I
must confess to ulterior motives in requesting this CD
for review. First, I thoroughly enjoyed a similar collection
from BIS,
Prières sans paroles, played by Simon
Preston and Håkan Hardenberger (see Christopher Thomas’s
review).
It’s usually a thrilling combination, especially if the
organ is up to scratch. Second, I have my eye on an SACD
of Messiaen’s
La Nativeté du Seigneur, played on
this Essen instrument. That apart, the programme here looks
very enterprising indeed – the Tomasi, Jolivet and Sauguet
items also appear on the BIS recording – so I popped in
the disc and prepared for an aural workout.
The
German-born trumpeter Reinhold Friedrich has a number of
premieres to his name and has played under Claudio Abbado
in Lucerne. Organist Iveta Apkalna, who hails from Latvia,
is much in demand across Europe; in 2007 she made her Berlin
Philharmonic debut with Berlioz’s mighty
Te Deum, also
under Abbado’s direction. She is a regular at continental
music festivals and, on the basis of this disc at least,
I look forward to hearing her in the UK.
Of
the works for solo trumpet Messiaen’s
Fauvette des jardins may
be a wisp of a piece – it was composed on a scrap of paper
and presented to Rolf Liebermann, who commissioned Messiaen’s
opera
St François d’Assise – but the imitation of
a garden warbler requires remarkable agility. The composer
never specified what instrument it should be played on
but Friedrich’s bright, clear trumpet sounds very persuasive.
That’s also true of his other solo,
Paths, by the
Japanese composer Toru Takemitsu. Here the music – played
with and without mute – comes across as a series of striking
contrasts. No shimmering Orientalism here but a bracing
display of bold instrumental colours, not to mention the
extraordinary evocation of birdsong at the close.
The
organ solos are just as varied and rewarding, ranging from
Shostakovich’s own arrangement of the
Passacaglia from
his opera
Lady Macbeth of Mtsensk to Thierry Escaich’s
pulsating, highly mobile
Evocation II. Be warned,
though, the blaze of sound at the beginning of the
Passacaglia will
have you leaping for the volume control. It’s a powerful,
surging work and a good demonstration of the Kuhn organ’s
heft. I imagine
Dieu parmi nous would sound rather
grand on this instrument. As for
Evocation II it’s
both original and irresistible. I was particularly impressed
with Apkalna’s control of dynamics and rhythm here. This
is a genuine showpiece that would be most welcome at any
recital.
The
Swiss composer Julien-François Zbinden is new to me. As
the work’s title implies there is something of a dialogue
between the two protagonists. Friedrich’s trumpet sounds
wonderfully transported above the dark-hued harmonies of
the organ. The two soloists are also well blended when
they play together, the trumpet sounding remarkably like
just another stop on the organ. The acoustic of the Alfried
Krupp Saal seems fine, with just enough reverberation to
add warmth and depth but not enough to obscure detail.
Friedrich may not have quite the panache of Hardenberger
but he strikes me as every bit as accomplished technically,
especially in those difficult upper registers,
The
longest work on this disc is
Okna (Windows), by
the Bohemian-born composer Petr Eben. Inspired by Marc
Chagall’s painted windows in the Hadassah Synagogue in
Jerusalem,
Okna depicts four of the 12 sons of the
Patriarch Jacob. The first, ‘Reuben, the blue window’,
is rich and resonant, with trumpet filigrees above a rolling
bass. There is real vigour to the writing here, matched
by Friedrich’s superbly projected playing. The second, ’Isachar,
the green window’, opens with a pulsing pedal over which
the trumpet gently rises. Even in the more spirited passages
there is a sense of repose, of spiritual calm, that is
very moving indeed.
The
third movement, ‘Zebulon, the blood-red window’, is perhaps
more strident, passionate even, with crisp playing from
Friedrich, not to mention some thrilling cadences for trumpet
and organ. The solemn, hymn-like ‘Levi, the golden window’ is
also splendid, the wide soundstage adding to the sense
of occasion. Surprisingly it all ends with some jaunty
themes that broaden into a glorious climax. An approachable
work and one that has certainly piqued my interest in Eben’s
music.
The
Jolivet, Tomasi and Sauguet pieces are very well played
and recorded on
Prières sans paroles – the cavernous
acoustic of Denmark’s Aarhus cathedral as much a player
in these works as the soloists – but even in this august
company Friedrich and Apkalna can hold their own. The
Arioso
barocco blends trumpet and organ in music of Messiaenic
awe and splendour. The trumpet weaves around the firmly
anchored organ and, as befits a composer who learned to
play at Notre-Dame, there are moments of genuine weight
and power; sample the great swell of sound that begins
at 5:29, for instance. It’s committed playing, but for
added presence and a bit more
frisson Preston and
Hardenberger are hard to beat.
Henri
Tomasi’s Peruvian-inspired
Semaine Sainte à Cuzco demands
some virtuosos playing from the trumpeter, which Friedrich
easily provides. Not quite as atmospheric as the Preston/Hardenberger
account, but Friedrich’s final note silences all criticism,
as does his spirited flourishes at the start of Sauguet’s
Non
morietur in aeternam. Although the composer was one
of Satie’s pupils there is a distinct devotional air to
this music, albeit with some quirky harmonies thrown in
for good measure.
As
much as I admire the Preston/Hardenberger partnership Friedrich
and Apkalna run them a very close second. If anything their
choice of repertoire is more adventurous and the engineering
is pretty good too. What a pity, then, that Phoenix’s presentation
and packaging leave so much to be desired. Apart from the
mangled English translations and spelling errors the timings
on the back of the jewel case are wildly inaccurate. Also,
biographical details – so useful in contemporary or unfamiliar
works – are in short supply.
Those
caveats aside, this a resplendent achievement and should
be sought out by all organ and trumpet aficionados.
Dan
Morgan