Bach: Triple (Works for Flute, Violin, and Harpsichord)

• Recorded: March 2023 - Sint-Truiden, Belgium
• Artistic/Audio Production: Rainer Arndt
• Label: Ramée
• Performers: Les Muffatti (Frank Theuns, flute; Sophie Gent, violin; Bertrand Cuiller, harpsichord)
• Auditioned in high resolution (192 kHz) via Qobuz

The music on this album has already been oft-recorded; many times in comprehensive sets such as the “Brandenburg Concertos and 4 Orchestral Suites.” The purpose for a new album pulling these works together—principally BWV 1067, BWV 1050, and BWV 1044—seems to have been dictated by a study of what Bach wrote as a pair of triple concertos for flute, violin, and harpsichord.

What works for a concert program isn’t always a great album concept; I am wondering how this will appeal to folks who already own one or more versions of these pieces.

The essay which accompanies this recording is well-written and is thought-provoking in terms of the utility of these works given Bach’s relationship with a number of potential patrons, not to mention the influence of his son Carl Phillip Emmanuel.

My overall impression of this album can be captured in a few bullets:

• The overall sound of the orchestra, using larger forces than what is now typical (1 per part) is nice.
• Balance issues in the Overture BWV 1067 exist for the flute against this ensemble for the recording engineers (overall, the orchestra is at some distance from the microphones but flute sometimes sounds artificially imposed on top of the orchestra).
• There’s an overall relaxed way about which these musicians work together yet when required especially in the dances, they play with deliberate pulse to help us feel the dance rhythms.
• There was a lost opportunity to try something new in the interpretations.
• The most impressive playing comes from harpsichordist Bertrand Cuiller.

Overture BWV 1067

This work proves a challenge always for balance. Recording engineers can fake the superiority of the (baroque) flute against an orchestra but a baroque traverso is not the loudest instrument. The natural way to address this is through diminishing the orchestral forces. I’ve heard A-minor versions with oboe and violin that work better. I like the larger sound Les Muffati achieve here but the sound of the flute sometimes sounds strange to me, cutting through, or lost within the orchestral sound. I can’t explain it save to say it does not always sound natural. (The movement that sticks with me is the opening Ouverture and the flute sounds like it’s being suspended somehow on the right above the other instruments, all further afield. The sound improves into the dances this phenomenon is gone in the concertos.)

Their pacing here foreshadows that of the other pieces, they are not in a rush. Some listeners will revel in this more relaxed style. The ensemble takes the effort to help us feel the rhythmic pulse of the dances and this works well; the polonaises have great lower bass support which sounds fantastic. While Bach was a virtuosic composer, nothing in the opening work makes us feel that the virtuosity of the players overtook their hearts and minds. The final movement achieves its charm without having to play it too quickly.

BWV 1050

The fifth “Brandenburg Concerto” provides us a more intimate sound. Balance between the trio instruments sounds natural; harpsichord sounds furthest away; flute should be in front, but sometimes its balance wants me to hear more. The first movement loses a little support with the harmonic sequences at around 3.5 minutes in, the flute is harder to hear. Nice flute sound when it is heard; also interesting vibrato from Gent on violin. Goebel and MAK did more in the way of ornamenting their lines which I think it smart, given the strange role the harpsichord has with an extended solo capriccio. Herein lies the philosophical aspect of HIP: do we only play what’s on the page, or do we extrapolate a performance practice that includes inventive contributions from the musicians?

For me, an album like this almost demands the latter, where we’re going to hear something new or novel as part of the program.

By the time we get to the solo capriccio, I wanted to be closer to the instrument. Cuiller plays with rubato, rushing into things here and there, picking up the general sense of tempo. In the more dazzling bizarrerie of the capriccio, his competent playing turns dazzling. He could have taken more time here or there, perhaps, given the general aesthetic of Les Muffatti’s approach with a relaxed style, but for me personally, I appreciated his ability to push the tempo. Just a small shame he had to wind down a bit before everyone came back in, to match their original tempo.

I felt the middle movement here was played too slowly. It again could have won me over more with some additional ornamentation.

Nice opening to third movement. This one is the strongest tracks on the recording. They gel really well together and the tempo is swift without going into overdrive.

BWV 1044

I spent some time listening to the genesis for this work, the A minor prelude and fugue and the middle movement to Bach’s organ trio sonata. This recording excels in the transparency between the three solo instruments and it allowed me, perhaps, to better appreciate Bach’s art as arranger and re-composer. The opening of the third movement felt slow to me; however later on there seems to be enough complexity to warrant their adopted tempo. I may well be still mentally wired to the crazier Goebel tempos.

Cuiller is the star again, for me, as maybe that part should be. Their slow movement for me, again, was too slow for my taste. Compared to the right hand of the harpsichord, the flute sound is anemic. Some of the ornaments are lost behind the competition from the harpsichord. Here as elsewhere, Gent does use the longer notes, as I think is appropriate, to swell and give us natural, shapely, changes in dynamics.

Conclusion

All the players on this album are gifted musicians who play well and cleanly. None of them take on virtuoso pretense, perhaps the harpsichordist a bit, but then Bach handed him the invitation to do so, didn’t he? There are some moments sonically that I really liked in his recording. I think the overall sound concept and location were well chosen. There are a few times where balance issues became apparent that most impacted the role the flute had against the rest of the ensemble.

I was somewhat amazed when listening to some old favorite recordings of these same works and the more natural, three dimensional sound from this recording compared to those, especially, with some age.

I had a difficult time positioning any one of these three major works as a best-of recording, compared to the ones previously recorded. The recording then acts as a perhaps a concert-style recording, an opportunity to hear these works together.

What is missed, perhaps, is something I think any ensemble has to consider in terms of marketing a new recording of well-recorded works. We saw this effect (for better or worse) with Vivaldi’s Four Seasons. There seems to be no interpretive edge with this recording. HIP has been an interesting approach to old music and I admire it so, but we can’t be slaves to a performance practice that ignores the ability to move the (modern) listener. There are ways to approach this within HIP; those options here weren’t explored. And for that I cannot give it my highest rating.