Richard HARVEY (b.1953)
Concerto Incantato (2009) [28:29]
Malcolm ARNOLD (1921-2006)
Concerto for Recorder and Strings, Op.133 (1988) [11:55]
Gordon JACOB (1895-1984)
Suite for Recorder and Strings (1957) [18:30]
Michala Petri (recorder)
City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong/Jean Thorel
rec. 24-29 May 2011, Hong Kong Cultural Centre
OUR RECORDINGS 6.220606 [59:06]
Let’s deal with the top and bottom lines first. This is one of the best CDs
of recorder music that I have ever heard. Full stop. However, four things
need to be said. Firstly, that this particular instrument is not my favourite:
it comes a long way down my personal batting list which is crowned by piano
and cello. I guess that I associate it with my own excruciating attempts to
play Greensleeves as a nine year old scholar. My contemporaries were
not much better either. Secondly, the tone of the ‘English flute’ is something
that needs to be heard in relatively small doses. To this end, I advise taking
each of these works one by one – with small refreshment breaks in-between.
Thirdly, I have never heard of Michala Petri – I ought to have. She is utterly
brilliant. Finally, notwithstanding ‘point one’ above, I have long regarded
the legendary John Turner as the master of recorder music. It is rare for
me to listen to any work for this instrument that is not played or recorded
by him. So this is, for me at any rate, new territory.
The Richard Harvey Concerto Incantato is officially billed
as a ‘world premiere recording’. However I have not heard the Arnold or the
Jacob before. I have discovered that Michala Petri did record the Jacob in
1984 on Philips Digital.
If I am honest, I have never heard of Richard Harvey either. Once again, I
should have. For one thing he contributed to Hans Zimmer’s score for the Da
Vinci Code. Born in 1953, he graduated from the Royal College of Music
in 1972. He has involved himself with many genres of music – from medieval
to rock – he had a progressive rock and folk band called Gryphon. One point
of note: his ‘modest’ web-site (Richard Harvey: Renowned Composer, Arranger
Conductor and Multi-Instrumentalist) is very difficult to read – white text
on black!
Harvey’s Concerto is interesting, if not totally satisfying. When I read that
he was a film-music composer, I did wonder if it would suffer from sounding
like a compilation from his film scores and to a certain extent I believe
this is true. However, the Concerto is a valid work in its own right. The
listener needs to remember that Harvey is an accomplished recorder player
– and other instruments too. His website notes that he can play some 700 different
instruments from around the world! I would be delighted to manage just one
well.
The Concerto Incantato was written specifically for Michala Petri
and was commissioned by Leanne Nicholls for the City Chamber Orchestra of
Hong Kong’s tenth anniversary concert.
The sleeve-notes suggest an eclectic stylistic background to the work and
this is exactly what we hear. The composer quite clearly draws extensively
on his television and film score background, although this is supplemented
by his interest in medieval music.
The concerto is written in five movements and makes use of the full set of
recorders. The first movement is entitled Sorcery and I must admit
does have a distinct Harry Potter mood to it. The orchestration fairly
shimmers. The second is entitled Natura Morta - Still Life. Here
the composer has used the tenor recorder and has had recourse to ethnic music
derived from China and the native North-American flute. It is a thoughtful,
almost static piece that lulls the listener into a dream-like world. The following
Danza Spiriti (Dance of the Sprits) destroys the reverie. This is
exciting music that chases itself around in circles. The next movement is
the meditative Sacra Canzone featuring what the composer has called
the English Theme. This leads to the finale which once again nods
to Harry Potter – Incantesimi – Spells. This, for me, is the least
impressive part of the work. The minimalist recorder figurations become tedious.
However the music builds up to a hectic dance, before the English Theme
is reprised. I am not sure I like the ‘medieval’ mood in parts of this movement.
In the round this is a reasonably impressive and virtuosic work – however
I hold it to be a little unbalanced between the parts. If this is music for
the ‘Harry Potter’ generation, as billed in the liner-notes then I am not
quite convinced.
Malcolm Arnold’s 1988 Concerto was composed specifically for Michala
Petri. I know that there are mixed views about the quality of this work. It
is not one of my favourites from the composer’s pen. Yet there is plenty of
interest and one or two touches of the ‘old’ Arnold. I guess that I am a little
concerned that the balance of work is faulty. There is such a difference stylistically
between the complex passacaglia of the second movement and the ‘St Trinians’
mood of the finale. And I cannot quite weigh up the opening movement. Yet
the concerto has some interesting things. It probably deserves its place in
the repertoire.
Gordon Jacob needs no introduction to readers of these pages. However,
I think it fair to say that his music is largely under-represented in the
catalogues with only nine CDs containing his music. This compares to 159 for
Malcolm Arnold. The present Suite was commissioned by Arnold Dolmetsch in
1957. It has been rightly regarded as a ‘divertissement’ rather than anything
more serious. It is presented in seven well-balanced movements. The Suite
opens with a delightfully ‘pastoral’ Prelude. This is followed by
a lively English dance which is just way too short. Then there is
a Lament. However, this is not too depressing and has a ‘smoochy’
feel to it rather than one of heartbreak. The string writing here is particularly
beautiful. It is the longest movement in the suite. I love the exciting Burlesca
alla Rumba which is all sunshine. This is followed by an epitome of English
pastoral – the Pavane. Here are impressions of fields and rivers
and up-and-down dales. The penultimate movement, an Introduction and Cadenza
is also illustrative of the landscape although this time in valedictory mood.
For me it is the heart of the work. The finale, Tarantella is fun
all the way. Jacob calls for the soprano recorder to give brightness and sparkle
to the last moments of this Suite.
Michala Petri has some sixty CDs listed in the Arkiv catalogue. The range
of music covered is phenomenal. From Bach to Ole Bull and from Fauré to Frederick
the Great, she has recorded a huge variety of works. Noted as a child prodigy,
she began playing recorder aged three, took serious lessons at five and by
11 years she made her concerto debut. She often played together with her mother
Hanne, a harpsichordist and her brother David, cellist as part of the Petri
Trio. Nowadays, she often gives concerts with her husband, the lutenist and
guitarist, Lars Hannibal. Both Petri and her husband run their own record
label – OUR Recordings. The present
disc is one of more than a dozen released in the past eight years.
However, it is not just Michala Petri who has given a superb performance.
Jean Thorel at the helm of the City Chamber Orchestra has contributed a sympathetic
accompaniment to these three concertos.
This is an enjoyable CD that is well played and features a diverse programme.
In spite of my reservations about the Malcolm Arnold Concerto and the stylistic
balance of the Richard Harvey I feel that it will be essential listening for
enthusiasts of recorder music. The presentation of the disc is impressive:
it looks and feels good. The sound quality is excellent. I enjoyed the liner-notes
– they are both informative and entertaining.
My favourite work, by a long shot, is Gordon Jacob’s Suite and I will turn
to this recording to enjoy this piece on many occasions.
John France
This is one of the best CDs of recorder music that I have ever heard. Full
stop.