Roman - Golovinmusiken
This album is now five years old, but it’s new to me, and I thought the music itself was worth more exposure. Johann Helmich Roman is likely known to you as a Swedish composer, specializing in music for recorder. It is therefore not surprising to see recorder virtuoso Dan Laurin behind this production, with Höör Barock on BIS.
This first complete recording uses an edition created by Laurin from two sources; the music itself was composed for a 1728 banquet held by the Russian envoy, Count Golovin. With 45 tracks and over 80 minutes, it’s a full-banquet’s worth of music.
The liner notes have a good historical background to this music, and the political situation at the time between Russia and Sweden. They also indicate that no instrumentation is specified (nor were tempo indications!). The instrumentarium used, then, includes recorders (of all sizes), oboes, bassoon, strings, and guitar and mandora (pear-shaped lute). You can imagine, that since the autograph by Roman survives, the lack of details in the score is a sign of the pragmatism—these details would have either been verbally communicated, or naturally understood as part of performance practice.
Roman’s years were 1694-1758, roughly contemporary with other baroque heavyweights, such as Scarlatti, Bach, and Handel. In fact, on a sojourn across Europe, Roman reportedly met Handel. When he returned to Stockholm in 1737, he came carrying a stash of scores collected from his travels to Austria, England, France, Germany, and Italy. The composer sadly had to retire to health problems in the mid-1740s, which included increasing deafness.
The ensemble on this album is captured with great clarity. BIS as a label typically has good recorded sound. The recording was made at Tjörnarps kyrka, in Höör in November 2017. The space seems well-equipped for a chamber ensemble, with what I’m guessing is almost 2 seconds reverb time. But the focus around each of the instruments is kept intact. The continuo instruments such as guitar and harpsichord are pushed back, but their attack is still easily audible.
The pieces themselves are all short. They include some specific dance types, such as a hornpipe, bourrée, and gavottes. I think the tempos chosen by Laurin work well. The ensemble plays together well, sounding well-integrated. I appreciate the variation in orchestration Laurin has directed, such as the solo for recorder and strummed continuo in the Presto on track 31. The solo harpsichord in track 35, and the use of oboe and oboe da caccia in the Bourée in track 21 helps to keep our engagement as the colors change across the performances.
What’s unfortunate, I think, is that these pieces are all so short that we don’t get any strong emotional depth. The light pieces are strong on rhythmic diversity and many employ dotted rhythm that can keep your toe tapping. Perhaps the music’s very purpose—as banquet entertainment, so called musica sonora—dictates the pieces’ length. As movements that could be repeated, and even varied upon repeats with improvisatory embellishments or a change in who plays what, could have stretched the performance time beyond what’s presented here.
It’s impossible for me to know what kind of additions these musicians are making to the music from what was left on the score, and no discussion of that is made within the booklet. That said, the results are pleasant enough as recorded. The technical capacity of these musicians is very strong. I have little doubt that this recording will serve as a reference for this collection for years to come.
It is always interesting to me to explore the music making that took place around those, who today, we consider the ‘greats.’ Roman’s impact on musical history, let’s be honest, won’t be lauded in the same way we do, say, that of Handel. But to hear what an evening’s entertainment might have sounded like, from someone who was used to imitating popular styles of the day, is an interesting experience. I could envision you using this recording as your own type of background entertainment; the consistency of the performance and oft-changing colors is pleasant enough; taken in shorter sets, one likely can get something out of spending more time with some of Roman’s themes. I found myself hearing echoes of other music. Echoes of, say, Handel’s Water Music, or even some Telemann sonatas. Roman ends up being a very cosmopolitan musical voice.
Deep music this is not, but for those who want to explore some lighthearted dances and melodies, these are expertly performed.
