Nineteenth century Belgian composer César Franck was
an extraordinarily talented keyboard player. He enjoyed a short stint as a
touring virtuoso before moving to Paris. At the Paris Conservatoire Franck
studied piano under Pierre Zimmerman and composition with Aimé
Leborn. After leaving the Conservatoire in 1842 he gained a formidable
reputation as an improviser performing on organs built by Aristide
Cavaillé-Coll. In 1858 he became an organist at Sainte-Clotilde - a
position he retained for his entire life. Then in 1872 Franck accepted a
professorship at the Conservatoire.
Julia Severus began playing the piano at the age of four and graduated
from the Berlin University of Arts and from Moscow Conservatory with a Ph.D.
on J. S. Bach’s
Articulation Practice. With the Aurora Quartet
she has performed Rodion Shchedrin’s
Hommage à Chopin,
and their recordings for two pianos, eight hands, of Russian Romantic piano
transcriptions (Naxos 8.557717) and of Norwegian contemporary composers have
been highly acclaimed. Severus has also recorded Tchaikovsky’s ballet
suites (
Naxos 8.570418) with Alina Luschtschizkaja and
Bizet’s piano solo works (
Naxos 8.570831/2). In this recording Severus excels and
shows immense skill as an interpreter and flair as a performer.
A fullness of sound is achieved in this recording, which captures
the malleability of these piano pieces. Known for his gigantic hands -
Franck was capable of spanning twelve white keys on the keyboard -
Franck’s compositions demand impressive dexterity and astonishing
range. This recording mediates between these qualities.
Beginning with mild pastoral sounds, in a typical 6/8 ballade metre,
Franck’s
Ballade, Op. 9 springs to life in the syncopated
second scene which demands dignity and fervent sincerity on behalf of the
pianist; in this Severus does not disappoint. Bucolic calm is supplanted by
storms and trickling brooks by oceanic tumult. Severus exudes the vigour and
precision required to convey this emotive contrast. In this section Severus
evokes and manages to control a frantic tension and frenzy which can also be
heard in Jean-Gabriel Ferlan’s exquisite 1993 recording. Quickly
rounding off this piece with a
stretto, Franck employs a
Lisztian-Wagnerian cyclical structure as he reconciles the initial
oscillation between serenity and disquiet. Much like his
Symphony in D
minor, Franck’s
Ballade is an ever shifting piece of
modulating themes and changing harmonies. Severus plays with an intelligent
simplicity, avoiding melodrama in favour of concentrated contemplation.
Remaining faithful to the original, Franck’s
Transcriptions
of Four Schubert Songs, Op. 8 are subtle yet intense pockets of feeling,
recorded here for the first time. With great dynamic range and colour these
pieces are elegant and earthy. Severus plays
Die Forelle (The Trout)
with enlightened freshness and in a mere two minutes manages to reawaken
this tired melody. This performance of
Des Mädchens
Klage (The Maiden’s Lament) evokes Friedrich von Schiller’s
striving sense of hope through the sentiments of loss and desolation felt by
the Maiden in his poem. With the sorrowful maiden we sit ‘While she
cries out her woe - to the gloom of the storm / Her eyes brimming over - her
tears flowing on and on’ (‘Und sie seufzt hinaus in die finstre
Nacht, / Das Auge vom Weinen getrübet’).
As a tribute to Poland,and dedicated to the Princess de Ligne,
Franck’s
Fantasy on Two Polish Folk Songs, Op. 15, ricochets
between promise and despair. Again, Severus alludes to the poetic source of
this piece and evokes Philo’s ‘light in the midst of
night’ (‘O światło moje wpośród tej
nocy!’) from Franciszek Karpiński’s sentimental poem
entitled
Laura and Philo.
Franck was a deeply religious and spiritual man. His
Souvenirs of
Aix-la-Chapelle, Op. 7 consists of polyphonic structures which swing
between A flat minor and A flat major. These transform from a pianissimo
four-part chorale to fortissimo double chords and organ pedal octaves. Not
flummoxed by this complex interweaving and metamorphosis, Severus
dexterously blends Franck’s admixture of tenderness and sublime awe.
Lucy Jeffery
