For a long time the
whole period of early classical music
has been given rather a lowly status,
falling between the giant figures of
Bach on the one hand and Mozart on the
other. And yet, this was a period of
the utmost civilisation, none more glorious
than that revolving around the remarkable
Frederick the Great, King of Prussia.
It may not help that Prussia has so
thoroughly ceased to exist as an entity,
nor that the Rococo style of architecture
and painting in which the music was
created has seemed, for many, to be
somewhat effete and frivolous (even
Frederick’s favourite palace, Sans
Souci at Potsdam, near Berlin, is
largely a study in un-manly pinks and
lemon yellows) so that the impression
of decadence is almost excusable. Historically
however, the style is easier to see
as a reflection of the desire to contrast
the hardness of the summer war campaigns
(and there was no more effective man
on the field in his time than the King
of Prussia) with a graciousness of living
that, in many ways, justified the violence
of the campaigns to preserve it.
Frederick the Great
was a typical, and yet exceptionally
well developed, example of the renaissance
man; adept in battle, skilful in
politics, a poet, a philosopher and
friend of Voltaire (the greatest mind
of the age), and, above all as far as
history is concerned, probably the most
musically capable aristocrat of all
time. Why the music of his court should
have been held for so long in lower
esteem than that of other monarchs is
incomprehensible. His two great musicians
were C.P.E. Bach and J.J. Quantz. That
Quantz got to write little other than
flute music is unsurprising. The finest
virtuoso of his day, he was naturally
inclined to write for his own instrument.
That his student was the King, and judging
by the virtuosity of the concertos for
two flutes recorded here, an exceptionally
fine player himself, was an even greater
insensitive. Quantz is famously known
to have been paid more than any of the
Kings ambassadors, but there is also
a sense that musical life at Potsdam
must have actually been great fun. To
a musician of the fluency of invention
of Quantz, the hothouse environment
was obviously highly conducive. The
concertos on this recording show the
composer at his sparkling best and the
music really is of absolutely first
rank calibre. Constant invention, vigorous
rhythmic writing, subtlety of harmonic
language, and sheer beauty of melodic
lines are the constant hallmarks. And
if there remains any doubt about Quantz’s
ability as a "serious" composer
the splendid double fugue that forms
the second movement of the concerto
No.89 should put any qualms to rest.
The disc ends with the only one of Quantz’s
concertos to have become widely known;
and justifiably, for No.161 is a large-scale
composition of great brilliance and
panache. However, the real find is in
the two concertos for a pair of flutes,
wherein the dialogue possibilities between
not only soloists and band, but between
the soloists themselves presents an
extra dimension for the composer’s imagination.
These performances
are on modern instruments accompanied
by a modern string orchestra. It is
not that long ago that one would listen
with a heavy heart to the leaden accompaniments
of East European string bands whose
sound was characterised by little more
than great lushness. The Hungarian Virtuosi
Chamber Orchestra (presumably under
the direction of the soloists, although
this is not specified) play with a clarity
of sound and phrasing that is more like
something from the period instrument
camp. The basses play with a drive in
the fast movements that is compelling,
without any of that weight that so often
hampers such groups in baroque repertoire.
Similarly the soloists, although playing
modern metal flutes manage to keep the
sense of elegance at the forefront of
the interpretation. There is some loss
of warmth in the sound, for a metal
flute can never replicate fully the
warmth of its wooden counterpart, but
the style of the playing is consistently
refined. Recording quality is also extremely
good, there being no quibbles with solo/orchestral
balance or capture. A particularly solid
bass sound gives wonderful grounding
in the ritornelli, noticeable in the
very opening bars of the first track.
Good booklet notes and elegant presentation
complete an excellent package. This
is a most welcome disc of stylish performances
of quite wonderful music and deserves
wide dissemination.
Peter Wells
Josep-Francesc Palou – flute 