Johann Friedrich FASCH (1688-1758)
Concerto for 2 oboes, strings and bc in G* [8:05]
Concerto for oboe, transverse flute, strings and bc in b minor (FWV L,h2)
[6:30]
Concerto for oboe, strings and bc in a minor (FWV L,a1) [7:44]
Concerto for 2 oboes, strings and bc in B flat* (FWV L,B4) [10:58]
Overture for strings, 2 oboes and bassoon ad libitum and bc in G [23:58]
Ermanno Giacomel (transverse flute), Giuseppe Nalin, Marco Cera* (oboe)
Accademia Bach Baroque Orchestra/Carlos Grubert
rec. 14-17 July 1994, Carceri d'Este Abbey, Padua, Italy. DDD
DYNAMIC DM8009 [57:15]
Johann Gottlieb GRAUN (1702-1771)
Concerto for recorder, violin, strings and bc in C* [9:03]
Johann Friedrich FASCH (1688-1758)
Sonata (Quartet) for transverse flute, two recorders and bc in G (FWV N,G1)*
[8:27]
Christoph GRAUPNER (1683-1760)
Machet die Tore weit, cantata (GWV 1101/27): Kommst du großer
Welterretter, aria* [7:09]
Johann Friedrich FASCH
Sei nicht mehr der Sünden Knecht, aria [3:21]
Christoph GRAUPNER
Tobet nur ihr Prüfungswellen, aria** [4:12]
Johann Friedrich FASCH
Sonata (Quartet) for transverse flute, two violins and bc in B flat (FWV N,B1)
[9:12]
Christoph GRAUPNER
Concerto for recorder, strings and bc in F (GWV 323)* [9:41]
Susanne Kelling (mezzo), Stefano Bagliano (recorder)*, Fabrizio Cipriani (violin)**
Collegium Pro Musica/Stefano Bagliano
rec. June 1994, Dynamic Studios, Genoa, Italy. DDD
No texts
DYNAMIC DM8015 [51:05]
These discs are devoted to German composers who were contemporaries of Bach
and Telemann, and as a result have not received the attention they deserve.
Only in recent years has their oeuvre been more thoroughly explored. The central
figure is Johann Friedrich Fasch, a man of fame in his own time who in 1722
was invited to apply for the position of Thomaskantor in Leipzig as
the successor of Johann Kuhnau. But as he had been appointed Kapellmeister
in Zerbst that same year he decided it was too soon to leave, and therefore
declined. He held the position in Zerbst until his death. He stood in regular
contact with colleagues. Two of them worked in Dresden: Johann David Heinichen
and Johann Georg Pisendel. He spent some time there, and several of his vocal
works were performed under Heinichen's direction. Fasch also exchanged music
with Dresden as well as with the court in Darmstadt. A number of his instrumental
compositions have been preserved in the musical archives of the respective
courts.
The first disc is entirely devoted to music by Fasch. The compositions show
considerable variety. The Oboe Concerto in a minor is in four movements,
modelled after the Italian sonata da chiesa, whereas the three double
concertos are in three movements, and follow the pattern of Vivaldi's concertos.
The treatment of the solo instruments is also different. The two oboes in
the Concerto in B flat are each other's equals, whereas in the Concerto
in G the first oboe has the lead. In these two concertos the two oboes
play often in parallel motion, and also colla parte with the strings
in the tutti sections. By comparison the flute and the oboe in the Concerto
in b minor are more independent of the strings. This concerto also contains
more counterpoint, which is largely absent in the two double concertos for
oboes. Most counterpoint is used in the Concerto in a minor and in
the Overture in G.
The latter work is for strings and bc, although the composer has indicated
the inclusion of two oboes and a bassoon ad libitum. In this recording
they have been left out, for the sake of variety. It begins with the traditional
ouverture, which is followed by a plaisanterie, a bourrée,
a remarkably long air, a very short prélude and a menuet
with trio. Together the air and the menuet take more than
half of the time of the Overture. In this work the main weakness of
the performances comes to the fore: the ensemble leaves something to be desired,
and in particular the intonation is occasionally suspect. The string playing
is less polished and secure than in today's best baroque orchestras: the Akademie
für Alte Musik or the Freiburger Barockorchester to mention just two
which have recorded much German baroque music. The air lacks elegance and
refinement, and the menuet is a bit too slow.
In comparison the concertos turn out better: the playing of the solo parts
is generally quite good, and the integration in the tutti is well managed.
In the Concerto in G I would have liked more differentation between
the notes: too many passages are played in a kind of staccato which is a little
old-fashioned and becomes rather stereotypical.
The liner-notes are informative, but needed better editing. One of the places
where Fasch has stayed for a while is called Zeist - it should be Greitz.
With the second disc we get acquainted with two other aspects of Fasch's oeuvre:
his chamber music and his sacred music. The former is represented by two sonatas
for three treble instruments and bc. Such a piece was usually called a quartet,
a quatuor or a quadro. Georg Philipp Telemann's quartets were
especially famous and quite influential. The Sonata in G could easily
be taken for a piece by Telemann who wrote a quartet for the same scoring
in his Musique de Table. The Sonata in B flat was originally
scored for recorder, oboe, violin and bc - also a scoring we find in Telemann's
oeuvre. Here the oboe part is played at the violin as well, which is a perfectly
legitimate choice. The original scoring - not mentioned in the booklet - indicates
that this sonata is by no means a chamber concerto in which the recorder has
a solo role. The three treble instruments are treated on equal terms, and
there is quite a lot of counterpoint. The Grave is dominated by staccato
chords.
The recorder plays a key role in this disc which opens and closes with solo
concertos by two other German composers. Graupner was a strict contemporary
of Fasch; both studied in Leipzig with Johann Kuhnau. He is very much his
own man: whereas Fasch's music shows the influence of Telemann, Graupner is
comparable to nobody else. The Concerto in F is a nice piece which
clearly shows the composer’s idiosyncracies. The Concerto in C
by Johann Gottlieb Graun is remarkable: in his time the recorder had already
fallen from grace and couldn't keep up with the increasing emphasis on virtuosity
in the solo parts of concertos. The violin line is considerably more virtuosic
than that for the recorder. But the possibilities of the latter are certainly
explored in this concerto.
The programme is rounded off with three vocal pieces. These don't appear in
the work-lists of Fasch and Graupner respectively, so I assumed that these
arias are taken from sacred cantatas. The booklet gives no information about
their origin, and also omits the lyrics. Only in the case of Graupner's aria
'Kommst, du grosser Welterretter' was I able to find the name of the cantata
to which it belongs. Amazon gives Dennoch bleib ich stets an dir as
the cantata in which 'Tobet nur, ihr Prüfungswellen' appears, but I couldn't
find this title in the list of Graupner's compositions. I don't know where
they have got this information from. These arias are good examples of Graupner's
cantata style, and show that his vocal idiom is just as unique as his instrumental.
Both arias contain an obbligato instrumental part, for recorder and for violin
respectively. I was not able to find the cantata from which the aria 'Sei
nicht mehr der Sünde Knecht' by Fasch is taken. This is close to the
style we find in many of Telemann's cantatas.
On balance I rate the performances by Collegium Pro Musica higher than those
by the Accademia Bach Baroque Orchestra. The ensemble is better and so is
the intonation. The playing is more up-to-date and the character of the various
pieces is thoroughly explored. The only reservation regards the singing of
Susanne Kelling. She has a nice voice and expresses the text well, as far
as one can tell without having the texts at hand, but her considerable wobble
is damaging.
That said, as the music of in particular Fasch still doesn't get the attention
it merits, these two discs give good opportunities to get to grips with his
oeuvre. The pieces by Graupner and Graun on the second disc are bonuses -
nice and well-performed. The track-lists don't give the catalogue numbers;
I have added them as far as possible.
Johan van Veen
http://www.musica-dei-donum.org
https://twitter.com/johanvanveen
Good opportunities to get acquainted with various aspects of Fasch's oeuvre,
with music by two contemporaries as bonuses.