Having recently had
the pleasure of reviewing
this team’s ‘In England’ CD, I put this
one in the player with a frisson
of anticipation, hoping for a similar
diet of pianistic fireworks and relaxed
lyricism. I was not disappointed. As
before, the CD consists of a wide variety
of nineteenth and twentieth century
music, with a core of major works balancing
some lighter bonbons and one or two
nice surprises. There are slightly more
excerpts this time around; I have no
objection in principle but the sensitive
performance of "Laideronnette"
made me want to hear more of "Ma
Mère l’Oye". However, making
room on the CD would mean losing some
treats.
The relative importance
of the works played here could be disputed
but Milhaud’s "Scaramouche"
suite must be near the top of the list.
Nettle and Markham’s performance is
full of joie de vivre; the slightly
raucous sound of recordings from this
source is ideal for the verve and zaniness
of the opening Vif. The sentimental
exchanges of the Modéré
are delightfully exaggerated and the
Rumba makes a, dare I say it,
suitably rumbustious finale.
Also musically substantial
is Poulenc’s "Elégie",
which, although a memorial piece and
deeply felt, is not intended to be sombre.
Indeed, it is quite grand in a splashy,
cabaret sort of way, like velvet Victorian
upholstery in a Paris café. In
contrast, "L’Embarquement pour
Cythère" is an uproarious
take on Watteau’s classically inspired
painting of 1717, played here for all
it is worth, that is, as one of the
most purely joyous pieces in all music,
the epitome of Poulenc’s secular style.
Totally new to me was
"L’Enfant Prodigue", Debussy’s
winning entry in the 1884 Prix de Rome.
The innocent ear familiar with his mature
works might not guess Debussy as the
composer (Hahn perhaps), yet the two
extracts, showing the influence of Delibes,
are eminently worth a listen. Incidentally,
Debussy disliked Italy and learnt little
from his stay in Rome (beware of internet
biographers who have not checked their
sources – Debussy spent only two years
there rather than the prescribed three).
Of the several nice
surprises on the CD, one comes from
Hahn himself in the shape of a sweet
valse triste for two pianos written
for a war-wounded friend. It’s good
to know that Nettle and Markham, mighty
virtuosos both, are prepared to turn
their hands to relatively trifling yet
worthwhile material. Hahn’s music, though
limited in ambition, needs more support
(Hyperion have made some notable recordings).
The Canteloube arrangements
work well, particularly the folksy dances
but even the delicious elaborations
of "Bailèro" come across
with sunlit languidness in the instrumental
form. The "Carnaval des Animaux"
transcriptions are also a great success
with Saint-Saëns’ swan gliding
effortlessly on rippling waters. One
solo-to-double translation that doesn’t
entirely work is Satie’s first "Gymnopédie"
where the, admittedly few, decorations
seem to work against the character of
the piece. Against that, the solemn
quality is maintained and even reinforced
by some additions in the deep bass.
The many delights to be discovered on
this disc wholly mitigate the disappointment
of not having the whole of "Ma
Mère l’Oye" and the "Dolly
Suite", the extracts from which
are beautifully played.
Another winner from
this splendid team!
Roger Blackburn