František BENDA (1709-1786)
Violin Concerto in C major, Lee II-1 (c.1739) [17:30]
Violin Concerto in B flat major, Lee II-18 (c.1740) [15:24]
Violin Concerto in D major, Lee II-16 (c.1740) [18:48]
Violin Concerto in A minor, Lee II-16 [20:19]
Prague Philharmonia/Ivan Ženatý (violin)
rec. May 2011, and January 2012, Martínek Studio, Prague
SUPRAPHON SU 4064-2 [72:26]
Benda was one of the most illustrious, possibly the single most
illustrious, Czech violinist of the eighteenth century. Yet fewer than
twenty concertos of his concertos for his own instrument have survived. In
this disc we hear four of them in performances from Ivan Ženatý
who plays a modern set up violin with musicians drawn from the Prague
Philharmonia, comprised 2-1-1-1 and harpsichord - baroque sized (but modern
instrument). The intimate nature of the music making suits the performances,
and indeed the nature of the compositions themselves. These are pleasantly
old-fashioned, more akin to Vivaldi than an Italian contemporary like
Tartini - akin to Vivaldi, yes, in a sense, but rather lacking the flair,
panache, colour and hubristic danger of Vivaldi.
Which is not to suggest that they are not worthy or exciting in
their own way. The C major has a forceful first movement, but the slow
movement remains in the memory more for its character than for any true
melodic distinction. The finale is probably the finest of the three
movements, fizzing with energy and clever contrasts between ritornellos and
the vivid, slashing solo violin. Here, for sure, one feels the impress of
Vivaldi’s spirit. Here, too, one can tentatively gauge just what sort
of virtuoso Benda must have been.
The confident, fluent, Italianate lyricism that floods the B flat
major is aerial in its finesse, showy in places, whilst not achieving much
true distinction. Someone else added extraneous parts to the D major -
let’s name him; Johann Georg Pisendel, who was a friend, and led the
Dresden court orchestra which, because it was larger than the orchestra for
which Benda wrote, needed something ‘extra’ to play. In
Supraphon’s recording we scrub off Pisendel’s horn parts and go
back to the bare, string accompaniment. Finally there is the later A minor
Concerto, a rather more ‘affetuoso’ work with a melancholy
cadenza (Ženatý’s own). Here we find Benda being just a
touch too liberal with his expressive caesurae, just a little artificial and
over gallant. The finale, though, is rollicking good fun.
Ženatý plays in an accomplished way throughout.
He’s not the first person among Czech fiddlers that I’d think of
for this repertoire, but he acquits himself with honour. He’s one of
the more bafflingly inconsistent performers around on disc, so this is good
news.
Benda’s violin music is highly accomplished and highly
polished. I can’t say it’s desperately original, nor is it
always melodically special, but it’s well presented here.
Jonathan Woolf
Highly accomplished and highly polished and well presented here.