Luigi DALLAPICCOLA (1904-1975)
Tartiniana seconda, for violin and piano (1956) [11.27]
Ludwig van BEETHOVEN (1770-1827)
Sonata No. 9 in A Major, Op. 47 Kreutzer [33:15]
Johannes BRAHMS (1833-1897)
Scherzo from Sonatensatz in C minor, Op. posth. from FAE Sonata [5:32]
KOMITAS (Soghomon Soghomonian) (1869-1935)
Chant arménien [4:01]
Annie Jodry (violin)
Frederick Aguessy (piano)
rec. live in concert, 23 March 1993, La Grange Dimière, Fresnes, France
FORGOTTEN RECORDS FR1205 [54:17]
I’ve never heard any of Luigi Dallapiccola's music before, and was expecting something more serially severe. Nothing could be further from the truth. In 1956, Tartiniana seconda was written at the request of violinist Sandro Materassi as a sequel to the successful first Tartiniana. Once again Giuseppe Tartini’s works were given a Dallapiccola make-over. The result is recognisably Baroque music set in a contemporary frame. There are four movements, beginning with a lyrical Pastorale. Then comes a rhythmically buoyant Bourrée, followed by playful Presto. The final movement, also the longest, is an ambitious set of variations. It‘s a delightfully tuneful work, and supplies an attractive opener to this recital.
With the Kreutzer Sonata we are back on 'home turf', and it's evident from this performance that Jodry and Aguessy have this work at their finger-tips, such is their maturity of vision and structural and architectural awareness of this formidable score. Not only is it a reading of great authority, but it benefits from the sense of immediacy the players bring. There are many changes of mood, from passion and anger to gentleness and affection. In the finale there's high-spirited exuberance. This performance effectively contours this unfolding narrative. The outer sections of the one-movement Brahms Sonata are given the high-octane treatment, whilst the contrasting middle section is imbued with tender lyricism.
Komitas' Armenian chant is testimony to the love and devotion he has for his native folk tradition. As an ethnomusicologist he collected and transcribed over three thousand pieces of Armenian folk music. Ravishingly played, it's music of purity and simplicity and makes for an unusual and beguiling encore.
Annie Jodry was born in 1935 in Béziers, France. In the 1950s she studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Marcel Reynal and was a prize-winner in Geneva. Celebrated for a remarkable bowing technique, she made a notable impact on French violin playing. As a teacher, she was generous but demanding. Sadly, she died in November 2016. A couple of years ago I reviewed a disc of Jodry in 20th Century repertoire (FR1017), which included a performance of Karl Amadeus Hartmann's Concerto funèbre, which I singled out for special praise. I would heartily recommend it.
There are notes in French provided by Alexis Galpérine with this release.
Stephen Greenbank
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