Period performance, this isn't. The principle of borrowing and arranging
others' music was, of course, standard Baroque practice, so
the iconoclastic Rameau might well have approved of these
concoctions. But he'd not have recognized most of these instruments
- the accomplished Calefax Reed Quintet comprises oboe, clarinet,
saxophone (alto, by the sound of it), bass clarinet, and bassoon
- and the sounds they make are hardly echt Baroque.
These arrangements, however - informed as they are by an understanding
of the Baroque aesthetic as well as of the expressive potential
of instrumental color - work, and brilliantly.
The transcribers, Raaf Hekkema and Jefte Althuis, the Calefax's saxophonist
and bass clarinetist respectively, bring a hands-on knowledge
(pun probably intended) of the instruments, both individually
and in combination, to their task. Thus, the La Villageoise
movement of Le Rappel des Oiseaux begins with just
the saxophone over bassoon accompaniment; the simple addition
of the clarinet on the sustained harmonies dramatically enriches
the sonority. The bass clarinet is very much the chameleon:
in (the Allemande from La Triomphante, it first
tosses motifs back and forth with its junior and partners
it in thirds, then gravitates to the bass line so as to free
the bassoon for contrapuntal duty. Imaginative, almost pointillistic
melodic deployments suggest an unusual variety of timbre:
the quiet theme of the Gigue en Rondeau from Le
Rappel des Oiseaux elides smoothly from saxophone to oboe
to the smooth, suave clarinet. The choice of instruments,
whether etching the counterpoint or artfully simulating orchestral
textures, is effective, and most of the writing sounds easy
and natural. (In the Le Rappel des Oiseaux movement
of that suite, the saxophone and oboe sound a bit stilted
in some quasi-improvisatory flourishes - not the sort of thing
that the Baroque oboe would have played - though the clarinet
and bassoon are fine.)
And time and again, these "inauthentic instruments" startle
us with effects that recall those in performances that strive
for historical accuracy, although they sound rather
different. In La Triomphante, the clarinet and oboe
give the upper lines a piquant, "vocal" expression.
The saxophone's pungent high range adds a piercing edge to
melodic lines in the Courante, and its unison with
the clarinet conjures a shiny brilliance in the eponymous
La Triomphante movement. The oboe communicates the
double-reedy pomp of the Sarabande's stately, marchlike
rhythms. In Le Rappel des Oiseaux, the elaborately
trilled Musette is rather grand, while the stark textures
and pungent colors of the closing Tambourin nod to
its underlying folk-music influence. From time to time, the
modern instruments' sonorous depth evokes a "operatic"
drama of its own. At the start of La Triomphante: the
preponderance of dark, lugubrious timbres in overlapping sustained
tones evokes a dismal foreboding; similarly, bassoon and bass
clarinet launch Polymnie's entrance fugato in Les
Boréades in stark, gloomy tones.
Purists will still scoff, of course. But if the optimal purpose of
a transcription is to show the originals in a new and equally
valid light, this program must be judged a success, without
reservation. As you might have guessed, the playing is marvelously
adept, and the sound is first-rate.
Stephen
Francis Vasta
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Calefax Reed Quintet
