An interesting, potentially
misleading title for this Brilliant
double. If you were expecting two hours
of Mozart, Stamitz and the sundry Bohemian
exponents of the classical clarinet
tradition you’d be in for a long wait.
The farthest back we go is to Weber
and we stretch forward as far as Malcolm
Arnold. So maybe it’s classical as distinct
from jazz, even though Arnold, as we
all know, loves his Armstrong and wrote
for Goodman.
The compositions are
grouped along rough stylistic and geographical
lines; first Poulenc and Debussy then
Saint-Saëns and Büsser; following
them the neo-classicism of Stravinsky,
the typical motor rhythms of Martinů
and some succinct and joyful Arnold.
The second disc is an all-Germanic affair.
The recording level is generally good
but there are occasions during the course
of these performances when the piano
is too backwardly balanced and this
can obscure some important lines
and harmonies. The effect is by no means
consistent though and shouldn’t impair
your enjoyment.
De
Graaf is a well-known clarinettist and
Wayenberg’s name may well register with
collectors because of preserved performances
with Karel Ančerl in Amsterdam.
Their ensemble is most effective and
the sense of chamber compatibility never
slackens or weakens. In the Poulenc
they have the measure of much of its
affectionate playfulness and emerge
unscathed from the Allegro con fuoco
minefield, even if memories of, say,
de Peyer are not effaced in the slow
movement. They are fluid and convincing
in the Debussy – a piece more normally
found in the garb of its orchestral
arrangement. Saint-Saëns’ Sonata
should get regular airings in the chamber
recital hall. As he shows in his string
sonatas he is the master of mood and
texture. The opening movement is a charmingly
relaxed Allegretto and the slow movement
opens with portentous gravity and rolled
chords (not unlike Franck’s in his piano
works) before lightening. And how tactful
and well judged of the composer to end
with another Allegretto – no hi jinks
and flourish for Saint-Saëns, just
a musically sagacious arch. Henri Büsser
is probably better known as a conductor
for French Pathé – I’ve recently
reviewed his Manon on Malibran. As a
conductor he took things there at a
fair old lick; as a composer his short
Pastorale has some almost quasi-operatic
moments amidst the dapple. Stravinsky’s
Three Pieces are wittily and pithily
played – especially the Vivacissimo
finale, which fizzes by. Martinů
can do no wrong in my book and the duo
does well by him; I just wish they’d
screwed up the tension and the tempo
slightly in the opening movement of
his Sonatine. The first disc closes
with some delicious Arnold, full of
his quick act change from intensity
to humour.
The duo commands the
style for Weber’s Grand Duo Concertante
and they’re especially good at observing
the con moto marking in the slow movement,
which emerges as a result strengthened
not diminished. Harald Genzmer was greatly
influenced by Hindemith, and was one
of his best pupils in Berlin. His Sonatine
is unaffected and unpretentious and
unfortunately undated as well. But in
its lyricism and its marching neo-classicism
it adheres to certain established norms.
It can be mordant but always with an
airy classical lightness running through
it. The Andante for instance is songful
but not over simplified, with some pert
piano pointing. The Schumann pieces
are standards of the repertoire but
the Berg presents an even tougher challenge
– I like the way they extract real lyricism
from these concisely and densely packed
pieces – and also how exuberantly they
play the eruptive drama of the slow
final piece – and how well they control
it. Finally there’s the Mendelssohn.
From its long opening movement – full
of hymnal depth – to the Song without
Words Andante this is a delectable work.
They play the slow Andante especially
well, colouring it across the range
and phrasing unselfconsciously.
Maybe this seems a
somewhat quirky selection but the repertoire
does actually make a deal of sense.
Inexpensive and neatly packaged with
some pertinent notes it also enjoys
convincing playing.
Jonathan Woolf
Henk de Graaf (clarinet) 