Henze recordings don’t come my way very often, but when they
do I’m reminded of just how versatile a composer he is. There
are also fine DVDs of his best stage works; L’Upupa und der
Triumph des Sohnesliebe (Euroarts) is a treat for the eye
and ear, and there’s an unmissable Ondine from Covent
Garden, with Miyako Yoshida in the name part (review).
The first instalment in this Naxos series of Henze’s guitar
music was warmly welcomed by GF – review
– so I had high hopes for this follow-up. And while I usually
grumble about the variable sound quality of discs from this
source, the Naxos collaboration with Bavarian Radio suggests
this could be a notable exception.
There are two sets of pieces based on characters from Shakespeare,
written a few years apart; the first is presented here (Guitar
Sonata No. 1) and the second (Guitar Sonata No. 2) is included
in Vol. 1 of this series. The German guitarist Franz Halász
is the soloist in both. The portrait of Richard, Duke of Gloucester
finds our villain in ruminative mode; Halász’s tone is warm
and clear, and he’s not too closely miked. The unsettling rhythms
drummed on the body of the guitar and the dissonances evoke
the duality of Richard’s persona, the ‘bottled spider’ who blends
outward charm with webby intrigue. All very different from the
gentle, almost improvisatory, pick and strum of ‘Romeo and Juliet’
and the impish antics of ‘Ariel’, from The Tempest.
Halász is a thoughtful and engaging musician, keenly attuned
to the subtleties and colours of this piece; indeed, the gossamer
lightness of Ariel’s music is beautifully realised, as is the
inwardness of the doomed ‘Ophelia’ from Hamlet. There’s
conflict, too, in the portrayal of ‘Touchstone, Audrey and William’
from As You Like It; here the music is slightly knottier
and more confrontational, while that of ‘Oberon’, the fairy
king from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, is altogether more
ethereal. Throughout there’s a pleasing scale to Halász’s playing
that seems entirely right for sketches made with such economy
and skill. A delightful work in every way.
In Carillon, Récitatif, Masque, Halász is joined by Anna
Torge on the mandolin and Cristina Bianchi on the harp. Certainly
the guitar and mandolin can work very well together, as I discovered
in my recent review
of music from the Duo Trekel-Tröster. There the latter instrument’s
astringency is a foil to the guitar’s more honeyed tones. Added
to the harp they produce an enticing array of textures, the
music now terse now lyrical, but always appealing. The harp
sounds quite luminous in ‘Récitatif’, the lower strings resonating
with satisfying woodiness, the upper ones wonderfully liquid.
And what a delectable, good-natured bounce this trio brings
to ‘Masque’.
The fairy-tale pictures, based on music from Henze’s opera Pollicino,
make up a charming triptych; there’s no explicit programme here,
the enclosing Moderato and Molto meno mosso warmly
expressive, the central Allegretto played with point
and sparkle. True, the emotional and dynamic range of these
pieces isn’t particularly wide, but Halász shades and shapes
what’s there with sensitivity and style. The recording is less
spacious than before, but it’s perfectly adequate.
As expected the balance is rather different in Ode to an
Aeolian Harp, recorded at a live concert. In the first movement
the vibraphone adds a spooky shimmer to the mix that had me
thinking of soundtracks to early SF movies. As for the innocent
query in ‘Questions and Answers’, the answer may indeed be blowing
in the wind, but it’s not a very reassuring one. The guitar
takes a more prominent role in ‘To Philomena’, but much of the
musical weight is carried by the band, which includes bongos
and tom-toms. Halász’s solo playing in ‘To Hermann’ is adroitly
done – proof that, unlike the ill-fated Gloucester, he is indeed
‘shaped for sportive tricks’.
A real mix of music here, ranging from the very accessible Shakespeare
portraits and fairy-tale pictures to the somewhat austere sound-world
of the Ode. In a sense it’s a bit like those artfully
conceived concerts, where a tougher main work is preceded by
more palatable ones. Don’t be tempted to leave the hall too
soon, though, for this is a most rewarding disc from start to
finish. Factor in decent sound – even in the live concert, which
includes a smattering of applause – informative liner-notes
and a super-budget price tag, and you have a winner.
Dan Morgan
Full track listing
Royal Winter Music, ‘Guitar Sonata No. 1’ (1975-1976)
[31:31]
I. Gloucester [6:58]
II. Romeo and Juliet [3:02]
III. Ariel [7:05]
IV. Ophelia [2:44]
V. Touchstone, Audrey and William [3:55]
VI. Oberon [7:47]
Carillon, Récitatif, Masque (1974)1 [10:07]
I. Carillon [6:11]
II. Récitatif [2:18]
III. Masque [1:39]
Drei Marchenbilder aus Pollicino (Three Fairy Tale Pictures
from ‘Pollicino’) (arr. for guitar by Reinbert Evers) (1980)
[5:51]
I. Moderato [1:36]
II. Allegretto [1:38]
III. Molto meno mosso [2:37]
Ode an eine Aolsharfe (1986)2 [22:55]
I. An eine Aolsharfe (To an Aeolian harp] [6:39]
II. Frage und Antwort (Question and Answer) [3:54]
III. An Philomene (To Philomena) [4:50]
IV. An Hermann (To Hermann) [7:31]
Franz Halász (guitar) 
