Dutch Hidden Gems
Henk BADINGS (1907-1987)
Viola Concerto (1965) [23:48]
Sonata for Viola and Piano (1951) [20:01]
Arne WERKMAN (b.1960)
Pavane for Viola and String Orchestra [5:25]
Jan KOETSIER (1911-2006)
Concertino for Viola and Orchestra (1940) [12:48]
Henriette BOSMANS (1895-1952)
Arietta (1917) [2:58]
Dana Zemtsov (viola)
Anna Fedorova (piano)
Phion Orchestra of Gelderland & Overijssel/Shizuo Kuwahara
rec. March 2021, Muziekcentrum Enschede, MCO Hilversum, The Netherlands
CHANNEL CLASSICS CCS41222 [65:10]
Over forty minutes of this CD is taken up by Henk Badings’ concerto for viola and strings and a sonata for viola and piano. Badings’ oeuvre is huge, well over 700 works, but little played. The only clue I have unearthed to explain this came from a well-established Dutch conductor who told me that Badings’ period as a wartime collaborator had effectively cancelled him from musical life in The Netherlands. According to Wikipedia he was reinstated five years later in 1947. Grove’s Dictionary (1980) says nothing about all this. His excellent concerto for two violins from 1954 achieved success but seems to have been recorded only once in 1955. It is a work well worth hearing and triggered my interest several decades ago. In more recent years CPO has commenced a project to record his orchestral works. Several symphonies are now on CD. From what I have heard so far, his style is closest to Hindemith but that may not always apply, given the huge range his output covers, including experimental electronic music.
The rather grimly technical note about this work, by the composer himself, suggests a much tougher piece than it turns out to be. The dark opening Quasi Lento movement, occupying half the length of the whole work, is absorbing; it is a sort of emotional arch from pensive to urgent and then back to the thoughtful opening music. The slow movement is rather a lovely piece, giving the soloist many lyrical opportunities. The finale is lively and dancelike but has a serious tone. Given the shortage of good, concerted works for viola and orchestra, it should be much more frequently played. The collector owes a debt to violist Dana Zemtsov for unearthing such a splendid concerto. A concert programme including this and, perhaps, Martinů’s Rhapsody Concerto, would give the world’s violists – or indeed those violinists who play both instruments - something to take on tour.
The sonata for viola and piano is an earlier piece from 1951. It seems to hark back almost to the period of Cesar Franck with its cyclic structure and its intense lyricism. All three movements are clearly linked by the same thematic cell. The piano and viola are equal partners throughout. As with the concerto, it is hard to understand why this attractive piece is so little played.
Jan Koetsier was a conductor and composer who worked with the Hague Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw and the Bavarian Radio Symphony. His Concertino is an attractive piece but one best seen as workmanlike rather than in any way distinctive. It is always good to hear such pieces played as well as this, but I cannot imagine many wishing to revisit it very often. The same can be said for Henriette Bosmans’ Arietta, a tiny fragment of a piece which would make a lyrical encore in a recital.
Dana Zemtsov is a superb player, making a beautifully rounded sound throughout the whole range of her instrument. Her decision to play such an unusual collection of works is to be lauded. The important works are those of Badings and this is the reason to add this CD to one’s collection. Her partnering pianist Anna Fedorova hails from Ukraine where she gained her early training. Like Zemtsov, she has a flourishing career in Europe and internationally. It is perhaps one of the benefits of having so many skilled young musicians in the current era that we get a chance to hear unusual music such as that collected here, rather than yet more recordings of mainstream classics.
The mysteriously named Phion Orchestra turns out the be the result of a 2019 merger between the Netherlands Symphony and the Arnhem Philharmonic. They are, of course, very good. The CD is technically first class, but one would expect the surround downloads to be even better, given Channel Classics’ excellent track record for issues on SACD. There are well detailed notes on the music and the performers.
Dave Billinge
