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Gramophone awards shortList 2015 works in terrific, beautifully balanced Harmonia Mundi sound. Guy Rickards (March 2015) Althorn, Tbn & Tpt Sons – selected comparison:  Various, Gould (3/93) (SONY) SM2K52671  Vc Son – selected comparison:  Warner, Buck (BRID) BRIDGE9088  Vc & Tbn Sons – selected comparison:  Ostertag, Slokar, Randalu     (12/97) (MDG) MDG304 0697-2  Tbn & Tpt Sons – selected comparison:  Lindberg, Pöntinen, Tarr, Westenholz     (3/94) (BIS) BIS-CD159  Tpt Son – selected comparisons:  Helseth, Stott (5/13) (EMI) 416471-2  Laubin, Randalu (MDG) MDG304 0696-2  Vn Son – selected comparisons:  Wallin, Pöntinen (8/96) (BIS) BIS-CD761  FP Zimmermann, Pace (9/13) (BIS) BIS-CD2024  Becker-Bender, Nagy (12/13) (HYPE) CDA68014 Langgaard ‘String Quartets, Vol 3’ String Quartets – No 1, BVN68; No 5, BVN189. Quartet Movement, ‘Italian Scherzo’, BVN408 Nightingale Quartet Dacapo F Í 6 220577 (69’ • DDD/DSD) Gramophone’s conferment of Young Artists of the Year on the Nightingale Quartet is no less than these four intrepid artists deserve. Their Langgaard cycle is bringing this maverick composer the kind of broader recognition he always deserved, and their playing on this final volume lives up to the sky-high standards they have led us to expect. In his booklet essay, Tim Frederiksen, who has mentored the Nightingales throughout the process, characterises the first CD as mainly dramatic and the second as predominantly poetic and idyllic, while the third embraces both aspects and thereby makes a fitting conclusion. Both quartets recorded here fit that description (the Italian  Scherzo is a chip from the workbench, though an engaging one). The First is the more deceptive, in a way that anyone already attuned to Langgaard will relish. The leisurely first movement manages to behave itself but the scherzo evidently has trouble keeping the lid on, and imaginative transgression bursts through on the last page (I wondered at this point if Langgaard may have known Borodin’s First Quartet). The long slow movement returns to sobriety for the most part but becomes seriously disruptive in the late stages, while the finale moves from initial entrancement to an energised robusto coda. The Fifth Quartet is altogether milder. It starts with a respectful nod to Grieg and continues with a mainly reflective, leisurely first movement. Still, like the British weather, if you don’t like it, all you have to do is wait a bit. The finale is especially changeable; and even though this work might not be the one to choose to induct a friend to Langgaard, it has a winning charm that doesn’t pale on repetition. Beautifully judged recording quality and authoritative essays complement the performances ideally. David Fanning (December 2014) Smetana String Quartets – No 1, ‘From My Life’; No 2 Pavel Haas Quartet Supraphon F SU4172-2 (48’ • DDD) This is becoming a bit of a habit. The Pavel Haas Quartet record a disc. Critics swoon and reach for their superlatives box, usually hidden away on a top shelf to avoid overindulgence. Result? It ends up as Disc of the Month and a hot contender for a Gramophone Award. But swooning is not enough, and nor are superlatives. So let’s try and explore why this is so spectacularly good. The PHQ already have an extraordinary track record with music of their Czech homeland (Dvo∑ák, Janá∂ek and of course Haas), so their Smetana was always going to be highly personal. Their sound is, as ever, immediately recognisable – partly due to the sheer richness of timbre but also the sense of four personalities at play. That is palpable from the opening viola solo of the First Quartet: here, Pavel Nikl revels in the juicy lower register of his instrument and the effect is markedly different from the Jerusalem Quartet’s viola player who is less lustrous-toned. In the answering phrases between the two violins what is striking is the level of detail combined with an apparent spontaneity. What this new version captures particularly compellingly is the sense of the music’s extremes – at times it’s hard to believe you are in the presence of only four players, so intense is the sound. No element is taken for granted, and the way they colour the dotted falling figure that dominates so much of the first movement is a masterclass in imagination yet never sounds in the least bit contrived. Not everyone is going to agree about their approach to the polka-infused second movement. They are more galumphing than the Jerusalem, who cut a fine, sophisticated dash and are slightly fleeter in the outer sections. On the other hand, the PHQ’s viola brings off the quasi tromba marking very effectively (tr 2, 0’48”), while in the fairground-like Trio, the two violinists judge to a nicety the crescendos and diminuendos on their double-stopped chords in which Smetana conjures up a very lifelike squeezebox (sample from 1’46” onwards). In fact, so focused are they on the characterisation of this movement, injecting into the più allegro markings not just speed but an increase in intensity, that a moment of wayward tuning, just before the fiveminute mark, is left uncorrected. Though initially disconcerted, I did find this became less of an issue on repeated listening. The PHQ’s inherently ‘vocal’ style gives the First Quartet’s biographical elements a particularly poignant edge. This is especially effective in moments such as the cello soliloquy that opens the Largo sostenuto, which finds Peter Jar≤≈ek voluptuously eloquent, his poignant phrases answered with equal intensity by leader Veronika Jar≤≈ková (tr 3, 0’50”). Here, the PHQ are several degrees warmer than the more forlorn Talich, whose reading prizes plangency over lyricism and whose every climax is almost painfully hard-won. In the finale, the Jerusalem find a thrilling drive, without making light of the more inward moments. Yet the PHQ are to my mind more compelling still, launching into it with a heady exultancy which makes the catastrophic moment where Smetana’s deafness is announced by a piercing high E on the first violin (tr 4, 3’34”) all the more searing – more shocking in impact than either the Jerusalem or even the Talich. Nothing can be the same after this; and in the closing minutes of the quartet they manage to convey a succession of emotions – warmth, doubt, determination and ultimately a quiet sense of resignation. There is no shortage of exceptional readings of the First Quartet but Smetana’s Second is another case entirely. It has never enjoyed the same success as the First, being dismissed (rather in the manner of Schumann’s late music) as being the product of a deeply disturbed mind. But, as we’ve belatedly learnt with Schumann, disturbed does not preclude flashes of genius, which is surely the case here. Smetana wrote the Second Quartet just months before his death from syphilis and – while not wishing to draw oversimplistic parallels between life and work – anguish combines with an extraordinary intensity. It’s easy to understand why it has perplexed listeners, for here is a work that constantly 14 GRAMOPHONE AWARDS 2015 gramophone.co.uk
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Gramophone awards shortList 2015 Highly personal and spectacularly good Smetana: at times it’s hard to believe you are in the presence of only four players, so intense is the sound S U P R A P H O N /K A D E R A B E K L U K A S : p h o t o G r a p h y shifts, eluding your grasp with its endlessly varying tempos and moods. In the wrong hands it can seem merely ungainly. The PHQ understand absolutely the plasticity of Smetana’s vision and convey it unerringly, unshrinkingly – and in some ways even more convincingly than the Talich, which is saying something. This is extraordinarily bold playing – and they truly capture the sense that Smetana is writing symphonic quartet music. The extremes are, again, tellingly conveyed. Take a passage such as the second movement (tr 6, 1’03”) where, in contrast to the angry, angular octave writing, Smetana gives the viola a consoling melody against lolloping muted violins, conveyed with great immediacy here. And if you want to hear how powerful this group can sound, just sample the opening of the third movement (tr 7), which has an inexorable vehemence to it that is frankly terrifying. It gives the imitative writing that follows not only a heart-rending fragility but also an otherworldliness that seems to summon the spirit of Beethoven’s late quartets. And in the PHQ’s hands, the dance of the finale, now affirmative, now hesitant, seems to pose as many questions as it answers. Is he going to snatch victory from darkness? For a time it seems as if it might be so; but the final repeated slashing chords (tr 8, 2’22”) have an unmistakable air of desperation about them. The recording captures the quartet as if they were in your living room and if anyone thinks that a disc of under 50 minutes is a bit mean, sample the music-making and you’ll soon change your mind. This is the kind of disc that makes record reviewing the best job in the world. Harriet Smith (May 2015) Stg Qts – selected comparison:  Talich Qt (9/14) (LDV) LDV255  Stg Qt No 1 – selected comparison:  Jerusalem Qt (3/14) (HARM) HMC90 2178 ‘Winds & Piano’ Beethoven Quintet for Piano and Winds, Op 16 Caplet Quintet for Piano and Winds Farrenc Sextet, Op 40 Mozart Quintet for Piano and Winds, K452 Poulenc Sextet, Op 100 Rimsky-Korsakov Quintet for Piano and Winds Roussel Divertissement, Op 6 Thuille Sextet, Op 6 Les Vents Français with Eric Le Sage pf Warner Classics S c 2564 62318-5 (179’ • DDD) Two favourites (of mine, at any rate) frame this three-CD set of wind-ensemble pieces from Les Vents Français. The fact that they are also superbly played and instinctively characterised from the stylistic point of view should not be a cause for surprise when you see that the group of players comprises such illustrious musicians as the flautist Emmanuel Pahud, clarinettist Paul Meyer, oboist François Leleux and bassoonist Gilbert Audin, with Radovan Vlatkovic´ on horn and Eric Le Sage on piano. This is a positive dream team, who not only capture the music’s individual spirit but also clearly enjoy doing so. They start off with Poulenc’s Sextet of 1932, a work that has the capacity to win over even the most impatient Poulencsceptic with its joie de vivre and its blend of charm and effervescence. Then at the end of the recital comes Rimsky-Korsakov’s Quintet of 1876, dating to the time when Rimsky, having been appointed inspector of naval bands, steeped himself in a study of wind instruments and produced not only this Quintet but also the concertos for trombone, oboe and clarinet. He was not, perhaps, as assured in his writing for piano. The Quintet is a work with flaws; but in a generous performance such as this one from Les Vents Français they are effectively disguised so that the first movement, for instance, comes across with the brio Rimsky must have intended rather than being bogged down, as can sometimes happen, by the piano’s weightiness. Even the dutiful fugue in the central movement is given mellifluous shape and thoughtful colouring here. The second disc is the centrepiece of the set with its exceptionally well-defined and balanced interpretations of Mozart’s piano-and-wind Quintet of 1784 and Beethoven’s of 1796. But there are some rarities here, too. In the piano-writing of her 1852 C minor Sextet, the French composer Louise Farrenc reveals her debt to the likes of Hummel but the woodwind instruments are likewise treated considerately and with alertness to timbre, particularly in a beguiling slow movement. The Quintet (1899) by André Caplet perhaps shows why he is more famous as a friend and orchestrator of Debussy, and Ludwig Thuille’s B flat Sextet (1888) cannot really shake off an influence from Brahms. But the set as a whole is a compelling compendium of creative variety unified by matchless musicianship. Geoffrey Norris (March 2015) gramophone.co.uk GRAMOPHONE AWARDS 2015 15

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Gramophone awards shortList 2015

works in terrific, beautifully balanced Harmonia Mundi sound. Guy Rickards (March 2015) Althorn, Tbn & Tpt Sons – selected comparison:  Various, Gould (3/93) (SONY) SM2K52671  Vc Son – selected comparison:  Warner, Buck (BRID) BRIDGE9088  Vc & Tbn Sons – selected comparison:  Ostertag, Slokar, Randalu     (12/97) (MDG) MDG304 0697-2  Tbn & Tpt Sons – selected comparison:  Lindberg, Pöntinen, Tarr, Westenholz     (3/94) (BIS) BIS-CD159  Tpt Son – selected comparisons:  Helseth, Stott (5/13) (EMI) 416471-2  Laubin, Randalu (MDG) MDG304 0696-2  Vn Son – selected comparisons:  Wallin, Pöntinen (8/96) (BIS) BIS-CD761  FP Zimmermann, Pace (9/13) (BIS) BIS-CD2024  Becker-Bender, Nagy (12/13) (HYPE) CDA68014

Langgaard ‘String Quartets, Vol 3’ String Quartets – No 1, BVN68; No 5, BVN189. Quartet Movement, ‘Italian Scherzo’, BVN408 Nightingale Quartet Dacapo F Í 6 220577 (69’ • DDD/DSD)

Gramophone’s conferment of Young Artists of the Year on the Nightingale

Quartet is no less than these four intrepid artists deserve. Their Langgaard cycle is bringing this maverick composer the kind of broader recognition he always deserved, and their playing on this final volume lives up to the sky-high standards they have led us to expect.

In his booklet essay, Tim Frederiksen, who has mentored the Nightingales throughout the process, characterises the first CD as mainly dramatic and the second as predominantly poetic and idyllic, while the third embraces both aspects and thereby makes a fitting conclusion. Both quartets recorded here fit that description (the Italian  Scherzo is a chip from the workbench, though an engaging one). The First is the more deceptive, in a way that anyone already attuned to Langgaard will relish. The leisurely first movement manages to behave itself but the scherzo evidently has trouble keeping the lid on, and imaginative transgression bursts through on the last page (I wondered at this point if Langgaard may have known Borodin’s First Quartet). The long slow movement returns to sobriety for the most part but becomes seriously disruptive in the late stages, while the finale moves from initial entrancement to an energised robusto coda.

The Fifth Quartet is altogether milder. It starts with a respectful nod to Grieg and continues with a mainly reflective, leisurely first movement. Still, like the British weather, if you don’t like it, all you have to do is wait a bit. The finale is especially changeable; and even though this work might not be the one to choose to induct a friend to Langgaard, it has a winning charm that doesn’t pale on repetition. Beautifully judged recording quality and authoritative essays complement the performances ideally. David Fanning (December 2014)

Smetana String Quartets – No 1, ‘From My Life’; No 2 Pavel Haas Quartet Supraphon F SU4172-2 (48’ • DDD)

This is becoming a bit of a habit. The Pavel Haas Quartet record a disc. Critics swoon and reach for their superlatives box, usually hidden away on a top shelf to avoid overindulgence. Result? It ends up as Disc of the Month and a hot contender for a Gramophone Award. But swooning is not enough, and nor are superlatives. So let’s try and explore why this is so spectacularly good.

The PHQ already have an extraordinary track record with music of their Czech homeland (Dvo∑ák, Janá∂ek and of course Haas), so their Smetana was always going to be highly personal. Their sound is, as ever, immediately recognisable – partly due to the sheer richness of timbre but also the sense of four personalities at play. That is palpable from the opening viola solo of the First Quartet: here, Pavel Nikl revels in the juicy lower register of his instrument and the effect is markedly different from the Jerusalem Quartet’s viola player who is less lustrous-toned. In the answering phrases between the two violins what is striking is the level of detail combined with an apparent spontaneity. What this new version captures particularly compellingly is the sense of the music’s extremes – at times it’s hard to believe you are in the presence of only four players, so intense is the sound. No element is taken for granted, and the way they colour the dotted falling figure that dominates so much of the first movement is a masterclass in imagination yet never sounds in the least bit contrived.

Not everyone is going to agree about their approach to the polka-infused second movement. They are more galumphing than the Jerusalem, who cut a fine, sophisticated dash and are slightly fleeter in the outer sections. On the other hand, the PHQ’s viola brings off the quasi tromba marking very effectively (tr 2, 0’48”), while in the fairground-like Trio, the two violinists judge to a nicety the crescendos and diminuendos on their double-stopped chords in which Smetana conjures up a very lifelike squeezebox (sample from 1’46” onwards). In fact, so focused are they on the characterisation of this movement, injecting into the più allegro markings not just speed but an increase in intensity, that a moment of wayward tuning, just before the fiveminute mark, is left uncorrected. Though initially disconcerted, I did find this became less of an issue on repeated listening.

The PHQ’s inherently ‘vocal’ style gives the First Quartet’s biographical elements a particularly poignant edge. This is especially effective in moments such as the cello soliloquy that opens the Largo sostenuto, which finds Peter Jar≤≈ek voluptuously eloquent, his poignant phrases answered with equal intensity by leader Veronika Jar≤≈ková (tr 3, 0’50”). Here, the PHQ are several degrees warmer than the more forlorn Talich, whose reading prizes plangency over lyricism and whose every climax is almost painfully hard-won. In the finale, the Jerusalem find a thrilling drive, without making light of the more inward moments. Yet the PHQ are to my mind more compelling still, launching into it with a heady exultancy which makes the catastrophic moment where Smetana’s deafness is announced by a piercing high E on the first violin (tr 4, 3’34”) all the more searing – more shocking in impact than either the Jerusalem or even the Talich. Nothing can be the same after this; and in the closing minutes of the quartet they manage to convey a succession of emotions – warmth, doubt, determination and ultimately a quiet sense of resignation.

There is no shortage of exceptional readings of the First Quartet but Smetana’s Second is another case entirely. It has never enjoyed the same success as the First, being dismissed (rather in the manner of Schumann’s late music) as being the product of a deeply disturbed mind. But, as we’ve belatedly learnt with Schumann, disturbed does not preclude flashes of genius, which is surely the case here. Smetana wrote the Second Quartet just months before his death from syphilis and – while not wishing to draw oversimplistic parallels between life and work – anguish combines with an extraordinary intensity. It’s easy to understand why it has perplexed listeners, for here is a work that constantly

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