This is an interesting disc that brings to light the activity
of a female composer of the late Baroque era, with whose name
this writer at least was not familiar. While there are one or
two common names, Barbara Strozzi being probably the most well-known
today, women composers were being heard, and their music published
frequently throughout the 18th century. Anna Bon di Venezia
(1740-1767) was just such an example, but rather than coming
from a rich family which allowed her to indulge an interest
in composition, she actually worked as a professional musician;
in the service of Frederick, vice-Count of Brandenburg and his
wife Wilhelmine von Bayreuth, who was a sister of the flute-playing
King Frederick the Great. These six harpsichord sonatas are
Bon di Venezia’s Opus 2, published when she was 17.
What this composer might have gone on to achieve
we shall never know, for she died at the age of 27. The works
show the clear influence of C.P.E. and even of J.C. Bach, and,
while impressive as the work of a 17 year old, it is clear that
Bon di Venezia was not a Mozart or a Mendelssohn. The sonatas
are largely in two voices, and make much use of motivic figures
based on arpeggio patterns, as was characteristic of the Mannheim
school. However, the sense of development that C.P.E. Bach would
have created; the impression that some triadic motifs and repeated
chords were only a starting point for further invention; is
not so apparent here. However, the sonatas are imbued throughout
with a pleasant sense of movement and some lyrical melodic writing
is a feature of the slow movements.
Paule van Parys has recorded music by a number
of neglected keyboard composers, including Trazegnies and Grétry
as well as the only set of harpsichord sonatas by Cherubini.
Her playing on this disc is precise and accurate, but throughout
she seems to be unwilling to really engage with the music, or
to search for any greater depth within it. Admittedly the material
tends more towards the ‘pleasant’ than the ‘thought-provoking’
but the performance is generally rather superficial. The dexterity
is apparent, although there is a tendency to rush into the cadences,
but there seems to be little effort to find the shape of the
phrase and an unwillingness to experiment with those subtle
variations of length that give the impression of ebb and flow
at the harpsichord. It sometimes sounds like van Parys’ dinner
was getting cold in the next room. The instrument, by Walter
Maene, sounds well, with a round bass and a treble that possesses
clarity without brittleness. It is also well recorded, with
a good balance of the parts and a pleasantly domestic ambience.
It is just a pity that van Parys does not seem to be willing
to give a little more of herself to allow Anna Bon di Venezia
to come across as anything more than ‘interesting’.
Peter Wells
Paule van Parys - Harpsichord 