Joseph RYELANDT (1870-1965)
Canon en Trio for piano, violin and cello, Op. 70 (1918) [2:36]
Violin Sonata No. 4, Op. 63 (1916) [14:09]
Cello Sonata No. 2, Op. 66 (1917) [14:24]
Romance for violin and piano, Op. 59 (1915) [6:43]
Violin Sonata No. 5, Op. 71 (1918) [20:10]
Nocturne for cello and piano, Op. 64 (1916) [4:37]
De la Haye Ensemble (Hans Cammaert (violin), Daan De Vos (cello), Bart Meuris (piano))
rec. 1-2 July 2015, 10 October 2015, Studio C, Antwerp, Belgium
First Recordings (sonatas)
TOCCATA CLASSICS TOCC0282 [62:44]
According to the sleeve-notes, the Toccata Classics label was
set up ‘explicitly to release recordings of music – from the Renaissance
to the present day – that the microphones have been ignoring …
basically if it’s good music and it hasn’t yet been recorded,
Toccata Classics is exploring it.’ This is an admirable aim, and, along
with some other well-respected labels, like CPO, it is definitely introducing
the CD-buying public to a vast array of unfamiliar music and composers every
month. There will be occasions when it really might have been kinder to have
let a particular sleeping dog continue to lie undisturbed, but in the vast
majority of instances, they’ve proved clear winners.
The present CD is the first release in a series exploring the chamber music
for piano and strings by little-known composer Joseph Victor Marie Ryelandt.
He was from a country arguably far better represented by its beer and chocolates
than by its composers. Ryelandt was born in Bruges, into a wealthy bourgeois
family where music mattered a great deal. Rather like Schumann before him,
he first studied philosophy and law at university, while continuing his musical
activities. Instead of following in the footsteps of his lawyer-father, he
eventually devoted himself exclusively to composing, fortunate enough to be
of independent means. World War I, however, badly affected his financial situation,
and he found himself compelled to look for a job, which saw him appointed
director of the Municipal Conservatory at the age of fifty-four. World War
II caused his composing activities to slow down further, writing nothing at
all from 1940 to 1942, and only a few chamber-music pieces between 1943 and
1948. After this he ceased writing altogether. The German administration forced
him to stand down in 1943, though he was reinstated after the liberation of
Belgium in 1944. He retired of his own volition the following year, and died
at the ripe old age of ninety-five, after a short illness.
Ryelandt’s national, and international reputation such as it is, was
made primarily by his religious works. He wrote six symphonies (review
~ review;
Nos. 3 and 5 have also been recorded on the René Gailly label), five of which
remain. Having destroyed the first he wrote a symphonic poem ‘Ghethsemani’.
There are also three overtures and three orchestral preludes as well as a
short orchestral suite. Having trained as a pianist until he was about twenty,
it comes as no surprise that his piano output is vast, and includes twelve
sonatas, two sonatinas, two volumes of preludes and more besides, as well
as being a major composer of art songs.
In terms of chamber music, the piano also features prominently. There are
seven sonatas with violin, three with cello, one each with horn, oboe and
clarinet respectively, two piano quintets (review),
and a piano trio (review).
He also wrote four string quartets. His chamber works, in fact, offer a glimpse
into his stylistic evolution, and his music in general, which tends towards
the introspective, and sees its origins in a mix of German Romantic harmony,
and decorative polyphony – effectively the influences of Franck and
Wagner, with memories of Bach and Handel.
According to the exhaustive sleeve-notes by Jan Dewilde, the present CD, part
of a larger project designed to resurrect Ryelandt’s music, comprises
the chamber music he wrote during the First World War – in total, though
not all recorded here, a trio, three piano sonatas, two violin sonatas, one
cello sonata, and a number of shorter works. The opening work, Canon in
Trio attests to the composer’s penchant for counterpoint, and is
the only surviving portion of an easy trio Ryelandt wrote for three of his
eight children, which they would have played during their regular Sunday-afternoon
family music-making sessions. Essentially a canon at the octave for the two
strings, with the piano providing a mainly supportive role, it is a pleasant
enough work – perhaps not quite the ‘little gem’ Dewilde
describes it as. It is not quite in the César Franck mould, in terms of the
canon-finale.
The Fourth Violin Sonata again is easy and pleasant listening, particularly
the middle ‘Adagio’, well-constructed enough though without breaking
any new ground. It is reminiscent at times of Debussy’s early Piano
Trio, which was written at the age of eighteen.
The Second Cello Sonata has a pastoral opening which later becomes
imbued with greater harmonic colouring, from chromatic shades to modality.
There is a decidedly religious sound to the chant-like theme that opens the
second movement, before a wistfully chromatic section takes over. This adds
somewhat to the music’s overall appeal, as does the ensuing ‘Allegro
energico’ section that pre-empts the return to the calm of the opening
– definitely a track with something more original to say, and for the
first time so far. In fact I would use Dewilde’s ‘little gem’
as a more apt description for this movement, rather than the somewhat ordinary
Canon heard earlier. The closing Rondo doesn’t add
that much more, although cyclic elements occur, where references to earlier
movements’ themes are noticed. As with the Violin Sonata, the
ending remains low-key and understated.
The Romance for violin and piano makes effective use of contrast,
from the calm and peaceful opening, to the impetuous and more impassioned
middle section, even though the piece does feel as if some judicious pruning
could have helped matters somewhat.
The Fifth Violin Sonata has moved on from its predecessor, and exhibits
an overall more imposing conception. This is noticeable in the greater use
again of cyclic effects, something that Franck developed. Indeed, the harmonic
language here is more that of Ryelandt’s Belgian compatriot than his
French colleague. There is a particularly appealing section some two minutes
into the finale, with an almost Satie-like feel, before the music accelerates
back to its opening ‘Allegro con fuoco’ tempo. It then presses
onwards to the dénouement, which, for the first time, maintains its grandeur
to the close; this despite a very minor crisis of confidence a few seconds
from the end.
The Nocturne for cello and piano has a devotional feel, not surprising
given its dedication to ‘Monsieur le docteur Fr. Van Den Abeelé’.
It is cast in a conventional ternary design, where the middle section is much
freer, especially harmonically, and where the use of pedal points –
a sustained or repeated note in the bass, over which the harmony changes,
albeit still tethered to the bass – is relaxed. The piece – which
was also played in a version for violin and piano – is more successful
than the earlier Romance, because here, Ryelandt has judged his length
to perfection, in terms of holding the listener’s attention throughout.
Given that Ryelandt never intended to set the world alight with his music,
this CD doesn’t make an immediate impression, as was the case with a
number of other issues on Toccata, equally by similarly unknown composers.
Indeed the composer said it all with: ‘It is for the future to decide
whether a part of my work will survive me to serve the greater glory of God’
(1940). Individual movements stand out for special mention, and, overall,
the Fifth Violin Sonata in particular has some good things to share.
The recording is excellent, as, largely, is the playing, although at times
the slightly thin tone of the violin, and occasional intonation issues, would,
I feel, legislate against the award of full marks here. If you’re a
chamber-music aficionado looking to increase your collection of eminently
listenable CDs, by a composer probably unknown to most of us, and who hails
from Belgium, then this CD could be of some interest.
Philip R Buttall
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