To my knowledge this is the fourth disc on Guild to be devoted to
the music of this somewhat forgotten figure of Swiss music. Volkmar Andreae,
composer and conductor was during his lifetime probably better known as a
conductor. He served in this capacity with the Zurich Tonhalle for forty
years. Back in 2009 I reviewed a disc of his chamber music (GMCD7328) in
which I had to comment that his was a new name to me.
The present new disc opens with two unpublished works beginning with
an early teenage piece, the
Piano Concerto. I failed to mention in
the above description of Andreae the word ‘pianist’ as he
premiered this concerto at the tender age of 19. This was a year before he
had been soloist in Beethoven’s Emperor Concerto. Any young man who
manages to write and play such a gushing and confident concerto deserves our
unlimited respect and regard. No matter how you think of it this is a fine
work and the second subject of the first movement is an absolutely ravishing
melody that Brahms would have been proud to write. His presence overshadows
the second movement. The music is almost derivative with its slow harmonic
pace, enharmonic modulations and pedal points but its dreamy quality is
quite captivating. Each movement grows easily into the next and the finale
starts with lively dance-like melody which is arrested in its progress by a
slower section. This is less memorable than in movement one but acts as a
suitable foil to the slightly bombastic ending.
Soon after writing this Concerto Andreae tackled the genre again in
a single movement
Konzertstück. The booklet notes by Robert
Matthew-Walker talk about the influences on this work and Franck is
mentioned as is the Concert Fantasy of Tchaikovsky and even Max Reger.
Indeed, by coincidence, I had been listening to some Reger before putting on
this work by Andreae. My musician son thought that it was the same composer
in its opening
Lento section. For myself I heard Rachmaninov and, as
enjoyable as this piece is, and as fulfilling in its melodic ideas, rich
harmonies and fine orchestration I have to disagree with Matthew-Walker when
he says that the piece has “an individual voice for its time and
locale”. Yet it must be admitted that Andreae was only 21 and
Rachmaninov had not yet quite written his 1
st Concerto. At any
rate it reaches in its closing Allegro a typically grand climax and one
certainly feels a rounded sense of completion.
In the case of the two concertante works for violin and orchestra
Andreae worked the other way around with the shorter,
Rhapsody coming
first. Written for the great Szigeti but taken up by others in various
countries, it created a marvellous impression at the time with the composer
often complimented by the great and the good. The slow and delicate opening
is especially striking with much use of a gentle timpani roll. The loose
form enables the composer to explore a wide variety of textures and
memorable ideas and it’s difficult to know why the work has
disappeared from concert or even radio repertoire in the last fifty or more
years.
It comes as quite a surprise to encounter the grinding dissonances
and dark loneliness of the opening of the first movement of the
Violin
Concerto of fifteen years later. A similar surprise hit me when I first
heard the contrasted two string quartets on the chamber music disc mentioned
above.
Intriguingly the concerto can be seen as a three movement work - and
Guild have given it three tracks - or as five because the first movement
moves from its serious opening to a dancing Allegro after a couple of
minutes and then is succeeded by a brief fugue which links into a beautiful
Adagio. This links again into a really happy Allegro molto to close the
work. This defies any alarm bells you may have heard earlier. It’s a
real journey, in fact. It is also suggested that it is a two-movement work
with the fugue beginning the second part. There is much to admire in this
piece with its contrasts of mood and speed. Even within the Allegro Vivace
of movement one there are dreamy sections and the writing for violin -
originally for Adolf Busch, is virtuoso and lyrical all in one.
The performances are wonderful and the recording immediate and clear as one
has
come to expect from this enterprising company. Marc Andreae is to be much
thanked
for the promotion of the music of his relation (the CD booklet does not say
what
this relationship actually is) . The soloists, although not household names,
are
ideal: lyrical and powerful when needed, showing a thorough understanding of
the
style and techniques required.
This disc would make be a good place to start an Andreae collection.
Gary Higginson
See also review by
Rob
Barnett
Volkmar Andreae on Guild
Symphony
GMCD 7377
Songs
GMCD 7237
Piano Trios
GMCD 7307
String and Flute Quartets
GMCD 7328
