I've always been fond
of these pieces: this sort of expanded
chamber-music format always brings out
the genial, carefree side of the younger
Beethoven. Even the music's more solemn
moments - as in the slow, deeply felt
chorale that introduces Op. 20 - remain
a far cry from the philosophical introspection
and dramatic turbulence of the composer's
later years.
The Septet's complement
of "dark" winds - clarinet, bassoon
and horn - suggests that it might be
a correspondingly somber work. But Beethoven
confounds expectations, deploying the
winds principally as a unit supporting
the strings. While the bassoon and horn,
as expected, fill out the textures richly,
the clarinet carries that richness upward
into the range, its overtones infusing
the sonority with brilliance, producing
a satisfying chiaroscuro.
The Gaudier Ensemble
members have a good feeling for the
music's carefree, buoyant mood, allowing
the first movement's brief excursions
into the minor to cast only momentary
shadows. The third movement is here
rather a jaunty minuet; the strings
introduce the fourth movement's theme
with lightness and point. Starting the
following Scherzo movement attacca
is a nice bracing touch. The finale's
basic Presto tempo feels skittish
to me, but the players take the quick
figurations in stride.
I'm not sure the recorded
balance is ideal, though. The wind group
sounds more closely miked than the strings,
or perhaps they simply play more assertively.
In any event, the effect is to underline
the lightweight sound of the otherwise
clear, accurate strings - it's like
a pianist who plays "on top of the keys."
Of the winds, it's mostly the clarinet
that steps out for solo exposure, and
Richard Hosford offers exactly the right
smooth, lyrical phrasing. The bassoon
is fine, but Jonathan Williams's horn
sounds unfocused and uncomfortable,
except when he plays out as he launches
the Scherzo. The Gaudier's musicality
and character are winning, but the performance
by the St. Martin's Academy Chamber
Ensemble (Chandos), though less incisive
and distinctive, is more consistently
polished.
The Sextet's high opus
number is deceptive: although first
published in 1810, the work actually
predates the Septet by some years. The
writing is sunny and uncomplicated,
in the manner of Mozart's horn quintet,
its obvious ancestor, with the final
Rondo bringing in some of that
score's joie de vivre. Here the
string playing is more forthright and
confident (or, perhaps, better recorded);
the horns - Phillip Eastop joining Mr.
Williams here - altogether more assured,
with a hint of the raw edge produced
by the valveless instrument.
Stephen Francis
Vasta
The Gaudier Ensemble 
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