June 23, 2011

  • Review: Graupner Concerti

     

    Graupner: Bassoon and Violin Concerti
    Sergio Azzolini, bassoon. Christian Leitherer, chalumeau. Ensemble il capriccio/Friedemann Wezel
    Carus 83.443
    Total Time:  73:04
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

     

    Christoph Graupner (1683-1760) is one of those lesser known figures whose work lies under the shadow of J.S. Bach.  Graupner, spent some time in Leipzig and Dresden before making his way to Hamburg.  He worked as a copyist for Johann Kuhnau, and even took lessons from Johann David Heinichen (then Hofkapelmeister in Dresden).  It was in Hamburg where the struggling composer found work at an opera house as a harpsichordist.  A young Handel was spending some time in the city at the time eventually ending up as Kapellmeister for the Landgrave of Hesse-Darmstadt where he would be until his death.

    Graupner’s interest in the concerto form began in the 1720s and he did what many composers of the time did, copied many concertos for his own use.  The process was a perfect training ground for learning orchestration and how these new formal pieces worked.  It was not until 1730 when he tried his hand in the genre (eventually he would compose some 44 solo, double, or group concerti that we can attribute to him).  Four of the six pieces recorded here are bassoon concerti.  Most likely, they were inspired by the virtuoso Johann Christian Klotsch who joined the Darmstadt orchestra in 1735.  The concerti are fascinating for how they explore the range of the bassoon and feature more thematic material that is developed through sonata form.  These are not just sequential Baroque concerti.  The Italianate influence of Vivaldi might be inferred at times in some of the more energetic Vivace or Allegro passages.  What is fascinating in these pieces is the way Graupner “concerts” his music in dialogue with the strings and soloist often in quick succession.  The concerto in C minor, GWV 307, is quite fascinating with its second movement “Vivace” a real highlight reminiscent of Vivaldi’s concerti.  The solo line is deftly composed to move material through the registers of the instrument and while leaping a bit more angularly at times, Graupner throws in plenty of virtuosic scalar runs to liven things up.  The dance-like feel to some of the music lends these concerti a sort of dance suite interest.  Also distinguishing are the beautiful melodic lines in the slow movements of these works that get at the expressive qualities of the bassoon. 

    Sergio Azzolini provides rather committed performances here and the period instrument creates a rather warmer sound that is well-balanced with the period instrument ensemble.  He is one of the premier solo bassoonists working in period instrument performance and his many CDs attest to this.  In these Graupner pieces listener’s are in for a real treat as he seems to effortlessly move through the various segments of these works that have enough individual character to make them worthy of more attention. 

    Also included on this release is Graupner’s sole Violin Concerto.  It is a fascinating piece that straddles the Baroque and Rococo periods where form is as much a part of the structure as the many sequential solo passages and orchestral responses are.  But what makes the music fascinating are some of the unusual harmonic arrival points within phrases.  The first movement in particular is quite dramatic, even more so than the bassoon concerti, suggesting an almost operatic quality.  Director Friedemann Wezel’s performance is breathtaking in passages that must be quite difficult but do not come across so.  This will not supplant the plethora of Baroque/early Classical concerti but shows off the quality if Graupner’s style well.

    Of additional interest is the unusual concerto for bassoon, chalumeau, and cello (GWV 306).  Written perhaps around 1754 when the clarinet and chalumeau virtuoso Karl Jakob Gozian appeared at court.  Pairing these essentially “warmer” colored instrumental timbres is at times very fascinating as Graupner shifts phrases between each with such grace.  The chalumeau has a darker color than the subsequent clarinet which tends to get blended differently when it plays in and around the bassoon lines.  It is also interesting to hear how the cello solo gets incorporated with the bassoon ideas, but this piece really shows off the wind instruments.

    The period instruments here definitely help lend these performances a greater intimacy and more perfect balance than might have occurred in a modern larger orchestral support.  Nice touches in the continuo lines include the addition of a lute or baroque guitar.  The balance is well-captured in the recording.

    Graupner’s music is quite engaging and will be a unique surprise for those who enjoy discovering composers whose music is a testament to the evolution of Baroque styles into the more formal compositional architecture that would become the Classical style.  The sequencing of the concerti makes this an even easier disc to appreciate as the bassoon works are spread out making them easier to appreciate as individual works.  The performances are all recommendable and worthy of attention and it is perhaps worth noting that three of the works receive their World Premiere Recordings here.  Highly recommended.