Daily Archives: 6 May, 2012

BF: Hagen Quartet at Glyndebourne

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Sunday 5 May 2012

It was difficult to believe that this was early May and that Glyndebourne’s opera season is only two weeks away. The rain may just have held off but the wind whistled and picnicking was out of the question even for the stoutest. A pity, for there have been a number of significant changes to the gardens for this season and the new sculpture deserve more than a scant view while rushing past.

Thankfully, inside the house, all was warm and comfortable for a recital by the Hagen Quartet. Seated on what was effectively a lid for the orchestra pit, the acoustic was remarkably effective even in very quiet passages. The lighting was a little too low for my liking, making an afternoon doze all too possible, though the intensity and beauty of the playing argued against this. The quartet opened with Beethoven’s Op132, the first movement having an almost Schubertian lyricism to it. However there was just enough astringency to eschew any hint of sentimentality which might have crept in. The whistful second movement provided a rusticated trio with magically spun lines. But the heart of the afternoon came with the long slow movement which unfolded with a gentle, sublime, inevitability. The final movements drew us back to reality with aplomb.

After a brief interval they were joined by Jorg Widmann in Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet. If the opening movement were not as melancholic as it can be, it leant towards nostalgia with the long clarinet lines often disappearing beneath the string melos.

The near painful introspection of the Adagio lifted, drifted and faded by turns, with the clarinet’s gypsy snatches interspersed with seemingly endless solo lines now clearly topping the string sound.

The Andantino allows the clarinettist to display a more raw and aggressive tone, without ever leaving the safe haven of the ensemble. Unfortunately the final movement – though securely played – seemed somewhat dull after the earlier ones, almost as if Brahms had run out of steam.

Details of all events at the Brighton Festival at www.brightonfestival.org

BH

Charpentier: Beata est Maria

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Les Passions; Jean-Marc Andrieu

LIGIA LIDI 0202233-11                    

This new recording from Les Passions is devoted to Marc-Antoine Charpentier, two longer works flanking a number of brief but exquisite compositions.

All of the vocal items are for male voices – drawing on the refined tones of counter-tenor Vincent Lievre-Picard, tenor Sebastien Obrecht and bass Jean-Manuel Condenot – while Les Passions  provide both orchestral support and a number of purely instrumental interludes.

Throughout one is aware of the dance rhythms that underpin even the most deeply felt of spiritual text setting. The opening Magnificat has a joyful  ¾ rhythm which is maintained throughout. Similarly Veni creator has a sense of lift and buoyancy in the lightness of the instrumentation. By contrast the pleading tones of the Salve Regina seem almost melancholic within the context.

The brief interludes show what a master Charpentier is of succinct expression, which is always apt for its liturgical function.

As always, Jean-Marc Andrieu  creates a musical world which is at the same time convincingly authentic yet always alive and enchanting to hear.

Details of performances by Les Passions can be found at www.les-passions.fr and details of the Festival at Abbatiale Saint Robert de La Chaise-Dieu can be found in the News section of this site.

BH