à Amsterdam - Postscript
I finally got the chance to take in the interesting album of Dutch music, played upon Dutch instruments from Postscript, an HIP ensemble featuring two flutes, cello, and harpsichord. The program is from a variety of composers, including Locatelli, de Fesch, Jacob Klein, Antoine Mahaut, van Noordt, Hurlebusch, Schickhardt, de Konink, and Carl Rosier. Yes, many of these names are new to me, save for Locatelli, Klein, and Schickhardt.
In the liner notes, the performers write:
We selected a number of works published (and in most cases also composed) in Amsterdam, chose Amsterdam-built instruments or copies thereof for each of us to play, and settled on a historical venue with wonderful acoustics in the heart of the city: the Waalse Kerk. As with our first CD for TRPTK, Introductio, we decided to record it live with an appreciative audience in attendance. Our hope with this recording is to take you back to 18th-century Amsterdam to get a glimpse of its diverse and lively musical life.
This is the first recording I encountered on TRPTK records. The liner notes include a lot of details about their recording technology on the last page. The recording was made with a live audience in the Waalse Kerk. This music, categorically, isn’t ideal fodder for a church setting. Viewing pictures of the space, I recognize it, and know that many concerts take place in this location. It’s definitely not a cathedral, but seems to have more volume than we’d expect for chamber music. All that said, the recording has a light texture and a spacious sound field. I found the spaciousness grew on me the more I listened, using headphones. My guess is that they used a close miking technique; performer sounds such as breathing sound close. While I ultimately would have liked to have heard this recital with less reverb, the result in the recording is one to be admired. The original, super-high resolution recording was downsampled to 192kHz for this recording, auditioned via Qobuz.
Pieces for 2 Traversos with Continuo
The album features several pieces for two flutes and continuo. These include those by Carl Rosier (Sonata I, in five movements), Servaas de Konink (an eight-movement suite created from his opp. 1 & 4 collections), Pietro Locatelii (Sonata II, op. 5), and Antoine Mahaut (Sonata VI). The two flutists (David Westcombe and Aysha Wills) are placed on opposite sides of the stereo image. For me that’s ideal. The harpsichord used, one whose history is well-told in the liner notes, is a delicate instrument but one that cuts through the texture with just the requisite amount of sparkle. Both Westcombe and Wills play with closely matched technical abilities, blending and playing together very well. I especially liked their performance of the Canzon from the Rosier piece. His music seems to me to convey cosmopolitan appeal; his voice is clearly mid-baroque, without any tease of galant elements (he died in in 1725). This particular suite comes from the collection he published in 1691.
In the de Konink, I appreciated Artem Belogurov’s continuo playing in the opening overture; the later adjustment of the instrument’s voicing in the Plainte was a nice change; in this same piece we get to enjoy the lower register of one of the flutes which is dark and velvety in sound. The writing here for me isn’t as affective as what a Telemann could have done, but the piece is nevertheless moving. While the flute parts are easy, props again to Belogurov’s support with two hands. The flutes are challenged with tonguing in the March and do a superb job.
The Locatelli trio sonata I was familiar with; it clearly has a “sound” to it, which I cannot say is purely because of my familiarity, or Locatelli’s style, but it most definitely has that late baroque cast to the writing. What’s pleasant about the violin master’s writing is how he writes for two flutes (as one instrument, playing in harmony) then switches things up giving them each independent parts that play together. To my ears, his music sounds more challenging, but again, the two flutists are on top form.
Mahaut is the latest of the composers on this recording, representing a clearly galant style in his writing (he dies in 1785). There were periods in listening to his trio sonata that I might have guessed Telemann. His writing in the second movement gives a strong opening line to the continuo; the style looks backwards, using counterpoint here to structure the writing. Octavie Dostaier-Lalonde, cello, joins Belogurov on harpsichord, whom together play very tightly. The last movement is a tour-de-force, pitting the two flutes against one another rhythmically. The result for us is amazing, especially if you’re in the “headspace” with a pair of headphones. The superior technical ability of the musicians here is again for us to witness.
Solo Pieces
The first solo piece is a three-movement sonata for flute and continuo, here realized by Westcombe on flute with Belogurov on harpsichord. The piece is short; the collection from which it comes is all that’s left of organist van Noordt’s legacy.
The Fugue from Hurlebusch is realized here on harpsichord, lasting almost six minutes. This piece uses a theme that is familiar to me, it’s origin is not mentioned in the notes. My guess would be something that Froberger or Bach might have also used, but I probably won’t be able to identify it in short order. As far as fugues go, it’s on par with something by Bach in terms of it keeping our interest throughout.
Aysha Wills leads as the soloist in Schickhardt sonata from his opus 32. The opening movement is a nicely written piece; again the ensemble has used just harpsichord here and Belogurov’s playing and realization of the continuo line is fresh, I like how he uses his right hand and his style of arpeggiating the harmonies. The faster movements each benefit from good inventive phrases.
I was glad the cellist in this recording got a solo piece too! Klein’s years roughly copy Bach’s, and his music sounds like it, perhaps even more melodic over Bach’s contrapuntal style.
Duet
Westcombe and Wills are the stars in de Fesch’s five duets. I can’t know if these musicians had any fun playing these, but having played duets with another trombonist in my past, I always found them fun. Each of these pieces is short, pulled from a collection of thirty duets. Those chosen here showcase, I think, the deep well of styles the composer was able to render for two transverse flutes. As with the other pieces on this recording, the playing from both musicians is excellent, even as they end the menuet on the same note in perfect tune.
Final Thoughts
This album for me was a revealing, seventy-two minutes of bliss. I don’t know if I had a concept of a Dutch spirit in baroque music. While the composers were not all born in the Netherlands, they all did find a home in Amsterdam at some point in their careers. This was a great primer for what we might have heard, visiting that city. The programming, use of Dutch instruments, and excellent liner notes all point to a release of high value.
