Wolfgang Amadeus MOZART (1756-1791)
Così fan tutte K 588: Harmoniemusik für Trio d'anches (arr. Schäfer)
Divertimenti K Anh 229/439b: No. 4, No. 3 (both ed. Schäfer)
Trio Roseau
rec. Konzerthaus der Abtei Marienmünster, Germany, May 14-16, 2019
MDG 903 2144-6 SACD [61:19]
State-of-the-art sound in this terrific programme of arrangements by the Trio Roseau’s clarinettist. Arrangements of Mozart operas for wind ensemble are a well-known phenomenon (for example, the excellent Oslo Kammerakademi on the LAWO label paired Joseph Triebensee’s arrangement of numbers from La Clemenza di Tito with two Serenades – review). This release extends and celebrates this practice.
The term ‘trio d’anches’ refers to a reed trio of oboe, clarinet and bassoon. The grouping was only cemented in Paris between the two world wars, but it fits perfectly the brief of this disc. The arranger, Ulf-Guido Schäfer, has previous experience arranging for the Ma'alot Wind Quintet, and it shows! The Così pieces, which begin with Una bella serenata rather than the Overture, somehow create a blissful mirage of fullness of sound; that is heard particularly in that first piece. At other times, the arrangement thins the music down to the utmost delicacy, as in Ah guarda sorella. One has to appreciate the excellence of all three players, although my ear was particularly led to the buoyant staccato of bassoonist Malte Refardt. There is the real feeling of three friends playing for their own pleasure at the highest level of excellence: it comes as no surprise to learn that Rachel Frost is oboist and cor anglais player in the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, while Schäfer and Refardt are solo clarinet and solo bassoon respectively of the NDR Radiophilharmonie (the North German Radio Philharmonic Orchestra).
So how does Come scoglio fare? This fearsomely difficult vocal vehicle emerges as a remarkably exciting moment in this woodwind exploration of Così, as beautifully sculpted in its own way as the slow tenor aria Un’ aura amorosa. Even Ah lo veggio quell’ anima bella, which begins so freshly and charmingly, explores unexpected areas in this arrangement.
Ulf-Guido Schäfer’s achievement here is not only to be master illusionist, but also to shed new light on this familiar music. His arrangements of the Divertimenti achieve similar levels of excellence. Those featured here were originally for three basset horns. Some 25 movements were published posthumously via a selection of different publishers, sometimes with contradictions as to which movements belong where. This recording follows the Neue Mozart Ausgabe, which puts all 25 individual movements under one catalogue number (439b) but into five Divertimenti. This arrangement has a different shade, exploratory, as if the darker shade of the basset clarinet hung over proceedings, even in the revised scoring. This extends especially to the finale of No. 4, an Allegretto. It includes some delicious clashes that must, indeed, sound ravishing on two basset clarinets (we hear similarly affecting clashes in the central Adagio of No. 3). Taken together, the Divertimenti balance the disc impeccably.
Recording quality is superb; the SACD sound offers real presence. I was not privy to the first volume of this series (it was reviewed by Gwyn Parry-Jones), but I am very happy indeed to encounter its sequel.
Colin Clarke
