ErkorekaKaiolan. Muraiki. Ertzak.Saturno. Krater. Pyrite. Rond6Ensemble Rechercheverso @ vRS2155 03'. DDD)

The generally vagrebooklet-notesaccompanying this disccontain a revealing

quote. Erkoreka's teacher Michael Finnissytold his student that ^rthas two essential

'

ingredients, ambiguity and dirt. Perhapsthat's the intention behind the openingselection Kttiolan's declamatorv clusters.slow-drooling string poname,rios and overa||textural bleakness. Nthorgh Muraiki {orsolo bass flute can't completely avoidclichdd extended techniques and goes ontoo long for what the music has to say,I love the shakuhachi-like qualities of itssimplest melodic material. Ertzak openswith a single note passed around betweenstring trio, flute and clarinet, and soonmorphs into mainly middle-registertremolos, followed by delicate lines inregister extremes. After big rhythmicbuilding-up at the halfivay mark, thetemolos retarn, fragmented and shuffledwith colourfu I sophisdcation.

Krater rcsembles Kaiolan but withmore rhlthmically engaging, virruosopassagework. llowever, Rond.ri seems theclearest and most carefully crafted amongthe four works for larger ensemble, whereErkoreka's signature gestures (clusterchords, slides, quick as)'rnmetrical phrases)unfold with more characterful contrastsand narrative flow. These qualitiesdistinguish Saturno for clarinet and celloto even more imaginative effect, from itsraucous opening flourishes and quiet low-pitched collisions to the lyrical clarinetIines supported byjagged cello pizzicatosand slow-motion tag-teaming above andbeyond the staff. An arguably rambling solopiece for vibraphone, Pyrite, stands out forErkoreka's skilful manipulation of theresonator pedal playing offpercussive non-sustained note attaclc. Say what you willabout ambiguity and din but the musiciansof Ensemble Recherche navieateErkoreka's dilficult r.or., *ilth the utrnostin clarity and cleanliness. Jed Disuer

GnaltatiAlma brasi leira'Sonatina No 2 for Guitar and Pianoa. Sonata forCello and Guitarb. Alma brasileira. Danqabrasileira. Petite suite. Toccata em ritmo desamba - No 1; No 2. Saudade. Moto continuo l.Negaceando. Canhoto. Vaidosa l. Capoeirando.

gramophone.co.uk

Trapaceando. Manhosamente. Batuque. Toccata

FnnzHalflszgtr bWen-Sinn Yang vcaD6bora Hal6szpf

Bts @ *c- Bts2086 (73'. DDD/DSD)

The music of thehugely prolificBrazrltan pianist,composer and arranger

Radam6s Gnattali (1906-88) is so fluentand attractive that it's hard to believe thatthose very qualities worked against hisbeing recognised as a seri6us artist in hislifetime and beyond. Not only that:Gnattali dared to make extensive use ofBrazrlran popular music and to writeserious concert music for the zuitar.

After exploring rhe piano ,nd guitrtmusic of composers such as Ginastera,Brouwer, Ponce, Castelnuovo-Tedescoand others, husband-and-wife duo Franzand D6bora Hal6sz have here chosen toplace Gnattali's Sonatina No 2 for guitarand piano in the context of some of hissolo works for both instruments; cellistWen-Sinn Yang also joins Franz Haliszfor a gracefully piquant Sonata for celloand guitar.

Brazilian-born D6bora Hal6sz brings apotent expressivity and obvious authority tothe piano music, which as guitarist FabioZanon points out in his booklet-note bearsthe influence of Chopin and Bart6k -

though there are also echoes ofSpanishmasters such as Granados and Alb6niz inGnattali's effordess blending of populardance forms and classical salon music.FranzHalSsz is, however, equally ar homein the solo guitar music; and if he and hispartner successfully bring out the richlyrical strain and ear for colour inGnattali's superb guitar-and-pianosonatina, his uncanay sensitivity to thesimultaneous exigencies ofboth dance andsong serve only to underscore the superiorqualities ofguitar pieces such as the tirularAhna brasileira and Saudade. wiliam yeoman

Haydn l Hummet "@jHaydn Piano Trios - HobXV/l: H iiiiifiz,HobXV/27 Hummel Piano Trio No2,Op22TrioChaussonMirare @ MlR271 (63'. DDD)

"*,11$lIt,\rD\

r, Not always Haydn of, good cheer. There was' an arcane side; and,I from his letters to

Marianne von Genzinger, a depressive one

CF{AMBER REVIEV/S

movement in No 27. The leaping pianoclusters that spearhead the work don'tsuggest romping spirits. Instead TrioChausson's interpretation, at a tempoabout 10 points below the Beaux Arts,Florestan and Andrds Schiff, abounds inharmonic pointing and expressive detail,the brighter lights ofthe exposicionrunning into a sombre developmentwith a dark-hued fugato. Pianist Borisde Larochelambert leads and supports, beit in the depths of the I ndante or in steelyresolve {or the Presto frnaIe.

Never trivial, de Larochelambertweights both individual notes and chordswith care, his colleagues matching hisrhythmic patterns in the Alleg,o mlderatlof No 12, easing and tightening rempo.accenting and shading phrases accordingto how they choose to characterise themusic's shifting tonality. Yet harking backto the Baroque rectitude of No I poses noproblems. These musicians offer theirown d1'namics and elucidation, smilinglyrecreating the second movement's Trio inthe relative major.

Flummel, the pianist in Haydn'sTrio No 14 for Salomon's concert at theHanover Square Rooms in April 1792, isno mean composer of the genre either,giving the cello greater due, notably in thefirst variation of the Andante con uariazione.Trio Chausson don't relax their probingvigilance; and Hummel benefits. Anoutstanding disc. Naten AnthoniHaydn Pf Tno No 27 sekd?d wpoismt

Beam Am Trio (6/7F, 11/739 eHD 4t4 098-2P89

S chlf, S bio k aw a, P ergamenrb ikm

(1/96) (DECC) 444 862-2DH

FhrestmTrio (4/09 6mD CDA67719

Haydn PfTiio No 12 - ylected cwparbln:

Beam AmTrio @ENT) PTC|186 179

Hmel - sekaed cunpa*on:

GouliPfTrio NAXO) I t73098

HendelickxDisappearing in Light.Raga l l l . The Four ElementsHERMESensembleHERMESensembte @ 8714 835 085669 (74'. DDD)

Breathy notes onshakuhachi answeredby an eerily floatingmezzo-soprano

vocalise, punctuated by splashes of soundson temple gongs and followed by a bowednote or two on the kolqzu. A scene from a

Japanese puppet play, perhaps? Except theshakuhachi is in fact an alto flute. the kokrma viola, and the music composed byFlemish-born Wim Hendericlor.too. So no quick-stepping Allegro first

GRAMOPHONE MARCH 2015 53

CHAMBEIT REVIE\{iS

For over 20 years, Hendericls (b1962)

has been composing music which possessesmore than a nod to the East and its manymusical and spiritual traditions. There isnothing remotely exotic about Hendericlq'seast/west fusion, however. Sounding neitherentirely European nor Eastern, Henderickxengages deeply with the question of'integration' and has produced a distinctivestyle that is true both to itself and to thecultures and traditions upon which it draws.

In fact the first composition on this disc,Disappearing in Light (2008), takes its cuenot fromJapan but from India, forming

'

part ofthe large-scale Tantric Cycle,whichalso includes a string (or saxophone)quartet, a song-cycle, an opera, a numberof other ensemble pieces and the highlyimpressive Tejas for orchestra. Disappearingin Light does not possess the power andimpact of Hendericls's percussion-healyq-rnphonic music but does draw veryeffectively on the composer's fondness fordramatic contrasts across its five-movementdesign. The ensemble evoke a vast array ofcolours and gestures in this performance,also heard in the more rccent Tbe FourElem.ents (2011), which rounds off the disc.Mezzo-soprano Mireille Capelle'svocalisations are especially characterful.The other work included here, Raga III(2010) for viola and electronics, is areworking of Hendericlor's earlier Raga III(1995) for viola and orchesra with theorchestral part stripped down to little morethan an electronically generated drone, thesolo part played here with plenty of warmthand expression by the excellent MarcTooten. Pwyllapsi6n

Hinde-mith @Violin Sonataa. Cello Sonatab. Trumpet Sonatac.Trombone Sonatad. Althorn Sonata"

"lsabelle Faust yn bAlexander Rudin yccJeroen

Berwaerts fptdcerard Costes tbr "Teunis van derZwart- althor n Alexander Melnikov pf

Harmonia Mundi @ HMC90 5271 (71', . DDD)

If there is a Cinderellaamong Hindemith'sthree dozen(ish)

-. il - sonatas, it's not thatfor double bass, tuba. or even the CanonicSonatina for two flutes, but the Sonata foralthorn (1943). A tenor instrument, knownin the US as the alto horn, it is so rare thatHindemith accepted his sonata could beplayed on the horn or alto saxophone. It isa delightful work for a delightfulinstrument, beautifully rendered here.

Melnikov's role parallels that of GlennGould but his accounts are less wawvard

54 GRAMOPHONE MARCH 2015

than the Canadian's, his soloists generallystronger. Indeed, in most of the sonatas, theprimary competition comes from one-offrecordings (now that Ensemble VillaMusica's almost-complete sonata set, withpianist Kalle Randalu, is unavailable). OnBIS, Roland Printinen is accompanist forthree rival accounts. In the 1935 ViolinSonata, Wallin may now have beenovertaken by Zimmermann, Becker-Benderand now Isabelle Faust but choice willdepend primarily on couplings since themargins between these contenders is so fine.

So, too, with the others, though WendyWarner remains peerless'in the CelloSonata despite a fine challenger here fiomRudin. I would not want to be withoutLindberg's Trombone Sonata, thoughBIS's sound is a tad over-resonant.Costes's superb interpretation is the finestsince Antonsen's, accompanied bySawallisch (EMI - sadly nla), andcertainly a match for Laubin's. I preferCostes to Tine Thing Helseth's drivenaccount with Kath4,n Stott, in acomparatively fierce recording. In shortthen, this is a magnif icent disc. withleading or contending versions of all theworks in terrific, beautifully balancedHarmonia Mundi sound. Let's hopeMelnikov & Co return to record somemore. Guy RickardsAIthom, Thn dJ Tpt 506 - seleded cmptrison:

Variorc, Goulrl ()/91) (SONI) SM2K|2671

Vc Son - selecterL crmparison:

Wamr, Buck (BRID) BfuIDGE9088

Vc y'l Tbn Sons - selexed comparison:

Oster-tag Shkar, Rnndala

Q2/97) (h[DG) MDG304 0697-2

Tln dt Tpt Sons - seleaed comparison:

Lindbug Pi)ntinm, Tm, Westnbolz

(3/94) (BIS) BrS-CD1t9

Tpt Sm slected comparisre:

Helretb, Stott (l/1)) (LMD 416471-2

Lmbin, Rnndnlu (L[DG) MDG304 0696-2

Vn Son - selected cmparisore:

Wallin, Piintinm (8/96) (BIS) BIS-CD761

FP Zimemnn, Prce (9/1j) (BIS) BIS-CD2021

Becher-Bmdcr, Nag Q2/13) GmD CDA68014

lveslMo-zag;Veldilves String Quartet No 2 Mozart StringQuartet No 21, K575 Verdi String QuartetSchumann QuartetArs Produktion o ".e,. ARs38 156 (69',. DDD/DSD)

Their bold, forthright manner putsemphasis on clear articulation and strongdyrramic contrasts. This approach worksleast well, perhaps, in the Mozart; it's abright, lively performance, certainly, butdetached notes can seem excessively short,with changes from piano to forte oftenoverdone. The Quatuor Mosaiques, bycontrast, bring out fully the cantabile natrreof the themes. Where the Schumanns dothis, particularly in the Andante, theirplayng has a truly appealing character.

The Schumann's highly dramaticstyle works wonders in the Ives. The'Discussions' of the first movement and the'Arguments' of the second come vividly tolife, while the sense of intense elationtowards the close of the finale is achievedwith great power. The Blair Quartet, with anarrower expressive range, make the musicappear less way-out and perhaps betterunified but I can't help feeling that Iveswould have approved of a moreuncompromisin g manner.

It was instr-uctive to compare this accountof the Verdi with the Melos Quartet's 1998recording. The Schumann's first movementgives the impression of an operatic conflict,the lyrical main themes contrastingviolendy with the agitated semiquaverfiguration, whereas the Melos, with a moremoderate mannef, stress the movement'sintrospective character. But the Schumannapproach can be seen as equally valid; andin the finale of the quartet they have theedge, their brilliant, devil-may-care attitudetrumping the more careful Melos.Duncan DruceIaes - seleaed cmparison:

Blair Qt (NAXO) 8 tt9178

Mout"t - selettEd cmpa^on:

MosaiQua Qt (5/99R) NAI|) 88888

Verdi - selected cmpnrbon:

Meks Qt (8/00) (ARnt ILMC?} 1671

KleeidArchitexture'Music for Strings: Antecessores. Violin Sonata.Oraculum. Cello Sonata. lmaginary Landscapeof Mushrooms. Cantus modestusNejc Avbelj, Matija Kretid vnsZoran BiCanin yc Davorin MoripfMladi Ljubljanski Solisti Chamber OrchestraJanus Atelier @ MTKcDoot (52'. DDD)I

The Schumann

Quartet - not namedafter Robert but afterthe three brothers who

are its violinists and cellist * bring adistinctive style to this varied programme.

When new music can'tbe understood withoutthe album notes, eitherthe idiom is extremely

foreign or the composer's intentions aren'tclear. Matija Kredii may have bothproblems. So many musical antecedents are

a

H

T*Ig

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