Paul Lacombe (1837-1927)
Piano Quartet in C minor, Op 101 (1904)
Cello Sonata in A major, Op 100 (1900)
Violin Sonata No 3 in G major, Op 98 (1899)
Victor Sangiorgio (piano)
Sergey Levitkin (violin)
Josephine Knight (cello)
Rachel Roberts (viola)
rec. 2021, Church of St George’s Headstone, Harrow; Church of St Augustine, Kilburn, UK
DUTTON CDLX7397 SACD [75]
In his day, Paul Lacombe’s music was performed alongside that of Fauré, Saint-Saëns and Lalo, but while their stars have remained bright, his has faded nearly to the point of extinction. Were it not for this release and another from Dutton last year - of his three piano trios (review) - there would be just a single work available. This alone makes this release of value, and of undoubted interest to collectors of the unsung composer. I direct you to the trio review for more detail about Lacombe’s life and music.
You will note that the three works presented here are almost consecutive opus numbers, written across a span of five years in his sixties, when he returned to chamber music after a gap of more than a decade. Therefore it is not surprising that the style is consistent across the pieces. All are substantial, in excess of twenty minutes, and well-crafted if conservative. Alas, while the Quartet and Cello Sonata, in particular, are enjoyable throughout, ten minutes later, there is little left of them in the memory.
When one considers that Fauré’s two piano quartets were written in 1876 and 1887, Lacombe’s of 1904 is very conservative. I realise that comparing it to Fauré’s two works of genius is a trifle unfair, but they are the obvious ones. Indeed, the opening few minutes are definitely channelling Fauré, and there seems the promise of something quite special, but inspiration soon wanes. The final movement Allegro deciso is probably the best of the four, with strident rhythms interspersed with some more tender moments.
The Cello Sonata is the best of the three works, with the highlight being the deliciously languorous first movement (Dans un movement peu animé). The whole work is somewhat unbalanced by the first two movements, comprising almost sixteen of its twenty-two minutes, being either slow or slowish. The finale (Allegro con fuoco) does give us some faster tempi, but even it has a considerable portion of slower music. I do think that the performance might have benefitted from a little more animation in the first movement and passion in the third. I saw on the Presto website that another recording of the Cello Sonata is due to be released next month on Atma Classique. Dutton is claiming a first recording for each of these three works, but the booklet for the Atma release indicates that it recorded the Cello Sonata more than a year before Dutton – one wonders whether an email conversation about this matter has eventuated. It is probably worth mentioning that the first movement in the Atma version is more than a minute quicker than the Dutton (this is from the booklet, I haven’t heard it), and that may help the balance a little, though some of the beauty may be lost.
The Violin Sonata is the least appealing, particularly the violin part, which seems to be more accompanying the piano than conversing with it. The violin spends a lot of the time in the high registers, and while violinist Sergey Livitkin does his best to maintain a pleasing tone, there are limits to what can be achieved. It struck me as meandering rather aimlessly through its twenty-six plus minutes and four movements, and it certainly didn’t hold my attention.
The four performers play well, though the caveats I mentioned with respect to the Cello Sonata could possibly extend across all three works; it must be difficult to project vibrance into such amiable music. The sound quality is very good, and the booklet notes up to the high standard for this label.
Just a small technology note. The DVD/CD reader in my computer refused to read this disc, which I assume was due to it being a hydrid SACD. I don’t recall it happening with previous SACDs, and I was able to listen on another device, but I feel it is worth mentioning.
There is no doubt that this is perfectly fine music, but when compared with the best French chamber works of the era, its shortcomings are obvious. If you bought and liked the disc of piano trios, then I suspect this will be equally satisfying for you. As for me, I may return to the Cello Sonata a few more times, but I haven’t been enthused sufficiently to seek out that earlier disc, even though it is of my preferred chamber ensemble.
David Barker
