Another Batch of Reissues

Author(s): Francis Knights

Source: Early Music, Vol. 34, No. 3 (Aug., 2006), pp. 522-525
Published by: Oxford University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3805906
Accessed: 02-12-2016 01:43 UTC

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plays the etudes and Trois amusements on a fortepiano by
Jacob Pfister, dating from c.1820, an expressive instrument
capable of a wide range of timbres, from the grandly per-
cussive to the lightest and most delicate. Khouri particu?
larly savours the varied charms of the Trois Amusements,
which are in the style of dances and are headed respectively
a la Suisse, a VAutrichienne and a la Styrienne. The longest
of the etudes, and for me the most attractive of the set, is
the poignantly contemplative, and at times more troubled,
no.22 in B\> minor, with its feverish arabesques and wraith-
like figuration. The emphasis from the start is on pieces in
lively tempi, the opening C major study storming along in
boisterous cascades. The final works in the recital, Rondo
brillant (1826) and Rondo villageois (1831), are played on a
grand of 1832 by John Broadwood & Sons, an instrument
that by comparison makes at first a thin, strident impres-
sion; the listener then begins to appreciate the clarity it
permits, and its bell-like resonance. The pleasure of the
disc is enhanced by the lengthy scholarly booklet notes
by Khouri; the recording lacks something in intimacy
and atmosphere, but is otherwise very satisfactory.
Hummel deserves more than the rather piecemeal
attention accorded him by the big record companies.
Chandos are a much more than worthy exception to this
reissues, but three groups of recordings?a substan
history of music in sound from Harmonia Mundi, s
classic 1960s and 1970s discs from Deutsche Harm
Mundi, and three collections of pioneering harpsichor
Wanda Landowska?proved to be too interesting
pass by.
Harmonia Mundi's new Century: A history of music
in 20 CDs is in one way a very radical statement. Although
wide-ranging historical anthologies of this kind are
almost as old as the gramophone itself?one thinks
of series like HMV's History of Music in Sound?this
must be the first to allot disc space firmly on the basis
of chronological duration. Thus, we begin in Antiquity,
and progress forward century by century until the
Classical period is reached with disc 15; then, the whole
of Romanticism, Nationalism and serialism are allotted
one CD each, with two to cover the 20th century. At the
other end of history, we do not even reach polyphony
until disc 5. Harmonia Mundi are thus not only redressing
the balance of musical history, but creating a valuable
educational resource. Each disc comes in a cardboard
double-gatefold, with appropriate artwork, which is
discussed alongside notes on the music and broader
culture.

generalization, thanks most obviously to their fine series All this is, of course, only possible as a result of the
of CDs of the major church music from Collegium label's vast and impressive back catalogue of early
Musicum 90 under Richard Hickox; Naxos too are music, which is exploited to the full here. The oldest
bold in their promotion of his music. Let us hope that recordings date back to 1967, but the great majority are
we shall not have to wait indefinitely for recordings of more recent date and of very high quality; the series
of some of Hummel's cantatas and stage works, and functions both as a history of music, and also as a
indeed, more ofthe richly varied music for piano solo. comprehensive history of recent performing styles. For
example, a sequence of seven Italian madrigals by
Websites Rore, Lassus, Marenzio and Gesualdo is in the capable
hands of the Hilliard Ensemble, Huelgas Ensemble,
Calliope http://www.calliope.tm.fr
Ensemble Clement Janequin, Concerto Vocale and Les
Lyrichord http://www.lyrichord.com
Arts Florissants. The only real omission is keyboard
Music & Arts http://www.musicandarts.com
music: there are no substantial excerpts of music for
Naxos http://www.naxos.com
organ or harpsichord; and it was presumably an oversight
Warner Classics http://www.warnerclassics.com
that Sermisy's charming chanson Tant que vivray appears
on both the 'Renaissance' and 'Chansons' discs.
doi:10.1093/em/cal046
The music of earliest times is immensely frustrating:
from poetic and other descriptions we know rather
more about the effects it had on listeners than what it
Francis Knights
actually sounded like. All transcriptions of the remaining
Another batch of reissues notation fragments, and the performing styles themselves,
are necessarily conjectural, even very conjectural.
However, the attempt is well worth making, and the three
The continuing flood of new CDs means that Early musicsections of I: Music of the Ancient world (Harmonia
rarely has a chance to catch up on important historicalMundi hmx 2908163, rec 1975-2004, 68') include music

522 EARLY MUSIC AUGUST 2006

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of ancient Greece, music ofthe Bible, and chant from theOckeghem's Requiem. The readings, from the Ferrara
Byzantine, Melchite and Gallic traditions. Performers Ensemble, Ensemble Organum, the Orlando Consort,
include Conrad Steinmann, Suzanne Haik Vantoura the Hilliard Ensemble and the Huelgas Ensemble are
and Sister Marie Keyrouz. There is a certain amount ofuniformly excellent. Most of the same performers, plus
let-the-percussionist-off-the-lead improvisation, butEnsemble Clement Janequin and Ensemble Vocal
also haunting moments like an excerpt from the BookEuropeen, are entrusted with VIII: Renaissance sacred
of Esther. II: Chant of the early Christians (hmx music (hmx 2908170, rec 1986-2002, 77'). By now the
2908164, rec 1988-98, 76') continues the exploration of selection of works has become almost impossible, but a
non-Gregorian chant, with examples of the Ambrosian,group of mass movements by Josquin, La Rue, Janequin,
Old Roman, Beneventan and Mozarabic. Marcel Peres Palestrina, Byrd and Monteverdi, and motets by Josquin,
and Ensemble Organum are the expert guides here. Tallis, Lassus, Palestrina and Gesualdo offers sensible
On III: Gregorian chant (hmx 2908165, rec 1974- choices; one does not know whether to wonder more at
2003, 77') the principal work is the Requiem Mass, beau?the richness of the music or the quality of the
tifully sung by the Deller Consort, supplemented performances. The secular music of the period is much
by mass movements, responsories and the like, fromless performed, but of equal stature, as the sequence of
Anonymous 4, Ensemble Organum and the Theatre ofFrench chansons, Italian madrigals and English songs
Voices. shows on IX: Songs of the Renaissance (hmx 2908171,
The secular world makes its first appearance in IV:rec 1977-2004, 660- One of the highlights is certainly
Trouveres & troubadours: Minnesanger and other Ensemble Clement Janequin's reading of their epon-
courtly arts (hmx 2908166, rec 1971-2003, 76'), alongymous composer's La Chasse.
with a battery of perhaps unnecessary percussion. It is extraordinary to realize that it takes until X:
The performers include the Clemencic Consort, the DufayThe rise of instrumental music (hmx 2908172, rec 1982-
Collective, the Harp Consort, the Newberry Consort2001, 8o')> half-way through the series, for non-vocal
and Theatre of Voices. The quieter pieces are often most traditions to make their mark. That instrumental music
evocative, and translations would have been of real use. was originally partly an offshoot of motet and song is
By the 12th century, composers were beginning to writeshown by the first group of intabulations and
in parts, and V: The birth of polyphony (hmx 2908167,arrangements, whch is followed by solo works from
rec 1983-2003, 77') duly focuses on the Notre Dame Valderrabano, Francesco da Milano, Kapsberger and
school, but also includes works from the Bamberg others; performers include lutenists Paul O'Dette and
and Montpellier manuscripts, and a Sarum Marian Andreas Martin. A final selection, 'Music for dancing',
mass. Ensemble Organum, the Theatre of Voices andreminds us of the function of much social music. With
Anonymous 4 provide the sonorities, the last groupthe next disc, XI: The Italian Baroque revolution (hmx
being an especially persuasive advocate. The process of 2908173, rec 1983-2002, 78'), comes the explosion of
development continues with the same performers informs that were to dominate the Baroque era: opera,
VI: Ars Nova: A revolution in the late Middle Agesoratorio, sonata and concerto. The 21 tracks take us
(hmx 2908168, rec 1975-2001, 77'). As well as excerpts from Monteverdi's book 5 to Handel's Flavio, via Fresco-
from the Roman de Fauvel, there are movements frombaldi, Cavalli, Corelli and so on, with performances led
the Tournai and Machaut masses?the latter in Ensemble by, among others, Concerto Vocale, Les Arts Florissants
Organum's extraordinary quasi-Arabic performance. and Ensemble 415.
Parisian chansons and songs from the Italian Ars Nova The remaining CDs of those that fall into the pre-
are given more courtly treatment. Classical period are divided on national lines: XII:
Where the Middle Ages ends and the RenaissanceBaroque England (hmx 2908174, rec 1979-2003, 79O,
XIII: French music in the age of Louis XIV (hmx
begins in music has never been quite clear, but the major
styles are covered in VII: Ars Subtilior: Dawn of the2908175, rec 1980-1993, 78') and XIV: Late Baroque
Renaissance (hmx 2908169, rec 1982-2003, 78'). After Germany (hmx 2908176, rec 1967-2004, 79'). Here again
are carefully considered selections across genres?
works by Ciconia, Senleches and Solage in the famously
complex Ars Subtilior manner, two English motets by chamber music, sonatas, anthems, concertos, oratorios,
Dunstable and Plummer lead into a group of works bypassions, masques, motets, suites and symphonies.
Appropriately, Purcell and Handel dominate England,
Dufay, Busnois and Binchois, plus two movements from

EARLY MUSIC AUGUST 2006 523

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while France is more evenly split between the talents of Benedicta es, Miserere mei and Inviolata, and the perf
Charpentier, Lully, Delalande, Gautier, de Visee, Marais mances are energetic.
and the Couperins. Finally, Bach is sandwiched between Moving forward to the Baroque period there is the p
his precursors and successors, with the last word given neering recording of the 53-part Missa Salisburgen
to his sons C. P. E., W. F. and J. C. Harmonia Mundi (82876 70810-2, rec 1974, 49'). Many musicians feel
are spoiled for choice with their performers here: London this fine anonymous behemoth can only be the wor
Baroque, the Academy of Ancient Music, Les Arts Biber, but his name only appears in the booklet note
Florissants and the Akademie fur Alte Musik Berlin. a possible author. The Escolania de Montserrat, the
Knabenchor and Collegium Aureum under Iren
This is a splendid series, expertly executed, and will
contain surprises for even the early music recordings
Segarra are clearly enjoying themselves. On a smaller
expert. is Music in Versailles (82876 70040-2, rec 1970, 4
A group of 12 reissues from Deutsche Harmonia where Wieland and Sigiswald Kuijken plus Gustav L
Mundi are a reminder of the developing state of period- hardt explore the music of Marais (La Sonnerie and
instrument performance in the 1960s and 70s, and the Tombeau de M. Sainte-Colombe) and Forqueray (S
selection of music says almost as much about the era as no.5); this is undoubtedly the best disc in this group,
the performing style does. In almost every case they have it is a pity that the short d'Anglebert harpsichord so
been superseded by later recordings, but it is valuable to balanced too loudly.
have such discs back in the catalogue. In the LP-reissue A Roccoco flirt (82876 70033-2, rec 1961, 39') is s
spirit that remains fashionable, the original cover art is titled 'light-hearted and frivolous songs', and inclu
reproduced, as are?less happily?the original modest mostly German arias?without texts and translati
durations. The lion's share of these CDs is taken by unfortunately. Neverthess, soprano Edith Mathis
Collegium Aureum, a pioneering ensemble that was the bass-baritone Benno Kusche convey much ofthe humo
first to tackle many works now in the repertory. Their even if their stolid continuo team do not seem to get
approach seemed to combine early instruments with joke. Equally enjoyable is a pair of discs of Music
modern playing style, with admittedly variable results, recorder (82876 70032-2, rec 1961/1970, 2 CDs, 89'),
but DHM (now part of the Sony/BMG empire) also pro- turing Hans-Martin Linde in sonatas and other wo
moted talent like Gustav Leonhardt, the Tolz Boys' Choir by Handel, Telemann, van Eyck and contemporar
and Pro Cantione Antiqua. Seasonal offerings come in the form of Renaiss
Three discs of choral music from the late Middle Ages Christmas music (82876 69996-2, rec 1961/65, 78'), fr
to early Renaissance are all now dated, but not entirely Elly Ameling and the Tolz Knabenchor under Gerh
without merit. The Deller Consort's LPs of Machaut's Schmidt-Gaden, and Christmas concertos (82876
Mass and music from Notre Dame appear as Music70041-2,
at rec 1966, 58') with Collegium Aureum. The latter
Reims Cathedral and at Notre-Dame in Paris (Deutsche
includes the compulsory Corelli and Manfredini works
Harmonia Mundi 82876 70035-2, rec 1960-61, 67'). (op.6
The no.8 and op.3 no.12 respectively), with Tartini's
use of a too-modern sounding instrumental ensemble
Sinfonia pastorale and an appealing Concerto pastorale by
(Collegium Aureum), combined with a sense that Johann
this Christoph Pez.
music is still not yet familiar enough, renders the MachautThree final discs are devoted to the master of the
an unconvincing affair, and the buzzy tone used Baroque.
for The Bach: Viola da gamba sonatas (82876
the Perotin and other Notre-Dame pieces seems from 70045-2, rec 1961, 41') are performed by Johannes Koch
and Gustav Leonhardt, while Collegium Aureum tackle
another age. From a few years later, the Tolz Knabenchor
under Gerhard Schmidt-Gaden show Dufay: Missa Se Bach:
la Die Kunst der Fuge on two CDs (82876 70047-2,
face ay pale (82876 69992-2, rec 1964, 44') to be near-
rec 1962, 89') and a group of Bach: Concertos (82876
indestructable, and also reminds us that less vibrato 70044-2,
and rec 1965-76, 6i'). The sonatas come off quite
fewer voices?as exemplified by the David Munrow well, if not equal to the later Wieland Kuijken/Leonhardt
recording a decade later?would pay dividends. Onversion,an but the Art of Fugue (on string quartet, plus
even grander scale is Josquin: Motets (82876 69993-2,wooden harpsichord duos from Fritz Neumeyer and Lilly
rec 1972, 47'), where Pro Cantione Antiqua are joinedBerger)
by are too legato- and vibrato-laden to make very
the Tolz boys, Collegium Aureum and the Hamburg enjoyable listening. The third disc includes the most
Blaserkreis fur Alte Musik. The six works include modern recordings in this batch?1976?and shows real

524 EARLY MUSIC AUGUST 2006

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stylistic advances, plus some now-familiar soloists:
Barthold Kuijken, Bob van Asperen and Leonhardt again.
Quite what has generated recent interest in Wanda
Landowska's recordings is hard to explain; the 50th anni?
versary of her death is still three years off. However, it is
timely to have reissues from Naxos, Andromeda and
RCA, covering the period 1933 to 1954, as a reminder
of her special talents, recently discussed in these pages
by Michael Latcham in 'Don Quixote and Wanda
Landowska: bells and Pleyels' (February 2006, pp. 95-
109). Her most celebrated recording is still the 1933 Paris
Bach: Goldberg Variations (Naxos 8.110313, rec 1933/
1936, 73')> and this duly appears on the first CD, coupled
with the Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue and the Italian
Concerto. One can see why her playing was such a revela-
tion: these are dynamic, characterful interpretations that
must have convinced many both of her rightness of inter?
pretation and the harpsichord itself. Of course, her
mammoth Pleyel cannot but be anathema to a generation
brought up on historical-style instruments, and the
prismatic registration changes soon tire, but the con-
viction and dexterity are altogether admirable. There
have been several previous incarnations of these 70-year
old HMV recordings, but Mark Obert-Thorn's is among
the very best, and the sound quality is remakably good,
considering the instrument and date.
More Bach appears on a three-disc set called Wanda
Landowska: The great Baroque repertoire (Andromeda
andrcd 5033, rec 1934-54, 189O. This begins with a very
driven English Suite no.2 (the huge rallentandos in the
Allemande perplex), and continue with a fine D major
Toccata?the sparkle ofthe gigue's coda unmatched until
Trevor Pinnock's late 1970s LP, an elegant first Partita, the
French Suite no.2 and a set of short preludes. The second
disc is entirely taken up with 19 movements culled from
Couperin's ordres?the world was not yet ready for
a complete suite by such a little-known composer! The
state of musicological knowledge at that time was inade-
quate for a correct rendering of some of the pieces, but
she catches the mood more often than not, and there is
a sense of both discovery and enjoyment. Intriguingly,
the last four tracks come from a live performance in
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February 1954. Disc 3 includes Rameau's Suite in E minor
and excerpts from that in G, plus Handel's Concerto op.6
no.4 and two Handel suites from the 1733 set, in D minor
and G?excellent only in parts, for Handel and the Pleyel
mix less well than the others.
The remastering is decent enough, but there is a right-
hand bias to the balance, and Rameau's Les Tricotets
appears twice, instead of being followed by La Poule.
The booklet is a typical low-grade production, with no
notes, no contact details for the record company, no
credits for engineering, and on the cover a picture
of Landowska playing the clavichord?an instrument of
which she was not over-fond. Having said that, this is
an acceptably economical way of sampling some of her
non-Bachian repertory.
The third set is a much more luxurious affair, and com-
prises seven discs ofthe Bach recordings Landowska made
for RCA in the decade around 1950, when she was in her
late 60s and early 70s, Bach: The Landowska recordings
(RCA Red Seal 82876-67891-2, rec 1945-57, 4420- There
is a trade-off to be had here between recording quality
and youth, alas. The recorded sound is much clearer and
brighter than on the 78 transfers (and paradoxically makes
the Pleyel sound more uncongenial), but a little of
Landowska's youthful dynamism has departed. Some of
it is almost staid. The '48' recording of 1949-54 is fairly
well known, while the 1945 Goldbergs make a fascinating
comparison to the earlier one in its details. The remainder
of the set is taken up with the Inventions and Sinfonias,
the Partita no.2 and miscellaneous pieces. Here, still, is a
sense of great conviction?this is exactly how she means
the music to sound, which is a valuable lesson for us today
when a plurality of performing styles has left some players
unsure as to what 'their' Bach really might be.
Websites
Deutsche Harmonia Mundi http://www.bmgclassics.com/
Harmonia Mundi http://www.harmoniamundi.com
Naxos http://www.naxos.com
RCA http://www.bmgclassics.com/
doi:10.1093/em/cal049
EARLY MUSIC AUGUST 2006 525