It’s a particular pleasure
on this occasion to welcome a disc from
a label new to me, by an ensemble equally
unfamiliar, and in repertoire featuring
a composer who I considered, up to now,
as little more than a by-line in the
histories of the period.
Whilst in his masterly
study. French Baroque Music from
Beaujoyeulx to Rameau, James R Anthony
accords Jean Baptiste Senallié
only a page or so of text, he nevertheless
describes him as: "… the most important
composer (of violin sonatas) between
Couperin and Leclair."
Like many of his compatriots,
Senallié made the long journey
across the Alps to study in Italy, the
recognised home of string music. In
fact he became the gifted pupil of Tommaso
Antonio Vitali, a resident of Modena,
and published some fifty sonatas in
five books between 1701 and 1727 on
his return to his native land.
In an article in the
Mercure de France, the correspondent
describes how Senallié had brought
back Italian techniques, to the benefit
of the sonata in France, reporting,
"… his Airs de Symphonie were agreeable,
and everybody was charmed by them, and
wished to know how to play them …"
Unfortunately this
proved to be a problem for many amateurs,
since they are often very difficult
to play.
By the early 1700s
the structure of the sonata in Europe
had largely been established under the
towering influence of the Italian School,
Arcangelo Corelli in particular. Whether
of the da chiesa (church) or
da camera (chamber) variety,
they fell into a four movement form,
alternating slow/fast/slow/fast movements.
Although Senallié
did not introduce any structural modifications,
he did expand the sonata’s harmonic
vocabulary, particularly in the use
of bimodality. This resulted, to quote
James Anthony, in sonatas of a "purposeful
ambiguity". The soloist also has
to surmount at times some very difficult
passagework, including sections in the
7th position on the E string.
Although he attracted
a certain cachet during his lifetime
Senallié didn’t really gain substantial
benefit from it, dying in semi-obscurity
in a modest Parisian dwelling, on the
Rue Petit Pont, at the age of only 43.
Yet to his credit he had successfully
created in his music a bridge between
baroque manners and French classicism
– one which Leclair was successfully
to exploit in the years ahead.
In Ensemble Baroques
Graffiti Senallié has found some
enthusiastic and able advocates. A group
based at the Church of St Théodore
in Marseille, it draws together musicians
from all over Europe; in this instance
whilst the harpsichordist and cellist
are both French, the violinist is a
promising young Polish player, Jaroslav
Adamus.
Generally he meets
the challenges of the music admirably,
although I’m duty bound to report that
intonation is very occasionally suspect
on sustained notes - e.g. at the end
of track 27, the third movement of sonata
no 7 - but I really wouldn’t want to
make too much of this. Adamus seems
to have an unfailing grasp of what the
music is about, and appears to be really
enjoying what he is playing.
More irritating may
be the soloists’ tendency to sniff quite
loudly, which I know will alienate some
listeners, especially listening on headphones.
Also the very abrupt editing of the
end of movements is rather disconcerting.
Frequently tracks descend into black
silence immediately on the cessation
of the music rather than allowing the
venue’s atmosphere to decay gently.
This may however be explained by the
fact that my review disc is clearly
marked "sample", and so I
assume this factor has been addressed
in sale copies.
Whatever caveats I
have about the presentation I can recommend
the music without qualification. It
is full of interest and in the hands
of these performers it really bounces
off the page. Listen for example to
the ‘cat and mouse’ finale of the 7th
sonata, with its interplay between violin
and cello. The sonatas incidentally
are described as with "basse continue",
which is varied throughout; sometimes
using the cello, sometimes the harpsichord
and sometimes both.
Incidentally the review
CD also boasted titling, which is not
common on commercial discs, and could
only be accessed on a newish Marantz
player. I am unsure whether this facility
will be available on the commercial
issue.
Overall I thoroughly
enjoyed this CD and look forward to
hearing some more of Senallié
who, whilst not quite so sophisticated
as Leclair, is a composer well worth
hearing. Moreover I also look forward
to hearing these artists again, a very
fruitful collaboration between the old
East and West. On to another Livre?
Ian Bailey
see also review
by Jonathan Woolf
Full
Acte Préalable Catalogue
for
details
Ensemble Baroques Graffiti (Jaroslav Adamus
(violin); Jean-Paul Serra (harpsichord); Frederic
Audibert (cello)) 
