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Giovanni Benedetto PLATTI (1697 - 1763)
Chamber Music
Sonata for oboe, cello and bc in g minor [12:48]
Sonata for cello and bc in d minor [07:45]
Trio for oboe, bassoon and bc in c minor [09:36]
Sonata for cello and bc in g minor [10:21]
Sonata for oboe and bc in c minor [11:00]
Sonata a 3 for violin/oboe, cello and bc in G [14:03]
Ensemble Cordia (Alfredo Bernardini (oboe), Stefano Veggetti (cello), Alberto Grazzi (bassoon), Franziska Romaner (cello (basso continuo)), Anna Fontana (harpsichord))
rec. 2-4 November 2005, Verein Haus St Georgen, South Tirol, Austria. DDD
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 94007 [65:36]
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During the last five years or so various recordings with music
by Giovanni Benedetto Platti have been released. His oeuvre
isn’t that large, and therefore most recordings contain more
or less the same repertoire. That is also the case here: with
one exception all the sonatas on this disc have been recorded
before.
As Platti is still a largely unknown quantity it is useful to
give some background information. He was born in Venice in a
time when many famous masters of music were active. These included
Vivaldi, the Marcello brothers, Gasparini and Albinoni. It was
perhaps because he felt that under these circumstances his chances
to make a career were rather slim that he moved to Germany.
Here he became the principal oboist at the court of Prince-Archbishop
Lothar Franz von Schönborn in Würzburg. He was held in high
esteem by his new employer, who in a letter called him an "incomparable
oboist". He not only played the oboe, but also the violin,
the cello, the flute and the harpsichord and was active as composer
and as teacher. He was the best-paid musician at the court,
earning more than twice what the Kapellmeister received.
In 1764 an Italian musician reported Platti's death in a letter
to Padre Martini, mentioning him in the same breath as Geminiani
and Locatelli.
Things weren't always bright and wonderful in Platti's career,
though: in 1724, just two years after his appointment, his employer
died, and his successor disbanded the court orchestra. Platti
had the good fortune to have built a good relationship with
the former prince-archbishop's brother, Rudolf Franz Erwein.
He was an avid player of the cello, and this inspired Platti
to write cello sonatas and compositions with obbligato cello
parts, some of which can be heard on this disc. It was thanks
to this connection that he was able to spend the next years
at Rudolf's court in Wiesentheid. Here he problably also composed
the Trio for oboe and bassoon in c minor. The Wiesentheid
library contains another piece with a virtuoso bassoon part
by the Italian composer Brescianelli. This could well be an
indication of the presence of a highly skilled bassoonist at
the court.
In 1729 the new prince-archbishop of Würzburg re-established
the court orchestra, which now contained no fewer than 49 members.
Platti returned to Würzburg, and in 1732 was appointed second
violinist and Kammertenor. The appreciation of his employers
through the years, his excellent salary and his marriage to
Maria Theresia Lambrucker, first soprano in the court chapel,
were all good reasons to stay in Würzburg; this despite the
fact that it wasn't exactly one of the main cultural centres
of Germany.
The programme includes two sonatas for the somewhat unusual
combination of oboe and cello. There can be little doubt that
these were written to be played by Platti and Rudolf Franz Erwein
together. The latter must have been a very skilled player as
the two parts are technically of the same level and are treated
on an equal footing. The players and the sound engineer have
made sure that the cello isn't overshadowed by the penetrating
sound of the oboe. The second movement of the Sonata in g
minor is quite theatrical and is followed by an adagio of
great expression. Equally expressive are the slow movements
of the Sonata in G, adagio and largo respectively, with
notable broad gestures in the former. The two allegros are brilliant
and sparkling. The upper part can be played by either violin
or oboe; here we hear the latter.
The Sonata for oboe and bc in c minor reflects no doubt
the virtuosity of Platti as a performer. It is a technically
brilliant work full of rhetorical gestures, and some telling
rallentandi in the second movement, an allegro assai. In the
Sonata for oboe, bassoon and bc in c minor the bassoon
part is also technically demanding; almost the whole tessitura
of the instrument is explored. Lastly we come to the two cello
sonatas, which Platti composed to please his patron. The second
movements of both are especially brilliant. The latter, called
'non presto', is dominated by a fast descending figure which
is repeated a number of times. This Sonata in g minor
is recorded here for the first time.
As I have already mentioned, several recordings with Platti's
sonatas are on the market. But the performance by the Ensemble
Cordia surpasses them all. The recording took place in 2005,
but the release dates from 2010. I don't understand why it has
been on the shelf for five years. The booklets tells us that
more recordings of the Ensemble Cordia are to be released by
this label. We can look forward to those, because Platti here
receives authoritative interpretations by some of the greatest
players in the business. Right now Alfredo Bernardini is one
of the world's best players of the baroque oboe. His performances
are technically immaculate, and he fully explores the expression
in Platti's sonatas. He was one of the founders of the famous
ensemble Zefiro. Another founding member was Alberto Grazzi,
who is of the same calibre on his instrument, the bassoon. I
hadn’t heard of Stefano Veggetti; he turns out to be a cellist
with impressive technical and interpretational skills. The three
soloists are given excellent support by Franziska Romaner and
Anna Fontana, who play with great rhythmic drive.
The booklet is more informative than we are used to from Brilliant
Classics. This disc is one of the best from this label which
I have heard recently. If you want to get acquainted with Platti's
music - and there is every reason to - this disc is the best
possible way to start.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
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