It is a delight to listen to music in the sort of conditions for which it
was
written. This disc attempts to replicate the kind of music and performance
that
might have been encountered at a concert in a salon in one of the great
European
cities in the nineteenth century, if one were lucky enough to be invited.
Little
of the music here is of great depth and much is intended simply to show
off
the performer’s virtuosity. Nonetheless there is abundant invention
and
good humour, and if the heart may at times be worn on the sleeve this is
usually
balanced by a twinkle in the eye, especially as performed here.
The order of programme is arranged to maximise the variety of music and
instruments
for the listener. Thus it starts with an elegant cello solo - and ends
with
a rather more showy cello solo - followed by songs and piano pieces. The
flute
provides only two pieces but they are among the longest works on the disc.
Borne’s
Fantasy on themes from Carmen is good fun for the listener but
Chaminade’s
Concertino is more than that. It not only provides the flautist with all
kinds
of opportunities for display but also shows rare elegance within its
comparatively
brief span. Although it exists also in orchestral form there is much to be
said
for piano accompaniment as the orchestral scoring is too heavy at times,
especially
from the lower brass, obscuring much of the solo part in its lower
register.
Careful microphone balancing can get over this in a recording but the
better
solution is the piano version which also comes closer to its salon
character.
Both players here make the most of its opportunities for elegant musical
conversation
as well as for display.
Cathy Berberian gets the lion’s share of the disc with thirteen
songs
in all, although many are relatively brief. Although she is perhaps best
remembered
as a performer of twentieth century music she relishes all the very varied
opportunities
offered here. She finds a different approach for each of the many types of
song
included, gently exaggerating the various characteristics of the German,
French
and Italian items included. She managed to make me laugh in the Cat Duet
once
attributed to Rossini and which can sound a very laboured joke. Presumably
it
is the hard-working and generally admirable Bruno Canino who sings the
part
of the tom-cat who sings in duet with her. Last but by no means least of
the
performers is Wolfgang Boettcher, who plays with true intimacy and
delicacy.
All four perform with real style, elegance and wit, and are recorded in
what
sounds like an appropriate acoustic. The booklet contains an essay in
German
and English on salon music but no texts or translations.
This is a not a disc offering profound musical rewards or revelations.
What
it offers is intimate and sophisticated pleasure, and this is a rarity for
which
I for one am very grateful.
John Sheppard
Track listing
David POPPER (1843-1913)
Wie einst in schöner’n Tagen Op. 64/1 [3:21]
Notturno Op. 41/3 [3:15]
Hungarian Rhapsody Op. 68 [8:34]
Philipp zu EULENBURG (1847-1921)
Rosenlieder [8:41]
Carl LOEWE (1796-1869)
Mädchen sind wie der Wind Op. 9.VI/4 [1:10]
Anton RUBINSTEIN (1829-1894)
Melodie in F Op. 3/1 [3:18]
Gioachino ROSSINI (1792-1868)
La Chanson du Bébé [2:28]
Cat duet [2:21]
Jacques OFFENBACH (1819-1880)
Serenade Op. 29/2 [1:43]
Sir Arthur SULLIVAN (1842-1900)
The sun whose rays (The Mikado) [2:27]
Horatio PARKER (1863-1919)
Shame upon you, Robin [1:30]
François BORNE (1840-1920)
Carmen-Fantasie [11:14]
Gabriel FAURÉ (1845-1924)
Sicilienne Op. 78 [4:12]
Reynaldo HAHN (1875-1947)
L’heure exquise [2:08]
Cécile CHAMINADE (1857-1944)
Concertino Op. 107 [7:40]
Alexander GLAZUNOV (1865-1936)
Chant du Ménestrel Op. 71 [3:51]
Francesco TOSTI (1846-1916)
Pianto di Monaca [2:50]
Moritz MOSZKOWSKI (1854-1925)
Gondoliera Op. 41 [5:52]
Giuseppe VERDI (1813-1901)
Stornello [2:03]
