Pierre RODE (1774-1830)
Violin Concerto No. 1 in D minor, Op. 3 (1794) [32:13]
Violin Concerto No. 5 in D major, Op. 7 (1800-1?) [22:51]
Violin Concerto No. 9 in C major, Op. 17 (1804-8?) [21:06]
Friedemann Eichhorn (violin)
Jena Philharmonic Orchestra/Nicolás Pasquet
rec. Volkshaus, Jena, 2011
NAXOS 8.572755 [76:27]
In music history, musical nationalism is considered an outgrowth
of the Romantic style, but it's nonetheless possible to hear "national"
stylistic differences in the music of earlier periods. Composers of the Baroque,
for example, drew upon common harmonic and structural idioms; yet the sprightly
rhythms of the French school are readily distinguishable from the suave, dark-toned
lyricism of Italian and Spanish practitioners, and from the Germans'
seriousness and contrapuntal stylings.
I mention this because the Naxos blurb, drawn from Bruce R. Schueneman's
program note, makes a point of telling us that Pierre Rode's concertos
"represent the full flowering of the French violin school." That
may well be so, in terms of solo technique and style; but I hear nothing that
marks these solid, well-wrought scores as obviously "French." If
anything, they're mainstream Germanic in style, with Haydn coming most
frequently to mind: in the Sturm und Drang of the D minor concerto's
opening ritornello -- it would fit right into that composer's
middle-period symphonies -- and in the relaxed graciousness of the themes
in the slow movements. In the C major concerto, the Beethovenian gravitas
at the start of the central Cavatina is balanced by the bouncing
jocularity of the Allegretto finale.
Not that Rode doesn't have a few tricks up his sleeve, particularly
when it comes to subverting structural expectations. The Adagio of
the D minor concerto begins with a big, proclamatory, rather ominous unison
before it settles into the expected quieter writing. Conversely, the opening
of the D major is surprisingly gentle and light-textured, with the usual vigorous
ritornello arriving about half a minute later. The ritornello of the C major
concerto brings the best of both worlds: stark downward unisons juxtaposed
with broader lyric phrases. In the same concerto's Cavatina,
however, the overlay of musical gingerbread starts to seem a bit much.
The three concertos on offer fall gratefully on the ear; as performed here,
they're also quite engaging. Friedemann Eichhorn begins unpromisingly:
his first few phrases in the D minor sound "stringy" in the wrong
way and, in the first downward flourish, the notes don't all quite
speak. Shortly thereafter, however, the soloist settles into a better-supported
sound filling out the lower-lying phrases in the D minor's Adagio
with a nice singing tone and he's adept in such passagework as the
triplets in the D major's closing Rondo ŕ la russe.
Conductor Nicolás Pasquet projects the fast tuttis with a taut drive
and a volatility that, not inappropriately, suggests Beethoven; and he phrases
the lyrical passages expressively within the core pulse. At the start of the
C major concerto, the scansion is briefly unclear; otherwise, the music goes
with a sure sense of purpose. The Jena Philharmonic is clearly one of Europe's
stronger second-tier orchestras. The string playing is trim and precise; the
ensemble sonority is full-bodied, and the tuttis are clean. Only
the occasional slightly wheezy wind chord, suggesting mild tuning discrepancies,
detracts from the overall effect.
Emphatically recommended, especially at the Naxos price. You might not remember
much about this music after it's over, but you'll enjoy it immensely
while you're hearing it.
Stephen Francis Vasta
Stephen Francis Vasta is a New York-based conductor, coach, and journalist.
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