usual slightly strident
precision. Franck was deeply religious, had been rescued by his
rich wife from a wretched existence with his family and held a
respectable position which allowed him time to compose —
and take a few students. Like many older professors, so the story
goes, he fell madly in love with one of his students, and couldn’t
do anything whatever about it, couldn’t speak to anyone
about it but us, his musical audience. It has been said that a
work of art is the successful resolution of inner conflict, and
that is what we have in this magnificent and under-appreciated
work. Heifetz and his Hollywood musical friends play it as though
it were the sound track to “Spellbound — the Sequel”
with Heifetz playing the part of the Theremin.
The Curzon recording, out of print but still to be found if you
look far enough, is generally considered the best modern version.
These musicians play the work as though it were a hypothetical
Brahms Third Piano Concerto, an approach that reveals as much
as it conceals. The best version ever done is the old Westminster
monophonic LP, not only in performance, but the sound isn’t
half bad, either. These musicians were flexible enough to respond
to the work’s changing moods with authenticity as well as
passion. Look for it to appear soon restored to CD; watch this
space for details.
Dvorák’s chamber music can be facile and sentimental,
even “pretty.” Two hearings and it’s already
sounding trite. The Quintet is one of the exceptions, perhaps
his chamber masterpiece, full of great musical ideas that come
and go rapidly. It’s been nearly three generations and hopefully
everyone has forgotten the awful pop song based on the opening
of the second movement. Has the argument over the first movement
opening theme — is it an American or Czech folksong? —
ever has been settled? Here Heifetz’s coolness is a positive
force keeping the performance respectable. This is one of the
best versions of this work ever.
That being said, compared to the great Willi Boskovsky, Heifetz
was a scraper, and the Viennese get a genuine middle European
swing to this music. The colour and drama in their playing are
ever a delight and easily overcome any tendency to triteness or
over familiarity. This is the great performance of this work that
can make you love it no matter how many times you’ve heard
it.
A recording of anything by Françaix is good news and Heifetz,
et al., play the sarcasm with just the right degree of irony and
volatility. Are they tuning up before the fourth movement, or
is that in the score? Maybe the engineer couldn’t tell;
I’m not sure I can either. Even though this may be the most
accessible Françaix of all, most people still won’t
like this music, but for those of us who can really taste the
satire and crisp wit, this is candy for the soul. This is the
one truly great, irreplaceable performance on this disk. Check
out: www.jeanfrancaix.org.
Paul Shoemaker
.
Jascha Heifetz,
violin, and Gregor Piatigorsky, cello. Recorded RCA Studios, Hollywood,
California, USA