I feel sorry for the
poor baryton, the lesser known member
of the viola da gamba family. Not only
has it suffered very circumscribed –
namely, aristocratic – attention since
its invention in the early seventeenth
century, but in this day and age, when
we have the technological means to reintroduce
it to society on a potentially international
scale, it is a record like this one
that stands for its mouthpiece. This
recording is, sadly, a very poor rendition
of some truly amazing music by Haydn
and his contemporaries.
Haydn’s Baryton trios
are considered, alongside the string
quartets, to be his greatest innovations.
They are delicately crafted out of three
distinct and independent instrumental
lines that weave a tight-knit harmony.
Although the instruments are relatively
close in range, the baryton produces
upper harmonic overtones, pitched an
octave higher, that compensate for the
lack of treble.
In the 1760s and 1770s,
Haydn composed in the region of 175
baryton works for his patron and fellow
baryton enthusiast, Prince Nikolaus
Esterházy. Haydn was careful
to accommodate the prince’s amateur
technique with easily playable
compositions, so it is especially surprising
that Gruszczyński plays with so
little technical control. Other baryton
compositions for the Prince that also
feature on this CD came from Tomasini
(leader of the Prince’s orchestra),
Burgksteiner (violist in the
Prince’s orchestra) and Neumann (not
attached to the Esterházy court
but whose collection of scores belonging
to Prince Nikolaus I contains the Divertimenti
for baryton, viola and cello).
I cannot fault the
programme. The opening piece – a trio
that dates from Haydn’s highly emotional
‘Storm and Stress’ period – is a thorough
exploration of the different instruments,
and offers a very rich palette in terms
of dynamics and mood. This much I could
not tell from the recording; it couldn’t
be more bland or sloppy – and especially
the faster passages. However I can recommend
another that does the composition justice:
that of the Esterházy Baryton
Trio, a really polished ensemble whose
attention to dynamic and articulation
bring the music to life.
Among the remaining
compositions there is the charming Divertimento
by Burgksteiner. A pity the Presto
finale, with all its cheeky dynamic
contrasts, doesn’t come off. The grand
Adagio opening from Neumann’s
Divertimento is also sadly compromised
by a very feeble, almost frightened
performance. Moreover, in this same
movement, the sudden and potentially
magical shift into a minor passage [2:41]
is completely ignored.
Haydn’s second offering,
Trio no.66, is delightfully simple and
positively affective. The opening has
something of the ethereal spirit of
Bach’s Air on a G String. The
instruments in the uplifting Allegro
di molto take their turn at standing
alone in opposition to the other ensemble
members. Similar atmospheric techniques
in the final movement are lost to the
numbing monotony and dreariness of the
performance. Needless to say, Tomasini’s
bubbly and grandiose composition sounds
nothing more than a shy apology.
In a nutshell: not
enough guts, not enough musicality.
A lack of technique, perhaps? But DUX
records needn’t despair – there is
a market for this CD: as monochrome
background music to a civilised summer
garden party.
Aline Nassif
The Polish Baryton Trio: Kazimierz
Gruszczyński (baryton); Violetta Plużek
(viola); Maria Sarap (cello) 