Having recently had the pleasure of reviewing Alexei Ogrintchouk’s
BIS recording of J.S. Bach’s concertante works with oboe (see
review)
which inevitably overlaps with a few BWV numbers, I was intrigued
to find out if veteran performer Heinz Holliger would provide
different insights into similar repertoire.
In the end there isn’t a huge amount to choose between the two
in terms of interpretation when it comes to the concerti. Ogrintchouk’s
Swedish Chamber Orchestra is generally leaner and more intimate
sounding, his solo lines a little more clipped than Holliger’s,
though both create an equally expressive line. This is true
even where tempi differ considerably, Holliger’s Adagio from
BWV 1060 coming in at a brisk 4:49 against Ogrintchouk’s
more expansive 5:30. I don’t find Holliger and the Camerata
Bern overly hasty, and indeed their greater forward momentum
gives the movement quite a graceful dance feel, the slowness
in the rate of bars per minute, rather than beats. Ogrintchouk
is swifter and more exciting in the final movement here, but
I remain unperturbed by Holliger’s sense of proportion and don’t
really find myself preferring one over the other. BWV 1055
is another meeting place where we find Ogrintchouk overtaking
Holliger in the outer movements, and the latter gaining ground
in the slow central movement. Ogrintchouk’s oboe d’amore has
a more hollow and distinctive sound colour; Holliger’s sounding
more just like a big oboe. I like Holliger’s treatment of ornamentation
and sense of playfulness in this concerto, giving plenty of
improvisatory interest to the lines in the Larghetto for
instance, where Ogrintchouk is more reserved and semplice.
The programme finishes with the Concerto in D minor,
BWV 1059 reconstructed from cantatas BWV 35 and
156, for which the BIS booklet cites Arnold Mehl and
Edition Kunzelmann. The ECM booklet also goes into some detail
about the provenance and various alternative versions of the
reconstruction, but both recordings show no substantial differences
and are performed to the highest standards.
This ECM programme also brings in two different Sinfonia
movements, as well as giving us the Adagio from the
Easter Oratorio BWV 249 also programmed with BIS. The
Sinfonia from Ich hette viel Bekümmernbis BWV 21
is a marvellously expressive opening which sells you on the
rest of the disc from the outset, the interaction between the
oboe and Erich Höbarth’s solo violin creating a rich carpet
of sound into which we can sink with grateful luxury. The Sinfonia
from Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen BWV 12 is a similarly
gorgeous moment, and each of these creates a lovely break in
the series of concerti. Bach arranged the Concerto in D minor
by Alessandro Marcello for harpsichord, which became his
BWV 974. I’m not sure quite where Bach comes into this
return to the original oboe solo though I’ve kept the credit
in as given on the CD, but it still makes for a superbly expressive
vehicle for Holliger, who clearly relishes the central Adagio.
There is a funny effect on the recording which, given the location,
I can only put down to an artefact of artificial reverb. The
instruments at first appear to be in some kind of vast churchy
chamber, but when you listen more carefully it is as if they
are being shadowed by a hollow and mysterious ghost orchestra,
with especially the mid-lower instruments casting a kind of
acoustic shadow which bears no relation to any genuine space
I could imagine. This is not unpleasant, but once you become
aware of it the effect can become a little distracting. The
ultimate result is that this ECM disc is a richer pudding than
the BIS recording, despite its SACD benefits. With such a confluence
of repertoire the choice should be almost entirely one between
performances, but here I have greater trouble differentiating.
I love both Alexei Ogrintchouk’s and Heinz Holliger’s mellifluous
sound, and both are equally expressive in their own ways. Ogrintchouk’s
fast concerto movements are swifter and more immediately exciting,
but Holliger’s have plenty of bounce as well, and his more compact
slow movements are compelling where Ogrintchouk’s almost risk
becoming a bit static. Both accompanying orchestras are light
and authentic sounding, with nicely played harpsichord continuo,
for which the ECM balance has marginally the greater sparkle.
What to do? In the end, I find myself coming down on the side
of ECM, but only just. Despite the rather ‘loud pedal’ acoustic
effect there are one or two more uber-Bach goose-bump moments,
and I do love those Sinfonias. Holliger and the Camerata
Bern are a tad lighter in terms of the mood created on the whole,
so ECM also wins on the ‘fun factor’ scale if that is of any
intrinsic value or interest. Despite being shorter in duration,
the more interesting programming also gives you the feeling
of having had a more substantial musical feast by the end, and
makes me feel I’m more likely to play it again.
Dominy Clements
Heinz Holliger (oboe, oboe d’amore) 
