Tekla Cunningham; baroque violin, Stephen Stubbs; guitar, chitarrone, direction, Maxine Eilander; baroque harp, William Skeen; bass viol, Henry Lebedinsky harpsichord and organ
Reference Recordings has long been known for its high quality audiophile recordings that live up to their slogan “the best seat in the house.” They are especially good at the orchestral halls; one thinks of their potent studio recordings of the Utah and Kansas City Symphonies. They have not, though, been especially connected to Early Music or so-called Historically Informed Practice and so I was pleased and surprised to find a copy of a new recording by a Seattle group that specializes in 17th century music. The challenges are of a different sort when it comes to capturing soft instruments such as the baroque guitar, the triple harb and bass viol in an intimate space in which the music must both whisper and hang in the air as long as the fragile decay of the gut strings allow.
This new issue is called Stylus Phantasticus. The term, as we learn in the helpful liner notes, was coined by a polymath Jesuit scientist and philosopher Anthonius Kircher (1602-1680) to describe what he heard as a distinct contemporary style, if not musical attitude, and one that he endorsed:
The stylus phantasticus is appropriate for instruments. It is the most free and unfettered method of composition, bound to nothing, neither to words, nor to a harmonious subject. It is organised with regard to manifest invention, the hidden reason of harmony, and an ingenious, skilled connection of harmonic phrases and fugues. And it is divided into those pieces which are commonly called Phantasias, Ricercatas, Toccatas, and Sonatas.
If the reader finds this less than clear, he/she can be forgiven. Those who spend a lot of time in 17th music are more likely to have a concept closer to a description by the great scholar of the baroque Ton Koopman.
Stylus phantasticus wants to keep the listener awake by special effects, astonishment, irregular voice leadings, dissonances, variations in rhythm and imitation. It is a free, improvisational style which forces the audience to listen full of astonishment while wondering ‘how is this possible?’ (Koopman 1991, 150)
The character who most reliably illustrates this volatile virtuosity is Heinrich Biber, whose music for violin does seem to astonished and overwhelm the ear. Long breathless phrases, strange effects, pungent dissonances and and on occasion even a theatrical pathos mark this North German composer as a true original. One would expect him to central to the recital and indeed he is on the longest (but most problematic) piece.
But first the sonics. The ensemble features both baroque guitar and chitarrone of the leader Stephen Stubbs and the rare and remarkable baroque harp of Maxine Eilander. Both together and separately these delicate instruments are very nicely captured. More than anything else on this recording they bathe the ear in a new sonority within the baroque style. Those instruments blend nicely with the lower range of the viol, expertly played by William Skeen.
Tekla Cunningham
It is no small thing to capture the sound of the prominent violin of Tekla Cunningham. She plays 1746 Italian instrument which is full of character. Her sound is forward in the mix and the lack of vibrato gives it a sharp edge on occasion but her feeling for the style can only be commended. She plays with great rhythmic agility and nuance, her phrasing is faultless. In spite of this, one welcomes the pieces where the violin gives way to the other instruments- it is as if the lights are dimmed after a too bright radiance.
The pieces range from the early Toccata for harp by Giovanni de Macque to the later and more ambitious sonatas by Biber and Schmelzer. There are several pieces that will be new to even serious amateurs of the period. The Sonata detta la desperate by Carlo Farina is a good example of the sound of the ensemble, its many layers, its fondness for the whimsical and plangent, the quirky shifts in mood and inflection. This is the piece to sample for those who stream music.
Less successful for this listener are those pieces which rely on the famous “Folia” chord sequence. No amount of earnest fiddling can break the shackles of this harmonic progression. Granted, those listeners who don’t have the back history of hearing far too many performances Bob Dylan’s “One more Cup of Coffee before I go” will suffer less from this. Biber’s twelve minute treatment is more than I could absorb. Repetition is often used as a route to intensity; but it always runs the risk of sliding into tedium and aggravation. Surely other listeners would not warm to the “groove” of this music rather than chafe at the fetters. That said, the music itself was rendered masterfully by the ensemble.
The Dreaded Folia Chord progression; may it be banned from HIP.
The shorter Corbetta treatment of the same repeated theme comes off better for the lighter textures of guitar and harp. The same can be said for the Ciaconna in A by Schmelzer. Far from “unfettered” playing the melody has the simplicity of folk music. There must have been happy smiles from the recording booth for there is an especial burnish to the sound of the violin and continuo.
The chamber organ helps stage the supremely improvisational Sonata by Albertini. Long pedal tones, a feeling of harmonic stasis allows the fiddle to extemporize. This strange piece is utterly captivating. The recital concludes with two pieces by Schmelzer who is all sweetness compared to Biber’s vinegar. The embellishments from the plucked instruments are gentle and subtle. The repetition of the chords is helped along by the finely articulate waltz time. Tekla Cunningham is a marvel on her Italian instrument, an endlessly songful bird. Here it is that we can begin to see how this endless spinning of melody departs from the standards of Corelli and the more orderly Italian tradition.
All in all the ensemble delivers generously in this program of unusual Baroque specialties. It should be added that the liner notes are especially well done too; they enrich the world of the 17th century in terms of aesthetic and musical background with discussion of the little figures such as Schmelzer, Pandolfi Mealli and the obscure Jesuit theorist Kircher.
This recording leaves the listener hoping for more from this ensemble. One would dearly like to hear them play the Music of the French Court, or the trio sonatas of Telemann or Buxtehude. One trusts Stephen Stubbs to bring his historical expertise to just about any program and one certainly welcomes the fine work by the folks at Reference Recording
—Fritz Balwit.
For more information, please visit Reference Recordings website:
