Although
he composed a large and varied output for piano, Joseph
Jongen never wrote a traditional 'grand' piano sonata.
He nevertheless came near to it when he composed one of his
first major piano works, the Suite en forme de sonate
Op.60. It is in four movements: Sonatine -
paying homage to Scarlatti, Le neige sur les Fagnes -
an atmospheric tone poem, Menuet and Rondeau,
the latter a lively peasant dance. The music is quintessentially
mature Jongen with its blend of classical clarity and of
colourful Impressionism.
On
the other hand, the Sonatine Op.88 is probably
one of his most popular works, the one that succeeded in securing
a lasting place in the pianists' repertoire. Quite deservedly so:
its elegant Neo-classicism never outstays its welcome. For all its
brevity and conciseness - it encompasses
the most characteristic features of Jongen's mature idiom:
Jongen in a nutshell.
Georges
Lonque is lesser known than
Jongen; which does not of course mean that his music is
uninteresting. He was born into a musical family. His father
was a viola player, his brother Theo was a cellist and
his brother Armand a pianist who also composed a bit. Lonque
graduated from the Ghent Conservatory with first prizes
in violin, harmony, counterpoint and fugue. For eighteen
years he played in the Ghent Opera orchestra. He also taught
at his home town's conservatory. His output is not considerable
in quantity, but far from negligible in quality. He composed
several orchestral works, such as the beautiful orchestral
suite Porcelaine de Saxe Op.25 (1939) and
a fine Violin Concerto Op.40 (1948) recorded
many years ago in a long-deleted boxed LP set devoted to
the so-called Ecole belge du violon; as well
as chamber works (including a String Quartet Op.24),
piano music, songs and a Missa Pro Pace Op.27
(1941 - tenor,
male chorus and orchestra or organ). It is rarely heard,
let alone recorded, which makes these recordings most welcome.
Although he belongs to a younger generation than Jongen,
Lonque shared a number of artistic concerns with his senior
colleague, particularly his liking for French Impressionism
and the music of Fauré, Debussy and Ravel. This is to be
heard clearly in the piano pieces recorded here, written
between 1929 and 1952 but showing very little stylistic
change. Lonque found his own musical voice early in his
composing life and stuck to it regardless of fashion.
One
can nevertheless note some stylistic progress. Nuit
d'automne Op.11 (1929) is still indebted to late-Romanticism,
though with a hint of Impressionism. Danse espagnole
Op.10, also composed in 1929, is a delightful vignette
in the vein of Albeniz. The somewhat later Danse mauresque
Op.29 (1942) again looks towards Southern Spain rather
than the Middle East, whereas the beautiful Nocturne
Op.45 (1955) - and, to my mind, one of his finest
piano pieces - reminds one of Manuel de Falla. Tableaux
d'une chambre bleue Op.43, a lovely suite of short
impressions of childhood, is Gallic in character and written
in an elegant Neo-classical vein. Voiliers Op.42 is
a small-scale tone poem cast as a barcarole with telling
Impressionistic touches. From all this, you will understand
that Lonque's piano music should appeal to all those who
relish the music of Fauré, Debussy, Ravel, de Falla and Albeniz.
This is music that speaks for itself in a most refreshing
way without breaking any new ground but with much charm and
character.
Hans
Ryckelynck's readings seem very fine. He obviously enjoys
the music and brings the best out of it. The recording is
excellent, although a bit on the bright side. This may be
partly due to the instrument - a new Bösendorfer Model 280
concert grand piano which may not be particularly well suited
to this repertoire. Nevertheless, this is yet another welcome
and worthy release from Phaedra, one that might help renew
interest in Lonque's long absent yet elegant music.
Hubert Culot
Hans Ryckelynck
(piano) 
