Roger Steptoe recommends a Baroque trio of new releases.
Undiscovered
gems
When the 22-yearold
Mozart was
staying in Mannheim
in 1778, he became
fascinated by the
“beautiful sound of
the clarinets” newly
introduced to the city’s
orchestra. Invented in 1690,
the clarinet had always been a
fairly rudimentary instrument, used
mainly for outdoor occasions. But
Mozart changed that. The
instrument’s subtle song has
inspired many a budding musician
ever since.
Research, both academic and
practical, is key for serious-minded
classical musicians today. With the
wealth of recordings on the market
it’s important to make one’s mark.
But 40-year-old French clarinettist
Florent Héau definitely has
something to say. His original
disc not only features
Mozart’s deliciously
vocal Clarinet Quintet
but two unknown
gems – the Clarinet
Quartets (clarinet,
violin, viola and
cello) arranged
anonymously from
two violin sonatas and
Mozart’s own K496
Divertimento. Héau has
compared the original
manuscripts with the earliest known
editions and added his own ideas on
articulation and dynamics as well as
simplifying and tidying up some
unclear passages. For Mozart
enthusiasts, a worthwhile, hot-offthe-
press investment.
Mozart: Quintet and Quartets for
clarinet and strings,
Florent Héau,
clarinet, Quatuor Manfred
ZZT 080503,
Zig Zag territoires
www.zigzag-territoires.com
Golden Baroque
Heinrich Ignaz Franz Biber has
never quite become the
household name that his
contemporaries Henry Purcell or
France Jean-Baptiste Lully have.
But Biber (1644-1704) was an
extraordinary violinist of his day,
the exciting first period of the
golden Baroque. Western European
music was wrestling with new
influences, shaking off its
ecclesiastical Renaissance clothing
and entering a new phase of
innovation.
In 1684, Biber was appointed
Music Director at Salzburg in
Austria. And, like Mozart (born
there 72 years later), he was held in
high esteem throughout his life.
Les Plaisirs du Parnasse is a
French baroque music ensemble.
Under David Plantier’s direction it
gives a new take on Biber’s 12
multi-movement chamber Sonatas
known collectively as ‘Fidicinium
Sacro-Profanum, 1683’ – a crafted
fusion of sacred and profane. The
curious title alludes to Biber’s
patron, Prince-Archbishop
Maximilian Gandolph von
Kuenburg. Dedicated to the Prince-
Archbishop, Salzburg’s guardian
angel for the arts, the work reflects
the Prince’s function as head of both
the State and Church. Lovingly
played and superbly recorded,
another Baroque disc to be
treasured.
Biber : Fidicinium Sacro Profanum
Les Plaisirs du Parnasse, David
Plantier, violin and director.
ZZT080701 Zig Zag Territoires
Poetry in music
The final movement in this
month’s trio is an enticing
compilation of late Baroque solo
violin sonatas and largely
anonymous Venetian monodies –
solo songs that might have inspired
the gondoliers as they plied their
way through Venice’s canals.
Guiseppe Tartini (1692-1770)
led a richly varied life – part
composer and part inventor. With a
marriage soon meeting family
disapproval, he fled to Assisi where
he hid in the local monastery. Never
idle, he studied composition and
acoustics as well as inventing a new
bow and giving violin recitals. Back
in Padua he founded a school of
violin playing and, through his
fascination with acoustics,
discovered new tonal qualities to the
violin. Together, violinist Chiara
Banchini and singer
Patrizia Bovi’s
enchanting
disc moulds
Italian
poetry of the
time with the
gentle art of
Tartini’s solo
violin sonatas. The
accompanying booklet is an elegant
work of art on its own.
Tartini – solo violin sonatas
Chiara Banchini - violin,
Patrizia Bovi - voice
ZZT080502, Zig Zag Territoires
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