Johann Nepomuk HUMMEL (1778-1837)
Septet in D minor, Op. 74 (1816) [31:41]
Franz BERWALD (1796-1868)
Grand Septet in B flat Major (1828) [22:52]
The Nash Ensemble
rec. The Unitarian Chapel, Rosslyn Hill, Hampstead, London, England. No date
given
CRD 3344 [54:20]
This recording constituted one of my favourite chamber music
LPs with its mix of, at the time, unusual repertoire and the playing of the
wonderful Nash Ensemble. It's a real winner.
These days the music of Hummel is well known, with the Septet and
its companion, the Septet Militaire Op. 114, being amongst his most
popular pieces. The Septet was composed in 1816 for the unusual instrumentation
of piano, flute, oboe, horn, viola, cello and double bass, and was a runaway
success. It served to establish Hummel as a household name, with many of his
contemporaries regarding him as the equal of Beethoven. However, his music
being rooted in the classical style, quickly fell out of favour as the romantic
movement began to flourish.
The four movements of the Septet are full of musical charm and grace
with some exciting playing from the Nash in the brisker sections. Indeed there
seem to be two schools of thought when it comes to this work. There are those
who choose a slower pace, best exemplified by Capricorn on Hyperion (CDH55214),
and those, like the Nash, who adopt a more spirited tempo. The Nash is nearly
seven minutes faster than Capricorn. Whilst both approaches have their validity
I do prefer the faster tempo as it brings a little more panache.
Berwald could be described as a part-time composer, as amongst his many other
ventures were director of an orthopaedic institute, part-owner of a glassworks
and the owner of a saw-mill. His best and most characterful music comes from
the 1840s. Of his early works the Septet, which shares its scoring
with that of Beethoven, is one of his finest and most colourful pieces. The
work has some wonderful writing for the winds, especially in the final movement
where the clarinet shines, and especially in the hands of Antony Pay of the
Nash Ensemble whose performance is more spirited than either the Gaudier Ensemble
on Hyperion (CDD22053)
or the Lysell Quartet and friends on Musica Sveciae (MSCD 520).
I do have a slight reservation regarding the sound which is now showing its
age with the strings sounding a little thin at times; the performance makes
up for this. However, if the sound is important, then there are good performances
to consider not least those on Hyperion. The accompanying booklet notes, like
all CRD releases, are excellent and offer a good background to the music.
Stuart Sillitoe
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